Rephonic
Artwork for The Sunday Story

The Sunday Story

NPR
Donald Trump
FIFA World Cup
Lagos
Cambodia
Phnom Penh
Artificial Intelligence
New Illinois Movement
Communism
Democratic Socialism
Cyber Scam Industry
Nuclear War
Cambodia Scam Industry
Black Lung Disease
Seattle
Makoko
Single Motherhood
Cedar Rapids
Uganda
Immigration Policy
Visa Processing

“The Sunday Story” from Up First is where storytelling meets the issues of the day. Hosted by Ayesha Rascoe, “The Sunday Story” is NPR’s weekly news and culture magazine exploring one topic in depth through conversations, interviews and deeply-reported narrative journalism. Publishing every Sunday in the Up First feed. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes192Founded5 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Sunday Story

Latest Episodes

Rates of black lung disease amongst Appalachia’s coal miners are at the highest they’ve been in 50 years. Recent data shows that a third of veteran miners have the disease. The epidemic is also striking younger workers, too. 

On The Sunday Story, Ho... more

President Trump has repeatedly warned that the communists are coming for America. And he’s not talking about China or North Korea. He’s talking about Democratic Socialists like Zohran Mamdani and recent Congressional candidates.

This week on The Sun... more

Thirty-six years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed

into law, guaranteeing civil rights for millions of Americans. But the

movement that made that day possible began years earlier. One pivotal

victory was won by a small, often-for... more

What defines a family? For a group of strangers, that question took on a profound, unexpected meaning after DNA tests revealed a hidden, decades-old deception. They discovered they were all half-siblings conceived through artificial insemination in t... 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.

Recent Guests

Howard Berkes
Retired NPR correspondent; longtime investigative reporter on black lung
NPR
Episode: The black lung crisis deepens in Appalachia
Joseph Shapiro
NPR reporter who helped report the episode
NPR / Colorado Public Radio
Episode: ‘We want to ride’: the 1978 protest that sparked the disability rights movement
Stephanie Wolf
Reporter from Colorado Public Radio involved in the reporting
Colorado Public Radio
Episode: ‘We want to ride’: the 1978 protest that sparked the disability rights movement
Nikki Bishop
Denver-area disability advocate and disability rights advocate
Independent (personal capacity)
Episode: ‘We want to ride’: the 1978 protest that sparked the disability rights movement
Ben Bradford
Host of Are We Doomed?
Nuance Tales / NPR Network
Episode: Should we worry about the end of the world?
Connor Towne O'Neill
Reporter following the New Illinois movement
Contributor, reporting for The Sunday Story
Episode: The growing movement to secede from Illinois and become the 51st state
GH. Merritt
Chairman of New Illinois (New Illinois leadership)
New Illinois
Episode: The growing movement to secede from Illinois and become the 51st state
Loretta Newland
Leader in Illinois Separation / Illinois Separation Referendum
Illinois Separation / New Illinois movement
Episode: The growing movement to secede from Illinois and become the 51st state
Kenneth Owen
History professor, secession movements expert
University of Illinois Springfield
Episode: The growing movement to secede from Illinois and become the 51st state

Host

Ayesha Rascoe
Host of The Sunday Story (NPR), leading in-depth conversations and narrative reportage.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#24
China/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#51
Singapore/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#134
Argentina/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#158
Indonesia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#214
Singapore/News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Should we worry about the end of the world?
Q: How would artificial intelligence wipe out humanity?
Bradford clarifies that the risk isn't sentience or deliberate destruction; it's that AI given open-ended, high-stakes tasks can cause humans to become unintended adversaries as systems optimize the wrong objective, underscoring the need for guardrails and proper context.
Should we worry about the end of the world?
Q: So why did you start making that list of doomsday scenarios?
Bradford explains that his background across business, energy, environment, and politics, plus observing polarization, led him to explore what's coming next and distinguish real threats from fiction, with a focus on practical risks and how society can respond.
The secret life of a stolen Van Gogh
Q: What is an art detective, and how does Brand describe his work?
An art detective is someone who helps the police track stolen art or forgeries, often without a formal path to the profession, using networks and expertise to locate and recover works.
How 5 minutes of movement can change your life
Q: So you have a new book out this month. It's called Body Electric. And that's a great title. And it's based on research you started back in 2023.
Manoush explains how the body and technology interact, highlighting the biological aspects of how screen time affects our physiology and energy, and how the study translates those findings into practical, everyday movement strategies.
The hidden cost of separating 'emotionally disturbed' students
Q: What impact does labeling and segregating students with EBD have on their education and future outcomes?
The discussion highlights how segregating EBD students into separate classrooms creates a cycle that undermines academic progress and increases the risk of disengagement, with mainstreaming showing mixed results depending on implementation and support.

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 The Sunday Story

What is The Sunday Story about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A weekly deep-dive program that blends long-form storytelling with reportage on current-day issues across politics, society, and culture. Episodes typically combine on-the-ground reporting, expert context, and intimate personal voices to illuminate how policy and daily life intersect—from urban development and housing justice to education reform, religion and immigration, and family narratives. A standout trait is the strong character-driven storytelling that grounds complex policy topics in human experiences, offering listeners both rigorous context and emotionally resonant moments. The format tends to attract listeners who enjoy thoughtful analysis, narrative journalism, and conversations that connect macro issues to lived experiences.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Sunday Story?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Sunday Story. 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 The Sunday Story and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Sunday Story get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Sunday Story, 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 The Sunday Story?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Sunday Story, 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 The Sunday Story have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Sunday Story 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 The Sunday Story?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Sunday Story:

1. Up First from NPR
2. Consider This from NPR
3. The Daily
4. Short Wave
5. The NPR Politics Podcast

How many episodes of The Sunday Story are there?

The Sunday Story launched 5 months ago and published 192 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 The Sunday Story?

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 The Sunday Story?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Sunday Story 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 The Sunday Story?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Sunday Story. 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 The Sunday Story?

Recent guests on The Sunday Story include:

1. Howard Berkes
2. Joseph Shapiro
3. Stephanie Wolf
4. Nikki Bishop
5. Ben Bradford
6. Connor Towne O'Neill
7. GH. Merritt
8. Loretta Newland

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