help me find more podcasts
October 30, 2021 12:18 PM   Subscribe

I've finally, after all this time, become someone who regularly listens to podcasts when I'm doing stuff around the house or driving long distances. However, my own pickiness is getting in my way and I'd like some suggestions for things I might like based on what I've already enjoyed.

My main "go to" podcast has been No Such Thing as a Fish which is a weekly trivia podcast by the people who do the research for QI. I like that they are nice, friendly, funny nerds and have interesting things to talk about. I like that they change up the topic frequently and that there's a predictable framework to how the podcast works. Lots of facts, not a lot of filler. We get to know the hosts but it's mostly not about them. The audio quality is good and the content has a somewhat timeless quality to it so I can listen to the shows in any order. Other things I've liked...

- 99PI - I enjoy some of the content of this--liked learning about basketball jerseys and graveyards in Singapore--but don't really enjoy most of the personalities and it's got too much of a hipster vibe for me. Back when I was listening to it I mostly only liked listening to Roman Mars.
- Taskmaster podcast - Ed Gamble does a really good job talking through past episodes with past contestants. This is a show I've liked, so I'm enjoying the podcast. Gamble is gracious and good-natured. Podcast never gets wincey. I think I may respond better to UK folks
- Outside podcast - I don't love all of these but some of the longform stories are great
- Bear Brook Murders - normally I do not like true crime stuff at all but this was local and very very nerdy about cold case researchers, a finite podcast.
- Before Your Time - a Vermont history podcast which is always interesting

Other podcasts I have NOT liked, or only liked parts of

- Awesome Etiquette - I like the ideas but I find the hosts unrelateable and too jokey
- Ologies - a friend suggested this but I did not like the host
- WTF with Marc Maron - loved this for the guests, can't stand listening to Maron talk about his life anymore.
- BBC's The Missing CryptoQueen - great original research but a LOT of retreading the story each week which might have been fine if I'd been listening to it weekly but all at once it was repetitive
- NPR/VPR - not my thing, that high production value stuff where you listen to the ship's bell ring to indicate they're on a boat, etc. doesn't work for me. Other PRs maybe okay.
- Brave Little State - an adorable podcast by VPR but it has very young hosts "researching" things in a way that makes my librarian heart cringe
- Judge John Hodgman - that whole vibe is not one I click with.
- The Moth - too unpredictable

I like: Vermont, trivia, libraries, facts, birds, learning things, medical stuff, learning more about famous people or non-famous people, Scrabble, weather, clocks and timekeeping, learning more about the lives of people living with physical disabilities, non-dull history. General "Oh hey this is interesting" stuff. Nitpicky and deep dive looks at things.
I dislike (for podcasts): sketch comedy, smug hosts, life hacks, current events/news/politics, made up situations, outrage, fights/confrontations, drama, trauma, heartstring-tugging, people playing characters that are not them, people talking about living with mental illness/mental health challenges, confusing things, podcasting-while-drinking/high, shows with call-in aspects, game shows, the usual sexism/racism/homophobia.

A few on my "to try" list are Lingthusiasm, Kondabolu Brothers (archive) and Sawbones. Would like a good SNL podcast.

I don't mind ads too much. Don't want to sign up to someone's Patreon but might for the perfect thing. I've read the other podcast suggestion threads which has helped me formulate this one. Thanks for reading and your suggestions.
posted by jessamyn to Media & Arts (50 answers total) 73 users marked this as a favorite
 
The Allusionist, a great etymology podcast by a very funny British lady called Helen Zaltzmann.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:22 PM on October 30, 2021 [13 favorites]


I'm really liking I Said No Gifts lately and I don't see anything here that would rule it out for you.
posted by bleep at 12:23 PM on October 30, 2021 [2 favorites]


In a very similar feel to NSTAAF, we were regular listeners to Answer Me This, which was the Allusionist's Helen Zaltzmann, Olly Mann (who now has a very short daily news-trivia-type podcast plus several other radio presenter gigs), and Helen's husband Martin Austwick as additional commentator, musical director, and resident scientist. They've ended it this year, sadly, but most of the archives are still freely available on the usual pod streams (and another interesting aspect the past couple of years had been "Retro AMT" which were reruns of very old episodes (late naughts) with some advance commentary on how they would have answered some things differently in retrospect). They do answer questions left in voicemail occasionally, but it's not a live call-in thing.

Seconding The Allusionist, as well.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:37 PM on October 30, 2021 [4 favorites]


You might like:

You’re Wrong About
Behind the Bastards
Stuff the British Stole
Saw Bones
Reply All
99 Percent Invisible
posted by DarlingBri at 12:46 PM on October 30, 2021 [4 favorites]


I recommend Gastropod to everyone. It’s about food, but it’s more about the history, science, and culture around food. Fascinating stuff.
posted by synecdoche at 1:15 PM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]


Maybe You’re Dead to Me?
posted by scorbet at 1:16 PM on October 30, 2021 [2 favorites]


Quirks and Quarks is a CBC produced radio show/podcast about science. It's just interviews with scientists about their current research, with the occasional Q&A show. It's my favourite - I love it when smart people talk about their work. The host, Bob McDonald, is relaxed, professional and friendly. He does not have a podcaster voice or style.

The Age of Persuasion is another great CBC radio show/podcast. It's about advertising - the psychology behind it, trends, its history, etc. It's well produced but has a distinct style. I don't find it annoying but I can see how some might.

Slate's Decoder Ring examines cultural moments in the US. Willa Paskin's voice is VERY podcast-y, but I find the topics really interesting (I love second hand drama). The episode about Chuck E Cheese is worth listening to just for the bitter animatronics guy.

Keep It is a pop culture podcast hosted by television writers Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel and Aida Osman. It's sharp and funny. I normally can't stand chatty podcasts but I like this one a lot.
posted by Stoof at 1:18 PM on October 30, 2021 [5 favorites]


I cannot recommend Bad Gays enough - each episode deals with a different evil and complicated queer person in history. It's so well-researched, entertaining and enlightening. I also really appreciated that over time the histories would overlap, like people would turn up in other people's episodes or the same themes would reappear. It's really excellent!
posted by Lluvia at 1:18 PM on October 30, 2021 [4 favorites]


In addition to Lingthusiasm, I'd also suggest Slate's Spectacular Vernacular. General format is discussion of language in the news type thing, then an interview, then a word game ala what Weekend Edition does with the Puzzle on Sunday. (This is basically the new Lexicon Valley, ish; John McWhorter owned the trademark for that, apparently, and when he left Slate, he took it with him.)

If you liked Bear Brook, another podcast from NHPR is Outside/In. Podcast about "the natural world, and how we use it". Has a mix of Northern New England specific content and more international/national things.
posted by damayanti at 1:21 PM on October 30, 2021


The BBC's In Our Time would hit a lot of your "I like"s. It's been running weekly for 20+ years, so there's a huge archive of previous programmes and you can pick the topics you're interested in.

A few more suggestions for factual, reasonably entertaining, competently recorded but not over-produced shows: BackStory (American history, multiple short pieces per episode), The NAMM Music History Podcast (the music industry beyond musicians), New Testament Review (two PhD students talk about the history of Christianity), Omega Tau (various topics in science and technology, episodes in English and German).
posted by offog at 1:29 PM on October 30, 2021 [5 favorites]


A few of my steady ongoing faves...

KCRW's Lost Notes is absolutely fantastic. Hanif Abdurraqib did an amazing job with the Stevie Wonder: 1980 episode, which I'd suggest as a good one to check out to see if you like it. There's a spinoff from it called Bent by Nature that I'm definitely going to check out.

From the BBC:

The Ouch! disability podcast is excellent.

The Documentary podcast is one I keep in my feed, and I download the ones that are on a topic that I find interesting. Different journalists work on each episode, so you're not stuck with one host or voice that will wear thin (and it's proper journalism).

For medical stuff:

I like Sawbones even though I find the McIlroy brothers not to my taste. But since it's only one and his wife (who's a doctor), I find it works for me.

House of Pod is very good. Basically: hosted by progressive doctors who talk to guests about various topics, and they don't take themselves deadly seriously.

And yeah, Quirks and Quarks is very awesome, as mentioned above. It was a radio show that predates podcasting by decades (and is still a radio show -- Bob McDonald's been hosting it since 1992), so it's devoid of some of the pod-castery things that might grate. It's just good, informative radio that's also available as a podcast.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:31 PM on October 30, 2021


I would absolutely nth Gastropod and You're Wrong About. I also like The Splendid Table, another food related podcast.
posted by Carillon at 1:35 PM on October 30, 2021


From the same QI stable as NSTAAF; The Museum of Curiosity just started its 16th series on BBC.
Rellie-promo alert = The Brother.
The Life Scientific. Jim Al-Khalili persuades living scientists to open up about what makes them tick [BBC]
RTE's Doc on One may be hopelessly parochial to UnIrish folk: mostly history some politics
posted by BobTheScientist at 1:48 PM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]


Criminal is broadly about crime, but it's definitely not true crime. It takes more of an anthropological approach and is frequently relatively lighthearted. Episodes with heavy content are reliably flagged. It avoids politics and current events. That felt odd last year, but ultimately I decided I was mostly okay with it.

The host of Criminal has a sister podcast called This is Love. I haven't listened to it as much, but this episode about a wolf family is my favorite podcast episode ever.

A challenge with your preferences is that often the most educational or "deep dive" podcasts don't have pristine audio quality because they take the format of a host interviewing various experts, who may not have good audio equipment. With that in mind, I might suggest Brain Science with Ginger Campbell.

Based on your past reading recommendations here, I think you'd probably really enjoy Levar Burton Reads, unless you don't want fiction.
posted by Comet Bug at 2:06 PM on October 30, 2021 [4 favorites]


You might like Patient Zero, New Hampshire Public Radio's podcast about the history and epidemiology of Lyme disease. Limited series, pretty regional to New England, well-researched. I don't remember if the production was slick enough to feel like that NPR/TAL-specific style you mention not liking, but you would know pretty quickly into the first episode.

The Atlas Obscura podcast is fun and short.

This Podcast Will Kill You is two scientists named Erin who met in grad school and became friends, covering one disease per episode. Very chummy but fact-focused, overall a nice listen.
posted by superfluousm at 2:08 PM on October 30, 2021 [2 favorites]


Do you know Rumble Strip Vermont?
posted by moonmilk at 2:39 PM on October 30, 2021 [2 favorites]


History about... FOOD! Proof by America's Test Kitchen .
Or how about a podcast "dedicated to exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood's first century." You Must Remember This
posted by wellifyouinsist at 2:48 PM on October 30, 2021


Strongly seconding In Our Time and The Life Scientific, and adding Strong Songs, recently featured on the Blue, which I have been enjoying immensely - Kirk is a fantastic, enthusiastic guide to music with an appreciation for a wide range of styles. I've been a music lover my whole life, but I always learn new things on his shows.
posted by kristi at 2:56 PM on October 30, 2021


Oh! Also, David Tennant Does a Podcast With ..., also featured on the Blue by me!
posted by kristi at 2:59 PM on October 30, 2021


Popular Science's The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week is a great science trivia podcast that uses a format similar to No Such Thing as a Fish. Three science writers/editors share odd, interesting science tidbits “we might not write a whole article about, but would be fun to talk about.” Bonus points (IMO) for it being a female-led science podcast.
posted by Aster at 3:05 PM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]


Throughline is an excellent deep dive pod, with bonus points for often centering non US perspectives on history that's relevant to today. It's my favorite, when I want to learn something.

For shorter bits of history, This Day in Esoteric Political History. Usually runs 15-20 minutes.

Code Switch delves into what it's like to not be white in the US. Topics are wide ranging, and I often am grateful to the show for pointing out things I didn't know that I didn't know.

Nthing Allusonist and Sawbones.
posted by Vigilant at 3:06 PM on October 30, 2021


I always recommend Mike Duncan’s Revolutions podcast.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:39 PM on October 30, 2021 [2 favorites]


For medical stuff and epidemiology, I recommend "Sawbones" and "This Podcast Will Kill You".
posted by cnidaria at 4:25 PM on October 30, 2021


Oh, and possibly The Nocturnists if you're up for a storyteller-based format -- not sure about that, since you didn't like The Moth, but I definitely like The Nocturnists a lot better than The Moth myself, so, maybe?
posted by cnidaria at 4:27 PM on October 30, 2021


For fascinating longform stories (since you mentioned some of the Outside episodes): Snap Judgment.
posted by cnidaria at 4:28 PM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]


Fire Draw Near by Ian Lynch of Lankum is good if you are interested in traditional Irish folk songs and their genealogy (for want of a better word). Ian traces the history of songs or musical traditions using old clips and recordings from traditional music archives. I find it really compelling listening, though note that a lot of each episode is music.
posted by knapah at 4:36 PM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]


These are podcasts in my feed...

If you want harder science type stuff, microbe.tv may work. It's the home of This Week in Virology and his other spin off podcasts.

Sawbones

This Podcast Will Kill You

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Maintenance Phase (maybe)

You're Wrong About

Quirks and Quarks

Science Vs.
posted by kathrynm at 4:54 PM on October 30, 2021


Some Nth’ing, some that I think haven’t been mentioned yet:

The Allusionist - language

Dig: A history podcast - “Four women historians, a world of history to unearth. Can you dig it?” Very deep dive, “real people” history rather than a list of names & dates. Some of it is fairly chatty and some sounds like they are reading from lecture notes. I mean that in the best possible way.

The Dream - one season is about MLMs and the second is about the wellness industry. (These are not entirely unrelated.)

Every little thing - people write (or call) in with random questions and the host investigates. It is slightly conversational in that she talks to the people with the questions, but it’s not a “call in” type show at all.

Far from home - travel

Gastropod- food

History of English podcast - it’s about English, but also ends up being about the history of places that speak English. The host has a very low key speaking manner.

Home Cooking - Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway about food. But really it’s two friends having a blast together. Now inactive.

Israel story - billed as “This American Life” of Israel. I don’t think that’s quite accurate, but it’s interesting stories about Israelis. Not political at all (that I recall).

Kerning cultures - stories about/from/related to the Middle East and North Africa. Some episodes are fairly current, some are historic. Also not political to my recollection.

Library Talks (apparently inactive now) - discussions with authors from NYPL.

Rough Translation - might be too NPR-ish for you. The current season is about the military vs civilian divide in the US; past seasons have been much more about other countries.

Science Vs. - a science topic each week. Slightly chatty, very well researched. Apparently they are going to Spotify-only soon though.

The Sporkful - food. He interviews a wide range of guests. He also has a bunch of recent episodes (which I have not yet listened to) about developing a new pasta shape.

This is love - someone mentioned this above. It’s a single host with different stories of “love” in many forms (definitely not all romantic).

We share the same sky - a young woman who retraces her grandmother’s history running from the Nazis. There is some heartstring pulling just in the fact of the story, but I don’t recall it being tear-jerky in a manipulative way. This is a 7 episode series, not ongoing.
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 5:01 PM on October 30, 2021


I really like The Loremen which is UK folklore through a very goofy lens, and Cut The Craft which is two US craftspeople (a spoon carver and a book maker/tool maker) interviewing craft people (eg chair makers and weavers and blacksmiths). The Long Thread Media podcast is also interviews but more textile focused, has a bit of a boomer-artist-lady vibe sometimes but is pretty OK.
posted by janell at 5:01 PM on October 30, 2021 [2 favorites]


Myths and Legends
posted by polecat at 6:31 PM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]


Stuff You Should Know and Gastropod are quite good for learning all kinds of obscure interesting things about obscure interesting topics (I see many people have recommended Gastropod already!)
posted by watrlily at 6:56 PM on October 30, 2021


Futility Closet is about obscure historical events and has a nicely predictable rhythm to each show.
posted by firefleet at 7:02 PM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]


I will warn you that Snap Judgment has the specific production thing that Radiolab also does, where it’s like TRAIN NOISES BECAUSE OF YOU’RE ON A TRAIN NOW and it certainly is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:19 PM on October 30, 2021 [3 favorites]


Also Heavyweight, which although it’s by Jonathan Goldstein doesn’t have the “ennnnh I’m so annoying on purpose” quality that characterizes some of his stuff. Despite the inevitable intro where he annoys his friend Jackie.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:21 PM on October 30, 2021


I recommend to your attention "Say Why to Drugs" (sample episode on caffeine), in which drugs researcher Dr. Suzi Gage talks sometimes with other experts and (in the earlier episodes) with interesting interlocutor Scroobius Pip, and shares the current research on the effects of various drugs. Almost all UK folks.

Another Europe-based podcast: "Handmade", formerly "'rial talk", about materials science. Try out the episode about chocolate which I recall being informative and funny.

"Why Aren't You A Doctor Yet" is a bunch of grad students of color in the UK talking about the things they're expert in and sometimes interviewing others. I think this will be hit or miss for you depending on the episode, because sometimes they do talk about the experience of mental illness or things in the news, and the most silly/pretending-to-be-self-absorbed host may rub you the wrong way, but some episodes (such as the one about the future of airports and air travel) you might like.

"Looking Sideways", about many aspects of making things, even though there are only a few episodes total. A favorite episode: an interview with Deb Chachra. I also remember enjoying the episode with Chris Schwarz, the Anarchist's Tool Chest & Lost Art Press person.

And: "The History of Philosophy in India", by Jonardon Ganeri and Peter Adamson. A couple favorite episodes: on the Mahabharata, and on women philosophers in ancient India.

If you're willing to try fiction: "Wolf 359", a scripted scifi radio show-type podcast about a spaceship where things are getting sketchy. Listen from the first episode, but note that things get much more Battlestar Galactica-y starting in season 2.
posted by brainwane at 9:53 PM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]


I love The Naked Scientists. It's hosted by various scientists at Cambridge University and they discuss the latest science news in a very lay-person friendly way without oversimplifying too much. They cover a very wide range of science but there are also a few spin-off shows that are more focused on one area (neuro, genetics etc). Sometimes they also do an episode where members of the public can call in with their random science questions. The hosts are wonderful and seem genuinely passionate about science.

Also, if you like Ed Gamble - he does a food podcast with James Acaster called Off Menu. They interview a special guest about their "favourite ever starter, main coruse, side dish and dessert". It's partly about the food and partly just three funny people riffing off one another. Great if you enjoy British panel show humour.
posted by toebeans at 1:56 AM on October 31, 2021


A weekday daily listen running 10-25 minutes, average around 15 minutes if you skip the inline ads, Kottke Ride Home. Most times covers two topics. It tries to cover stuff of the day or past few days, so pretty current (but not especially current events -- more like findings about a topic). Maybe a coin flip on whether both back catalog topics still apply, but while starting it and catching up, I skipped very few. You will probably know within three episodes whether it sticks for you.
posted by filtergik at 4:57 AM on October 31, 2021


Seconding Ed Gamble's Off Menu Podcast if you like the Taskmaster podcast.

Another interview show around food is Jay Rayner's Off Menu podcast. He genuinely seems to like his guests.

If you like books and reading, BBC's A Good Read is a 30-minute conversation between 3 people about 3 books that the guests love.

On The Life Scientific you learn about the careers and lives of scientists. I always learn something, and the host is great.

Two podcasts looking at history in a slightly different way are: Cautionary Tales and Revisionist History

And lastly, Bad Women: The Ripper Retold focuses on Jack the Ripper's victims' lives and tells you a lot about life in Victorian London.
posted by miche11e at 7:23 AM on October 31, 2021


Many of my favorites fall into your forbidden categories. (But, we do dislike many of the same things.) Here are a few worth considering:

The Constant (the one with a big lambda on the artwork)
Sidedoor (the Smithsonian one)
The Memory Palace
Squaring the Strange

In the limited long-form, investigative style: most stuff by Jamie Loftus (Lolita, Aack Cast, My Year in Mensa), the first year of The Dream, Heaven's Gate.

The not-exactly-a-podcast Studs Turkel archive.

(Seconding Sawbones, In Our Time, Say Why to Drugs, Behind the Bastards)
posted by eotvos at 8:14 AM on October 31, 2021


Response by poster: A favorite episode: an interview with Deb Chachra. I also remember enjoying the episode with Chris Schwarz, the Anarchist's Tool Chest & Lost Art Press person.

Awww Chris is my cousin, and Deb's a good friend. I appreciate so much people reading my long lists of likes and dislikes to give me some personalized suggestions. I'll load up Overcast with most of these and let you know how I've fared in a bit. Thank you all so much.
posted by jessamyn at 8:36 AM on October 31, 2021 [8 favorites]


Great Lives from BBC Radio 4 is a good biography podcast. A famous person talks about a historical figure they admire (ancient, recentish and in-between) and a person who’s an expert on the figure joins to fill in the gaps. Can get especially thought-provoking when they pick someone problematic and find elements to respect or at least find an impact to society to acknowledge.
posted by erloteiel at 9:36 AM on October 31, 2021


Fall of Civilizations covers a different crumbling empire each episode. Guy getting / got his Ph.D. in history, and I think this was maybe covered on the blue? Somewhere I read all about his approach and found it really interesting how much effort he puts into gaining a sense not just of the macro issues but of how daily life was changing.

Historium Unearthia also strikes me as a well-researched history podcast. One episode I enjoyed was The Forgotten "Downwinders" of America's Nuclear Testing Program (about Native communities), but they cover all kinds of topics.

I also really like The Book on Fire. I'm in the middle of their Caliban and the Witch season (Season 2?) but am looking forward to checking out the other book they read (Staying With the Trouble). I think I found that via an Ask thread on eye-opening or perspective-shifting books. It's like a nerdy graduate seminar on really interesting books.
posted by slidell at 8:16 PM on October 31, 2021


BBC's Infinite Monkey Cage is a series of podcasts about mostly British mostly scientists talking about their work.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 9:07 PM on October 31, 2021


even though they kind of broke stitcher as a listening tool, i still like its search engine a lot .. it turns up things i find dont appear in other searches .. both by episode and by podcast search .. so that’s a meta tip - try different podcast search engines , not just the one built into your podcast app.

separately, i’ve been listening to the Brain Science Podcast since 07, it’s very good.
posted by elgee at 11:12 PM on October 31, 2021


Ditto the Off Menu podcast.

James Acaster also does Perfect Sounds about albums exclusively from 2016.

There's also Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast or RHLSTP for short. It's an interview format show. He does 10-15 mins solo at the beginning of each which can kind of drag, but it's worth the trouble of fast forwarding imo bc the guest list runs the gamut of Taskmaster/Panel Show alums.
posted by juv3nal at 2:07 AM on November 1, 2021


I know you said you generally don't like true crime, but since you mentioned Bear Brook (one of my all time faves) I will mention Last Seen, which is an in depth investigation of the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum art heist of 1990; and one I actually haven't heard yet, but has been on my to-listen pile for a while: Jolted, about a teen who planned a school shooting in Vermont.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:24 AM on November 1, 2021


If you like Hari Kondabolu, I should mention the venerable and always funny podcast The Bugle, where he’s a regular guest. It’s hosted by Andy Zaltzman (brother of Helen) and covers recent news events. Since they have regular guests from all over the world, it has a broader focus than most comedy podcasts.

Oh, and since I’m mentioning a broader focus, I can’t help but recommend The Lit Pickers, a podcast about books in the widest sense (e.g. a recent episode was about bookmarks). It’s hosted by Supriya Nair and Deepanjana Pal, who live in Mumbai, so their perspective on Anglophone and global literature is different from what you normally find in English-language media.
posted by Kattullus at 6:42 AM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]


I think you'd enjoy Word Matters from Merriam-Webster, I find it fascinating. I always listen to it first thing when it comes out on Tuesdays, and then eagerly wait for my roommate to get up so I can tell her whatever factoid I just learned.
posted by radioamy at 6:01 PM on November 1, 2021


Bloomberg's Odd Lots is a long form interview show, covering obscure markets. For example, they've done a few podcasts on recent turmoil of the lumber market, and an interview with someone who started a bookstore right before the pandemic got underway. Mostly too focused on 'micro' issues to really get into politics, but sometimes mentions MMT and more obscure stuff like the Trillion Dollar coin from time to time. It's not exactly news journalism, but topics chosen are frequently timely.

The New Bazaar by Cardiff Garcia recently launched and is a little more center-left economics, covering topics like racism and gender equality and how it intersects with traditional economic inquiries, by interviewing the researchers who are investigating these topics.

On the more brief side, a trio of sub-five minute episode shows on science and research:

Engines of our Ingenuity, a long running history of engineering with archives that predate the iPod.
60 Second Science decent mix of biology, physics and medical research, typically with soundbites from the researchers themselves.
Academic Minute a much wider mix of faculty, mostly sociology, psych and public health, but also art history, library science, and religion, to cite a few random examples.
posted by pwnguin at 11:38 PM on November 13, 2021


Seconding the recommendation above for This Day in Esoteric Political History. Two or three episodes a week, each about 20 minutes long bracketed by commercials. The co-hosts are a (male) journalist and two (female) scholars of American history, plus an occasional guest. The journo sets the scene, tees up the questions and let the historians run the discussion with the sort of liveliness you hope to hear from people who really, really excited about their work. Each episode is edifying even when the topic of the day is one of the more goofy-assed foibles of the past like Michael Dukakis riding a tank or the failed attempt to rob Abraham Lincoln's grave in 1876, and they also have episodes on heavier topics like the MOVE bombing.
posted by ardgedee at 8:59 AM on November 15, 2021


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