NPR goes back to 1970, when approximately 90 public radio stations came together to form NPR, Inc. Over the next ten years, shows like All Things Considered and Morning Edition debuted, broadcasting nationally over the first nationwide radio satellite distribution network. In 2000, NPR debuted All Songs Considered, their first digital program, and just five years later entered the growing podcasting space with 17 NPR original podcasts and a broader directory of about 150 additional shows from member stations. 

Read more: Over 200 Audio Professionals Sign Anti-Racist Open Letter to Public Media

The influence NPR has had on podcasting (not to mention radio as a whole) has been instrumental. Going back to the early 2000s and the beginning of podcasting, it was NPR affiliate station WGBH that became the first station to release its daily radio programming as podcasts. Today, NPR is the most popular podcast publisher with over 175 million downloads and streams every month according to Podtrac. While this guide will only focus on programs produced by NPR, we also encourage you to explore the full NPR Podcast Directory where you can find additional shows distributed by NPR.

Fresh Air

Hosted by Terry Gross, Fresh Air is one of NPR’s most popular podcasts and consistently is one of the most downloaded podcasts globally. The show began in 1975 at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, and most episodes consist of an interview for about thirty minutes, followed by shorter segments such as film or music reviews. Guests range from presidents and Hollywood stars to authors, historians, and scientists, all of whom are greeted with the same curiosity, persistence, and analytical questioning. 

Where To Begin:

In 2004, Gross published All I Did Was Ask, where she highlighted several of her favorite interviews with guests such as Johnny Cash, James Baldwin, Chris Rock, and many more. Many interviews from before Fresh Air became a podcast have also been re-released, such as an interview with legendary musician Ray Charles (originally broadcast in 1998) and one with the prolific cooking teacher and author Julia Child (originally broadcast in 1989). With over 40 years of interviews, it is hard to pick a selection of “the best,” but Gross’ selections from the book will serve as a good initial guide. Another great resource is the Fresh Air archive, where interviews are categorized and searchable by name, topic, or year. 

In the past decade, notable interviews include a 2016 discussion with Anthony Bourdain two years before his death, and career-spanning interviews with author Toni Morrison in 2015 or actor Meryl Streep in 2012. In addition to famous guests, Fresh Air’s podcast feed is also filled with less recognizable authors, academics, and scientists discussing their work and expertise.

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

Planet Money

Planet Money is NPR’s economics podcast, but don’t be scared off if you are not a fan of the subject. While some episodes do go deep into the nuts and bolts of things like the Federal Reserve or how mints work, many of the shows 1,000+ episodes are more anecdotal and less wonky. 

Several producers and hosts work on the show, with the two best known being Robert Smith and Stacey Vanek Smith, and most episodes have an entertaining, witty, and sometimes humorous flair to them. Planet Money episodes are on the shorter side, usually in the range of 15 to 30 minutes, so it is a great podcast to squeeze into a quick commute or turn on while out on an evening walk. For a complete list of our favorite episodes, read this list from 2019. 

Where To Begin: 

The Planet Money T-Shirt Project (multiple episodes from 2013) was an in-depth look at the journey of a t-shirt from start to finish, including episodes about Indonesian yarn factories, discarded clothes that get sent to Sub-Saharan Africa, and the shipping containers that bring clothing to the United States. A similar series, Planet Money Buys Oil (multiple episodes in 2016), involved buying 100 barrels of oil and following the production process from the ground to a refinery, and finally into a gas tank. Both are incredibly informative and great binge listens. 

Planet Money also does a great job analyzing and explaining pricing, such as in Why The Price of Coke Didn’t Change For 70 Years (May 19, 2019) or Why A Dead Shark Costs $12 Million (March 20, 2019). These two episodes put a fun spin on the concept of supply and demand and would be great episodes to listen to with children, or just to refuel your own curiosity in the economy. 

Another one of Planet Money’s best-known episodes is Peanuts and Cracker Jack (May 6, 2016), which is a character-filled narrative about the micro-economy of baseball stadiums. It gives a new angle to look at sports stadiums with and will make you rethink everything you know about concessions. 

Read more: Best Planet Money episodes

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

Code Switch

Although it is significantly newer than some other NPR podcasts, Code Switch has developed a massive audience since its inception in 2016 and quickly became one of NPR’s most popular podcasts. The weekly episodes cover topics such as race, ethnicity, immigration, and other social issues. Produced by a team of journalists of color, including reporters Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby who host the show, Code Switch excels at answering sometimes complicated or difficult questions in an approachable and comprehensible way. 

Where To Begin: 

Many Code Switch episodes are inspired by current events, including some that continue to be especially relevant. On The Shoulders Of Giants (February 27, 2019) is presented by Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei of the podcast Throughline and tells a history of Black athletes using their position and power to protest injustice throughout American history. Rather than examine more commonly discussed narratives, it focuses on three equally relevant but lesser-known narratives. The Black Table In The Big Tent (September 18, 2019) focused on the fact that just 2% of the Republican Party is black, interviewing experts and Black Republicans alike.

Other Code Switch stories take on unexplored topics relating to race in pop culture, current events, or history. One especially fascinating episode was is Dora’s Lasting Magic (August 14, 2019), which looks at how children’s cartoon character Dora The Explorer helped lead to a new wave of multicultural television programming for kids in the United States. Code Switch also has interviews with a long list of diverse talents, such as Master of None creator Alan Yang and Blackish star Yara Shahidi. The Ask Code Switch episodes are another entertaining series, tackling listener questions and providing thoughtful answers in a way that is both educational and judgment-free. 

Read more: Podcasts to Prepare Your Kids and Teens for the Future

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

Hidden Brain

Essentially the Planet Money of psychology, Hidden Brain is a quick, quirky, and sometimes humorous show hosted by journalist Shankar Vedantam. In Vedantam’s own words, in the show, he “reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, and the triggers that direct the course of our relationships.” The podcast consists of interviews, quizzes and games, and narrative story-telling on a wide range of topics that typically evolve out of a single, simple question. 

Like many other NPR podcasts, the information presented is incredibly well-researched and answers big questions, but is presented in a way that is approachable and appropriate for a wide range of audiences. 

Where To Begin: 

Many of the best Hidden Brain episodes are those where Vedantam and his guests aim to tackle common psychology questions with a new lens. For example, The Ostrich Effect (August 6, 2018) looks at a concept some listeners may already be familiar with but introduces new anecdotes and examples to keep the discussion fresh. Another episode, What’s Not On The Test (May 13, 2019), does the same thing with the concept of school testing, going in-depth to provide concrete examples proving and disproving common theories about academic testing. 

An episode that steers a bit away from the usual format is Lonely Hearts (November 3, 2015), where Vedantam takes a more narrative approach to the psychology of love. The episode originally aired on This American Life, in a show called “The Heart Wants What it Wants,” which gives a bit of insight into the style and mood. Vedantam weaves psychology and science into the flow of the episode, but it ultimately feels more like a personal essay than academic research. 

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

Invisibilia

Perhaps NPR’s most out-of-the-box podcast in its subject matter and structure, Invisibilia premiered in 2015 to explore “the invisible forces that shape human behavior.” The show’s first season quickly gained attention, largely in part to excerpts occasionally being included within other NPR podcasts, such as All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Invisibilia and it’s hosts Alix Spiegel and Hanna Rosin were hugely influential on a new wave of podcasts that emerged in the late 2010s in tone and style, and the show remains one of NPR podcasts’ most engaging listens. 

Where To Begin: 

Invisibilia’s typical structure is to start with a narrative story and then let it lead into a broader discussion of the key question, which keeps the complex topics relatable and easier to grasp. For example, one newer episode from Season Six (White v. White?, April 3, 2020) addresses the concept of race as a social construct by opening the story of a man running for City Council who’s opponent alleges he is a white man pretending to be black. 

With about 30 episodes released, listening to Invisibilia from the beginning is very possible and although it is not serialized, starting with Season One may be a good idea. If you start from the beginning, Invisibilia’s debut was The Secret History of Thoughts (January 9, 2015), which examines negative thought, authenticity, and the subconscious mind. The second episode of the first season, Fearless (January 16, 2015) begins with the story of a woman who cannot feel fear before diving into the science of common fears such as snakes and roller coasters. 

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

Tiny Desk Concerts – Audio 

Music fans looking for an in-depth discussion should certainly check out All Songs Considered, but if you just want the tunes without the talk, look no further than the Tiny Desk Concerts audio podcast. While you may have seen some of these live shows on the NPR website or YouTube, listening to the podcast version is a real treat and allows you to explore back through over 300 past performances. 

Where To Begin:

Everyone from Taylor Swift, Lizzo, and Coldplay to The Roots, Mac Miller, and The Blue Man Group have stopped by NPR’s studios to play a Tiny Desk Concert. We highly recommend a subscription to the audio feed to relive your favorite performances of the past or discover a new favorite act. 

Music fans will all advocate for their own personal favorites, but a few Tiny Desk Concerts have stood out over the past few years. T-Pain’s 2014 appearance at the Tiny Desk not only established him as an incredibly talented musician and vocalist, but also ushered in a new wave of hip hop, rap, and R&B acts visiting the NPR studios. The most popular Tiny Desk Concert on YouTube is with Anderson .Paak and his cool, charismatic performance without a doubt won him more than a few new fans. Of course, you miss the visuals with the audio podcast version, but with these two artists and several others, simply taking in the sounds is just as sweet.  

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

How I Built This with Guy Raz

Fans of NPR podcasts already knew Guy Raz as the host of the TED Radio Hour, and it was no surprise that his second podcast in the network quickly exploded in popularity as well. Unlike TED Radio Hour, which has complex sound design and is elaborately stylized, How I Built This is a classic interview show that keeps fans engaged simply by having interesting guests. 

The concept is very straightforward, with Raz interviewing CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs about their backgrounds, keys to success, and ultimately, how they started the companies they are best known for. Since 2016, there have been over 300 episodes of the podcast. 

Where To Begin: 

How I Built This, like Fresh Air, has a massive library of episodes and the best ones for you are likely going to be those with guests you already are curious to learn more about. However, it is sometimes the lesser-known names that prove to have the most interesting stories. For example, Beyond Meat: Ethan Brown (February 16, 2017) tells a story of environmentalism, innovation, and fierce competition in an industry that most people probably know little about. Southwest Airlines: Herb Kelleher (January 4, 2019) is an engaging listen because the late Kelleher made fewer media appearances towards the end of his life and was incredibly open with Raz about his airline’s initial struggles and key innovations. 

How I Built This does a good job of finding guests from all industries, so you’ll hear interviews with tech entrepreneurs, fashion moguls, media moguls, and more. 

Read more: the best How I Built This episodes, The Traits The Best Podcast Hosts Share

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

Bonus – Up First

Clocking in at just 15 minutes per episode, the daily news NPR podcast Up First may not be comparable to some other full-length podcasts, but it certainly deserves a mention. Similar to The Daily or Crooked Media’s What A Day, Up First aims to quickly recap news you need to know and provide an overview of the three biggest stories you need to know each day. The reporting comes from award-winning journalists and unlike Morning Edition, which is significantly longer, Up First gives you a bite-sized portion of news from the same reputable team. Start Up First with the newest episode. As it is a news show, you most likely would not need to go back into the archives.

Editor’s note: An edit was made to the Code Switch section of this article on 2/22/2021 to provide more context for the “On the Shoulders of Giants” episode.

The post The Best NPR Podcasts (The Complete Collection) appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Political Gabfest

Launched in 2005, Political Gabfest is one of the oldest news podcasts out there. The show is hosted by former Slate correspondents Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz. All three hosts have been with the show since its inception, and have become masters of informal, yet intelligent, discussion. Having worked together for so long, the trio often sounds like bantering siblings more than cohosts as they tackle an array of political topics. As hilarious as it is informative, Political Gabfest never fails to entertain while delivering incisive analysis of the major political issue affecting our country today. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Gist 

The Gist is one of the best daily news podcasts available today. Every afternoon, host Mike Pesca breaks down the most prevalent political and cultural issues of the day. Though episodes are only half-an-hour long, Pesca manages to cram into that small amount of time an incredible amount of useful information. Each episode follows the exact same three-part format. First, Pesca opens with a comedic introduction and overview of the topics to be covered. Second, he interviews a guest. These guests are often journalists, politicians, or other high-profile political figures who offer keen insight and unique perspectives. Each show concludes with a monologue, known as the “spiel,” in which Pesca delivers his own opinions and insights in order to impart upon the listener some of his understanding, and most importantly, his passion for progressive change.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

NPR Politics Podcast

Every weekday, NPR’s best political reporters present top-level analysis of the biggest political stories coming out of Washington with the NPR Politics Podcast. The show brings together a multitude of NPR reporters to provide a wide range of perspectives on the state of the country’s politics. In contrast to public radio, the NPR Politics Podcast gives way to the more personality-driven reporting that has become popular with the rise of podcasting. Guests are allowed to take off the kid gloves and present the facts alongside biting opinions and colorful commentary. As the podcast’s slogan says, “They don’t just tell you what happened. They tell you why it matters.”

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Daily

As the name might suggest, The Daily is a daily news podcast produced by The New York Times. The show is hosted by Times political journalist Michael Barbaro. The episodes are short, only twenty minutes, and designed with the understanding that their listeners’ time is limited. The Daily is only concerned with providing the most important and pressing news stories of the day, compiled from interviews with Times journalists. Often stories are supplemented with audio recordings and interviews with the persons involved. Because Barbaro is so frequently talking to reporters, The Daily also offers a unique insight into the fast-paced, high-stress world of news reporting.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Pod Save America

Pod Save America is hosted by four former aides to President Barack Obama: Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, Jon Lovett, and Dan Pfeiffer. The three hosts founded the show along with their progressive media company, Crooked Media, in the wake of the 2016 election. They set out to make a podcast that would not only entertain and inform but inspire passion and activism. Since then, Pod Save America has gone on to become one of the most popular political podcasts of the decade. Not only do they bring on high-profile political guests, including presidential candidates, but the hosts have attained celebrity status themselves by way of their unique insight and passion for change.  

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Today, Explained

Today, Explained is a daily podcast from Vox that breaks down the major news stories from the day in a way that is easily understood. The show is hosted by Sean Rameswaram, a former correspondent for Radiolab. Each day, in less than half-an-hour, Rameswaram takes the most important stories in the news and deconstructs them in a way that is both entertaining and highly consumable. Today, Explained works as a sort of counterpart to The Daily, and not just because the latter releases episodes in the morning and the former in the afternoon. Whereas The Daily takes a more earnest approach, Rameswaram affects a more casual, more relatable tone in his storytelling, adopting the persona of a regular person doing his best to make sense of a chaotic world. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Weeds

Also produced by Vox, The Weeds is in many ways the polar opposite of Today, Explained. The show is hosted by Matthew Yglesias, Ezra Klein, Dara Lind, Jane Coaston, all reputable writers and reporters of politics and economics. The hosts are often joined by other members of the Vox team with expertise in the specific topic of the episode. As the name implies, The Weeds sets out to take a deep dive into noteworthy topics such as healthcare, housing, and immigration reform. The episodes are essentially long-form discussions of a specific topic, intended to leave the listener with a broader, more holistic understanding of the issues at hand. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Up First

Up First is the best news podcast for listeners in a hurry. Each episode averages just 10 minutes and focuses on the three biggest stories of the day. The show is hosted on weekdays by NPR veterans Rachel Martin, Noel King, David Greene, and Steve Inskeep. There is also a weekend edition on Saturday mornings hosted by Lulu Garcia-Navarro, former NPR foreign correspondent, and NPR Journalist Scott Simon. Up First has that soft-spoken quality that so many NPR listeners find appealing. It’s a great way to receive news early in the morning in a calm, straightforward manner that won’t provoke a spike in the listener’s cortisol levels.  

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Brilliant Idiots

The Brilliant Idiots is the perfect podcast for those looking to get their news and cultural commentary in a more irreverent way. The show’s hosts–media personality Charlamagne Tha God and comedian Andrew Schulz–created the show specifically as a platform to express uncensored opinions that they wouldn’t have been able to divulge publicly while working for public radio. The show is relatively unstructured, usually anchored around a specific topic or set of topics, but always leaves room for plenty of comedic discussions. While they aren’t reporters, Schulz and Tha God are intelligent color commentators on the country’s most pressing current events, each bringing a perspective to the conversation that is always hilarious, often loud, and that never fails to be insightful. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Skimm This

The Skimm news podcast takes the most important stories of the day and breaks them down into an easily digestible form, all in 10 minutes. Rather than regurgitating all major headlines, The Skimm takes three to four major stories and makes them the focus of each episode. The show lives by the mantra, “Context is clarity,” and that is exactly what it aims to provide. Listeners are treated to a purely factual, unbiased approach to reporting that delivers news stories free of opinions that otherwise might skew one’s perception of the facts. The goal is to leave listeners with the context they need in order to not only understand what is happening in the world but why it is important.   

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Honorable Mentions: 

• NPR News Now
• BBC Global News Podcast
• The Takeaway
• CBS: The World This Hour  
• PBS News Hour
• World News Roundup
• Buzz Burbank News and Comment
• This Morning with Gordon Deal
• 60 Minutes 
• The Brief from Time Magazine

Have a News & Politics Podcast? Sponsor This Page

Thousands of people come to this page every month looking for a new podcast. Grow your podcast audience by reaching would-be fans.

Learn More

The post 20 Best News & Politics Podcasts appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Over the years, I’ve found podcasts with pocket-sized episodes under 10 minutes from a wide variety of genres that can appeal to just about anyone. They’re not listed in any particular order; this is just a collection of podcasts that can do so much in so little time.

1. A Thousand Things to Talk About

A Thousand Things to Talk About is a podcast all about questions. Every weekday, this podcast will bring you a question to mull over–questions like “Do you support the creation of an official national language?” or “How much would you be willing to pay to live one additional year?“–in under five minutes. Host Andrea Parrish shares some of the research she’s done behind the question and sometimes shares her opinions, but always ultimately leaves it up to the listener to ponder.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

2. Love and Luck

Love and Luck is a scripted audio drama (or fiction podcast) with a whimsical edge. The plot follows Kane and Jason, a couple who finds out they have magical abilities, through the voicemails they leave each other. Love and Luck is an aggressively optimistic audio drama without feeling too saccharine. While the longest episode currently clocks in at just over 11 minutes, most are between seven and nine.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

3. Up First

NPR’s daily news roundup podcast Up First is one of the best ways to stay informed without getting overwhelmed. Up First reminds me of a vitamin; there’s so many important things all packed into one daily digestible unit. Instead of having to catch NPR throughout the day, Up First allows you the ability to get caught up all at once. Technically these episodes run at about 12 minutes, but that’s with two minutes of cross-promoting other shows. NPR says it’s 10 minutes, so we’re calling it 10 minutes too.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

4. Kind World

WBUR’s Kind World is exactly what it sounds like: true stories about true acts of kindness. Like Love and Luck, Kind World manages to be deeply tender while not feeling tooth-achingly sweet. Each story has its own arc, usually one that starts in a very dark place, only to be brought somewhere beautiful by the end. Kind World is a great, quick reminder that sometimes, the world really can be kind.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

5. 2298

Maybe what you’re looking for in a short podcast isn’t softness, though. Maybe you’re looking for something a little more 1984, a little more Black Mirror. 2298 is a sci-fi audio drama told in nine-minute installments, each one more suspenseful and intriguing than the last. 2298 follows Profile 24, a man living in a world controlled by the ominous, Big Brother-esque Network, and the bird that helps him discover the truths he’s been blind to until now.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

6. Six Minutes

Or maybe what you’re looking for is a podcast that will keep your kid’s attention, both in thanks to its exciting story and its length. Gen-Z’s aptly named Six Minutes is a family-friendly adventure audio drama about Holiday, a pre-teen girl with powers and a mysterious past. Each episode is only six minutes long (seven with ads), and its riveting plot is perfect to hook everyone in your family.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

7. Seven Minute Opinions

The Week‘s Seven Minute Opinions is a podcast of just that: opinions given in seven minutes, specifically from various writers for The Week. These opinions range from discussing America’s public transit or health care systems to discussing those awful noises you keep unknowingly making. These episodes are a quick way to share an opinion or mentally debate with the host without getting too wrapped up. Seven Minute Opinions hasn’t updated in a short while, but its healthy backlog should keep you satiated.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

8. 600 Second Saga

600 Second Saga bills itself as “[flash] fiction that fits your life and lets you explore a new world weekly.” This anthology audio drama series has a new spin each episode, meaning you can jump in wherever. With its catalogue of over 100 different stories as of writing, you’re sure to find plenty of transportive stories with captivating plots, all in the time it takes to check the mail.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

9. 60 Second Science

60 Second Science is Scientific American‘s podcast that attempts to inform and educate its audience about scientific topics, all in just one minute. This podcast breezes by while still imparting new knowledge on the listener, raising new questions, and blending interesting facts with science news. It’s one of the best ways to feel smarter and more interesting it you’re on a serious time crunch.

Listen: iTunes | Website

10. Mercury: A Broadcast of Hope

By the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, Mercury: A Broadcast of Hope is a daily audio drama about radio hosts living in a zombie apocalypse, just trying to give listeners a way to stay sane. The theme of hope is in fact prevalent, breathing some new life into the otherwise very dead–in many ways–zombie apocalypse genre. Get on this zombie-centric audio drama fast; not only are the episodes quick, but they also expire for everyone but Patreon supporters!

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

The post 10 Podcasts You Can Listen to In 10 Minutes or Less appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

For years, news outlets have repackaged their content for delivery to podcast audiences. The radio offerings – by NPR, the BBC, and other major networks offered top-level content re-purposed for a different audience.

Television news providers similarly tried to capitalize on the medium, releasing podcast versions of their television news programs. But, TV is made for the eyes and not the ears. These shows, while often of good quality, also contained indecipherable moments where some visual package intended for a viewing audience provided nothing but a distraction to the audio listener.

Today, there is a new and growing breed of news content, offering a bespoke audio podcast product focusing on the day’s news. At the top of the list is an audio offering by The New York Times – The Daily.

The Daily

The Daily started in 2017 and is one of several podcast offerings of the New York Times. The Daily is an out-growth on The Run-Up, another NYT product which chronicled the 2016 electoral season. Hosted by NYT political reporter Michael Barbaro, The Run-Up covered the historic election with access to all of the resources of one of the world’s most respected news gathering operations. Listeners embraced Barbaro’s compelling and sincere delivery. Once the election was complete, The Times reassigned Barbaro, a print reporter, to its Audio Division, to continue his storytelling through The Daily.

Delivered early each weekday morning, The Daily brings the big, ‘above the fold’ story of the day into close focus through Barbaro’s discussions with his NYT colleagues. Several other brief summaries of the day’s top stories are also offered, with all of it wrapped up in a package that typically lasts about 20 minutes. One of the strengths of the podcast is that it has embraced some of Times’ best long form journalism in a detailed and humane way. In one of the most memorable moments from the young show, Barbaro got noticeably emotional as he interviewed a coal miner who was fighting hard for the return of a job which had racked his health.

Barbaro is a treasure in his new-found position. He leads his listeners on a journey through the news and it’d hard to imagine a better guide. Smart, brave, and always on the lookout, Barbaro is the real key behind why The Daily has now been downloaded more than 40 million times. The Daily delivers – effectively, consistently, and daily.

Up First

Doubtlessly inspired by the success of The Daily, National Public Radio launched its own daily news podcast in April 2017. NPR is no stranger to delivering podcast content or audio news content, of course. NPR has, for a couple of years now, delivered news content through its NPR One app. NPR One allowed listeners to access streaming content from NPR’s national feed – or from many of its individual, local affiliated stations. Up First is more than just a copy of NPR’s news feed, however.

Up First is a 10-minute morning delivery that is original programming hosted by the ‘Morning Edition’ news team that NPR listeners are already familiar with. Like The Daily, the shorter morning podcast offered by NPR typically focuses on one or two main stories while offering a few headline summaries of other items expected to be in the day’s news. Host David Greene, in comments to the Columbia Journalism Review, said that Up First was designed to provide the unique Morning Edition product in a more immediate package.

World Dispatch

The Outline is an online newsmagazine, now making its mark in the world of daily news podcasting. The Outline has three stories on each episode, one each falling under the three broad topics of “power (who has it, who wants it, and what do they do when they get it?), culture (the way we live and communicate), and the future (where we’re going next).”

Launched late in 2016, World Dispatch embraces its differences. While NPR’s Up First is embracing the tried and true delivery of Morning Edition, World Dispatch walks to a different drummer. The Outline has proudly proclaimed that their goal in making World Dispatch was “to make it distinctly weird … almost like an alternate reality NPR is sort of how we talked about it early on, like NPR from the world of Stranger Things.”

This genre of podcasting is still in its infancy. The impact of The Daily and the growth of the other just-for-podcast daily news offerings would seem a likely avenue for other established news operations to expand their outlets to a new audience. It won’t be a surprise to see the other major players in news delivery begin their own daily news shows.

The post Daily News Podcasts Hit the Mainstream appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.