35 Best NPR Podcasts (National Public Radio)

1. Fresh Air

Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.3 / 5Facebook Followers 7.6MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 5 episodes / week Avg Length 47 min Listen on Apple Spotify Play Get Email Contact Get Influential Podcasters ContactsGet access to 100k active Podcasters, Influencers in 1500 niche categories.Get targeted media contact list in your niche at your fingertips so you can focus on running your campaign.Email us the categories of Podcasters you want to reach out for your marketing campaign at anuj@feedspot.com Copy email. We'll share active Podcasters list with verified email contacts in an Excel or CSV format.Email us

2. Up First

NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day. The three biggest stories of the day, with reporting and analysis from NPR News in 10 minutes. Available weekdays by 6 a.m. ET, with hosts Rachel Martin, Noel King and Steve Inskeep. Now available on Saturdays by 8 a.m. ET, with hosts Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Scott Simon.
Podcast npr.org
Hosts Rachel Martin, Noel King, Steve Inskeep
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.6 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 1 episode / day Avg Length 15 min Listen on Apple Spotify YouTube Play Get Email Contact

3. Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me

NPR's weekly news quiz. Have a laugh and test your knowledge with today's funniest comedians. And if you can't get enough, try our new mid-week show, Everyone & Their Mom. Each Wednesday, host Emma Choi takes the story everyone's talking about and uses it as an excuse to hang out with culture makers, Wait Wait panelists, and hilarious new comedians.Hate free content? Try a subscription to Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Podcast npr.org
Hosts Peter Sagal, Emma Choi
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.6 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 1 episode / week Avg Length 39 min Listen on Apple Spotify Play Get Email Contact

4. Planet Money

Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy understand the world.Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.6 / 5Facebook Followers 95.3KTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 165K Frequency 2 episodes / week Avg Length 28 min Listen on Apple Spotify YouTube Play Get Email Contact

5. The Indicator from Planet Money

A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.7 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 3 episodes / week Avg Length 10 min Listen on Apple Spotify YouTube Play Get Email Contact

6. All Songs Considered

Since launching in 2000, All Songs Considered has been NPR's flagship program for music discovery, artist interviews and conversations with friends and fellow music lovers about the really big questions, like what was the best decade for music, are there albums everyone can agree on, and what do you put on when you need a good cry? Weekly, with host Robin Hilton and the NPR Music family.
Podcast npr.org
Host Robin Hilton
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.3 / 5Twitter Followers 386.1K Frequency 8 episodes / month Avg Length 45 min Listen on Apple Spotify Play Get Email Contact

7. It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Each week, Sam Sanders interviews people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with other journalists. Join Sam as he makes sense of the world through conversation.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.7 / 5Facebook Followers 7.6MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 2 episodes / week Avg Length 30 min Since Jun 2017 Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

8. TED Radio Hour

Exploring the biggest questions of our time with the help of the world's greatest thinkers. Host Manoush Zomorodi inspires us to learn more about the world, our communities, and most importantly, ourselves.
Podcast npr.org
Host Manoush Zomorodi
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.3 / 5Facebook Followers 52.8KTwitter Followers 50.8K Frequency 1 episode / week Avg Length 47 min Since Apr 2018 Listen on Apple Spotify Play Get Email Contact

9. Invisibilia

Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. Invisibilia Latin for invisible things fuses narrative storytelling with science that will make you see your own life differently.
Podcast npr.org
Hosts Kia Miakka Natisse, Yowei Shaw
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.5 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 1 episode / month Avg Length 38 min Listen on Apple YouTube Play Get Email Contact

10. Short Wave

New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines - all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join host Maddie Sofia for science on a different wavelength.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.7 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 3 episodes / week Avg Length 14 min Listen on Apple Spotify YouTube Play Get Email Contact

11. Embedded

Host Kelly McEvers takes a story from the news and goes deep. Whether that means digging into the Trump administration's past, the stories behind police shootings caught on video, or visiting a town ravaged by the opioid epidemic, Embedded takes you where the news is happening.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.7 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 11 episodes / quarter Avg Length 39 min Since Mar 2016 Listen on Apple Spotify Play Get Email Contact

12. Throughline

The past is never past. Every headline has a history. Join us every week as we go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.
Podcast npr.org
Hosts Ramtin Arablouei, Rund Abdelfatah
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.6 / 5Facebook Followers 6.7MTwitter Followers 20.9K Frequency 3 episodes / month Avg Length 49 min Since Jan 2019 Listen on Apple Spotify Video Podcast YouTube Play Get Email Contact

13. Code Switch

What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for! Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. We explore how it impacts every part of society - from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.6 / 5Facebook Followers 49KTwitter Followers 146K Frequency 1 episode / week Avg Length 36 min Listen on Apple Spotify Play Get Email Contact

14. Here & Now

NPR and WBUR's live midday news program.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.1 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 5 episodes / week Avg Length 28 min Since Dec 2020 Listen on Apple Spotify Play Get Email Contact

15. Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour is a fun and freewheeling chat about the latest movies, television, books, and music.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.5 / 5Facebook Followers 50.6KTwitter Followers 45.9K Frequency 4 episodes / week Avg Length 20 min Listen on Apple YouTube Play Get Email Contact

16. Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Bullseye from NPR is your curated guide to culture. Jesse Thorn hosts in-depth interviews with brilliant creators, culture picks from our favorite critics and irreverent original comedy. Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney's, which called it 'the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.' (Formerly known as The Sound of Young America.)
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@nhpr.org
Apple Rating 4.7 / 5Facebook Followers 31.7KTwitter Followers 45.3KInstagram Followers 19.7K Frequency 1 episode / week Avg Length 40 min Since Jul 2013 Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

17. Consider This from NPR

The hosts of NPR's All Things Considered help you make sense of a major news story and what it means for you, in 15 minutes. New episodes six days a week, Sunday through Friday.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.2 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7M Frequency 1 episode / day Avg Length 13 min Since Mar 2020 Listen on Apple Spotify YouTube Play Get Email Contact

18. How I Built This with Guy Raz

Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists and the movements they built.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 2 episodes / week Avg Length 54 min Play Get Email Contact

19. World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN

WXPN's live performance and interview program featuring music and conversation from a variety of important musicians.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@xpn.org
Apple Rating 4.2 / 5Facebook Followers 46.1KTwitter Followers 31.5KInstagram Followers 18.6K Frequency 4 episodes / week Avg Length 29 min Listen on Apple Spotify YouTube Play Get Email Contact

20. The NPR Politics Podcast

Every weekday, NPR's best political reporters are there to explain the big news coming out of Washington and the campaign trail. They don't just tell you what happened. They tell you why it matters. Every afternoon.Political wonks - get wonkier with The NPR Politics Podcast . Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed.
Podcast npr.org
Host Mike Johnson
Email ****@npr.org
Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 4 episodes / week Avg Length 18 min Listen on Apple Spotify YouTube Play Get Email Contact

21. 1A

Every day, 1A convenes a conversation about the most important issues of our time. The show takes a deep and unflinching look at America, bringing context and insight to stories unfolding across the country and the world.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@wamu.org
Facebook Followers 64.4KTwitter Followers 71.7KInstagram Followers 14.8K Frequency 1 episode / day Avg Length 43 min Since Jan 2020 Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

22. From the Top

NPR's From the Top showcases the music, stories, and unique humor of America's best young classical musicians.
Podcast fromthetop.org
Email ****@fromthetop.org
Apple Rating 5 / 5Facebook Followers 66.5KTwitter Followers 3.3KInstagram Followers 8.4K Frequency 1 episode / week Avg Length 39 min Listen on Apple Spotify YouTube Play Get Email Contact

23. StoryCorps

Stories of the human heart. A candid, unscripted conversation between two people about what's really important in life: love, loss, family, friendship. When the world seems out of hand, tune in to StoryCorps and be reminded of the things that matter most.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@wgte.org
Apple Rating 4.5 / 5Facebook Followers 4.7KTwitter Followers 4.8KInstagram Followers 1.7K Frequency 4 episodes / month Avg Length 19 min Since Jan 2019 Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

24. Car Talk Podcast

America's funniest auto mechanics take calls from weary car owners all over the country, and crack wise while they diagnose Dodges and dismiss Diahatsus. You don't have to know anything about cars to love this one hour weekly laugh fest.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@cartalk.com
Facebook Followers 510.7KTwitter Followers 42.4K Frequency 1 episode / week Avg Length 36 min Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

25. Alt.Latino

The global Latinx community is evolving and growing fast. Alt.Latino is here to celebrate it and all of its nuances through music. Each episode, NPR Music's Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre sit down with a different living legend or rising star to discuss Latinx culture, heritage, and the shared borders of our experiences. Let the chisme begin!
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Facebook Followers 34.3KTwitter Followers 19.6K Frequency 2 episodes / month Avg Length 31 min Listen on YouTube Play Get Email Contact

26. The Students' Podcast

Teachers and students, got something to say? Put on your headphones and get ready to hit record! The folks behind NPR's Student Podcast Challenge made this handy guide on how to make a podcast in the classroom. We'll talk about how to gather good sound, ask great questions and conduct smart interviews. Plus, we'll hear from the contest's judges, last year's winners and feature some pretty inspiring stories of students and teachers. It's everything you need to make an amazing podcast!
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Facebook Followers 7.6MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Frequency 3 episodes / year Avg Length 11 min Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

27. Ask Me Another

Packed with trivia, comedy and celebrity guests, Ask Me Another is like an amusement park for your brain. Host Ophira Eisenberg and musician Jonathan Coulton take brilliant contestants on a roller coaster that'll make you laugh and scream out the answers and barely anyone throws up in a trash can.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.5 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

28. Louder Than A Riot

From Bobby Shmurda to Nipsey Hussle, each episode explores an artist's story to examine a different aspect of the criminal justice system that disproportionately impacts Black America. Hosted by NPR Music's Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden, this podcast is invested in power from all angles the power the music industry wields over artists, the power of institutional forces that marginalize communities of color, the power of the prison industrial complex, and the power dynamics deep-rooted in the rap game.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.3 / 5Facebook Followers 6.8MTwitter Followers 8.7MInstagram Followers 6.9M Since Sep 2020 Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

29. Believed

How did Larry Nassar, an Olympic gymnastics doctor, get away with abusing hundreds of women and girls for two decades? Believed is an inside look at how a team of women won a conviction in one of the largest serial sexual abuse cases in U.S. history. It's a story of survivors finding their power in a cultural moment when people are coming to understand how important that is. It's also an unnerving exploration of how even well-meaning adults can fail to believe.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@umich.edu
Apple Rating 4.9 / 5Facebook Followers 56.7KTwitter Followers 1.8KInstagram Followers 15 Since Oct 2018 Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact

30. Rough Translation

How are the things we're talking about being talked about somewhere else in the world? Gregory Warner tells stories that follow familiar conversations into unfamiliar territory. At a time when the world seems small but it's as hard as ever to escape our echo chambers, Rough Translation takes you places.
Podcast npr.org
Email ****@npr.org
Apple Rating 4.8 / 5Facebook Followers 2.9KTwitter Followers 7.8K Frequency 1 episode / year Avg Length 31 min Since Aug 2017 Listen on Apple Play Get Email Contact