Rephonic
Artwork for Fresh Air

Fresh Air

NPR
Donald Trump
United States
Iran
Music
Artificial Intelligence
Ruby Ridge
Raphael Saadiq
Syria
ICE
Fela Kuti
Grateful Dead
Bob Weir
Jodie Foster
Taxi Driver
Tucker Carlson
The White Hot
Russia
Nuclear Weapons
Syrian Civil War
Middle East

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 and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including weekly bonus episodes and curated ... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes1659Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BooksArtsTV & Film

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Fresh Air

Latest Episodes

Brooks grew up in a church where her mom was a minister and her dad a deacon. She went on to play Taystee in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. Now she co-stars in the indie film If I Go Will They Miss Me? Brooks spoke with Terry Gross about... more

It has been 10 years since former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem, in protest of police brutality against Black people. Once the season ended, Kaepernick never played in the NFL again. 

"The NFL tried to sen... more

Author Claire Vaye Watkins lives in the Mojave Desert, just like the protagonist in her new novel, Yellow Pine. In the book, it’s an area being developed by an energy company, wreaking havoc on the environment. The locals protest, but the novel explo... more

For the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, we go into our archive for voices of those who were there. Deputy Fire Chief John “Jay” Jonas spoke with Terry Gross about being inside the North Tower when it collapsed. Firefighter Ken Haskell talks... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The New Yorker Radio Hour
The New Yorker Radio HourWNYC Studios and The New Yorker
This American Life
This American LifeThis American Life
The Ezra Klein Show
The Ezra Klein ShowNew York Times Opinion
The Daily
The DailyThe New York Times
The Interview
The InterviewThe New York Times

Recent Guests

Gloria Steinem
Writer, activist and feminist icon
Ms. Magazine; National Women's Political Caucus
Episode: Feminist Icon Gloria Steinem
Paul Greengrass
Award-winning film director
Greengrass Films/working on The Uprising
Episode: Filmmaker Paul Greengrass on rage, rebellion and ‘The Uprising’
Natasha Singer
New York Times reporter covering tech in schools
The New York Times
Episode: Back-to-school with Big Tech
Ravi Coltrane
Jazz composer and tenor saxophonist, son of John and Alice Coltrane
Coltrane family / Coltrane estate
Episode: A centennial celebration of John Coltrane
Elvin Jones
Drummer in John Coltrane's quartet (archival interview)
John Coltrane Quartet
Episode: A centennial celebration of John Coltrane
Lisa Kudrow
Actor and producer known for The Comeback, Friends, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
Actor/Producer
Episode: Best Of: Jason Segel / Lisa Kudrow
Tim Curry
British actor, star of The Rocky Horror Show and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Actor
Episode: Remembering Tim Curry
Riz Ahmed
award-winning actor, writer, producer, and rapper
Bait; Hamlet; The Long Goodbye
Episode: Riz Ahmed takes on his inner critic
Dolly Parton
Singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist
Self
Episode: Dolly Parton

Hosts

Terry Gross
Host of the long-running interview program, known for in-depth conversations and shaping the interview style.
Tonya Mosley
Co-host known for engaging conversations, helping expand the show's accessibility and perspective.

Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars from 41k ratings
  • Sam Fragoso is Great

    Sam’s preparation and research are legendary. Loved his episode on the WNBA as well as past guest interviews he’s conducted. Helping to keep Fresh Air fresh!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    KhwNatick
    United States5 days ago
  • 9/11 episode is a disgrace

    I thought I would learn about threats to America and how we are addressing those but instead the episode was terrorsplaining. Do better NPR or stop wasting our tax dollars.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Loved NPR before 2000
    United States6 days ago
  • Love this show

    Longtime listener and huge fan of all the interviewers!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    M8trx
    United States10 days ago
  • Great podcast

    Terry Gross is fantastic. Sophisticated. Classy. Smart.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    DP’67
    United States10 days ago
  • Longtime fan

    As a longtime fan of Fresh Air, I admit to being worried when Tonya joined the ranking-host. Happily, she fits right in, with her thoughtful, insightful questions and her lovely demeanor. Terry is still going strong and continues to be a joy to listen to. Go team!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AJH914
    United States12 days ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the range of guests and in-depth interviews when the host maintains rigorous, thoughtful probing.
A portion of listeners express frustration with pronunciation and consistency issues, suggesting attention to detail would improve credibility.
Many praise the breadth of topics and the host duo's chemistry, noting high-quality storytelling and clear interviewing instincts.
Overall, opinions are mixed but many consider the program a consistently valuable source of culture, politics, and ideas.
Some audience segments feel the show has shifted toward celebrity or softer topics, impacting perceived hard-hitting journalism.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Spotify
#3
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#123
United States/Top Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
#1
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#1
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#1
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#5
Canada/Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How the government wastes our time
Q: What would you say are the most burdensome programs for time taxes, and how do the processes fail the end user?
Programs like the IRS are well-measured, but others like SNAP and unemployment insurance saddle people with excessive, confusing paperwork, frequent delays, and rigid requirements that ignore the realities of poverty, health issues, and caregiving.
How the government wastes our time
Q: Okay, Annie, I want to spend some time on voting. The midterms is coming up. And I think it may be the clearest example of your whole argument. Why do we vote on Tuesday?
The tradition comes from historical agrarian days; Tuesday was chosen to avoid market days and church days, but the system has since become a complex, costly barrier to participation that disproportionately affects the under-resourced.
Back-to-school with Big Tech
Q: What turning points influenced unions or policymakers to rethink AI in education?
Growing public concern about data privacy, surveillance, and the societal impact of tech in education, plus high-profile incidents and lawsuits, led leaders like Randy Weingarten to pause and re-evaluate AI in schools.
Back-to-school with Big Tech
Q: What role do tech companies play in providing schools with hardware, software, and training, and what is the payoff for them?
Companies provide devices and software, but also training and classroom integration; the payoff is long-term loyalty and ongoing revenue, as students grow into lifelong customers within those ecosystems.
Feminist Icon Gloria Steinem
Q: When did you first realize that women's rights were a legitimate issue among other rights you fought for?
Steinem explains that the realization evolved gradually as she observed the lack of visible women's movement, connecting various social justice threads and recognizing the need for an explicit women's movement.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Fresh Air

What is Fresh Air about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show features in-depth interviews with a wide range of guests spanning journalism, culture, politics, and the arts. Past conversations often combine rigorous reporting with personal storytelling, exploring how power, technology, identity, and society intersect across current events, biography, and fiction. Listeners likely value thoughtful, context-rich dialogue and perspectives from journalists, authors, actors, and filmmakers, with episodes that mix investigative inquiry, cultural critique, and human-interest angles. A standout is the ability to connect big ideas to concrete anecdotes and lived experience, appealing to curious, educated audiences who enjoy nuanced conversations beyond headlines.

Where can I find podcast stats for Fresh Air?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Fresh Air. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Fresh Air and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Fresh Air get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Fresh Air, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Fresh Air?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Fresh Air, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Fresh Air have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Fresh Air has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Fresh Air?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Fresh Air:

1. The New Yorker Radio Hour
2. This American Life
3. The Ezra Klein Show
4. The Daily
5. The Interview

How many episodes of Fresh Air are there?

Fresh Air launched 20 years ago and published 1659 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Fresh Air?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Fresh Air?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Fresh Air from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Fresh Air?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Fresh Air. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Fresh Air?

Recent guests on Fresh Air include:

1. Gloria Steinem
2. Paul Greengrass
3. Natasha Singer
4. Ravi Coltrane
5. Elvin Jones
6. Lisa Kudrow
7. Tim Curry
8. Riz Ahmed

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days