Earlier this month, the Consumer Reports auto engineers hosted a pilot program, taking live calls from readers in a radio-show format. This trial episode is complete and now available for viewing or download.

In looking for a fresh way to connect with our readers, we wanted to experiment with a show format that would allow our automotive experts to offer direct advice in a candid, free-form way. Tapping the multimedia wizardry available through our CRTV department, we configured a multi-camera set in our main studio and piped in calls.

Auto Testing Director Jake Fisher, Senior Automotive Engineer Tom Mutchler, and Program Manager Gabe Shenhar discussed cars with the callers, answering buying questions and sharing insights about our test program.

The result of this pilot episode can be viewed below, or on our YouTube channel. It is 36 minutes long, so if you prefer to listen as a podcast, the audio is available for download or streaming via Sound Cloud.

We are keenly interested in feedback. Let us know what works, what doesn't, what you'd like to see on future episodes, and most importantly, if you think we should make this a routine feature.