science

TED Radio Hour

TED Radio Hour is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand TED Radio Hour rather than just read about it. In short: TED Radio Hour is a weekly, hour-long radio program and podcast, produced as a co-production between TED (conference) and National Public Radio. It is broadcast on 600+ public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is also available as a free weekly podcast.

Key takeaways

TED Radio Hour belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect TED Radio Hour to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of TED Radio Hour from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

TED Radio Hour is a weekly, hour-long radio program and podcast, produced as a co-production between TED (conference) and National Public Radio. It is broadcast on 600+ public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is also available as a free weekly podcast. The first episode aired on April 27, 2012, with host Alison Stewart. Beginning with Season 2, the series was hosted by Guy Raz. In November 2019, Manoush Zomorodi was named the show’s new host. Each episode of the TED Radio Hour is one hour long, and explores a theme — such as happiness, crowd-sourcing innovation or power shifts — through three to four related TED Talks. The talks (all of which have been previously recorded and released by TED) are supplemented by follow-up interviews with the speaker, original reporting and other segments that bring the ideas to life. Each TED Radio Hour episode is elaborately stylized, layering original sound design under each TED Talk and conversation.

History The idea of a TED radio show was first proposed in 2011 by TED's head of content distribution Deron Triff to NPR Interim President and CEO Joyce Slocum. When the series premiered in April 2012, it was carried by 76 of NPR's member stations, including WHYY Philadelphia, KUOW Seattle and KOPB Portland. By the end of Season 1, it was carried by 250+ member stations including WNYC. By the premiere of Season 2, it was carried by 300+ member stations. TED Radio Hour now airs on 600+ radio stations across the U.S. and internationally. Between Season 1 and Season 2, the show's team, led by NPR's VP of Programming Eric Nuzum, Deron Triff and Series Producer Jeff Rogers, overhauled the show. It expanded to a weekly schedule, and the format was revised, to emphasize stylized sound design. Guy Raz, formerly of Weekend All Things Considered, was selected as the new host. In November 2019, Manoush Zomorodi, previously host of the WNYC podcast Note to Self, was named the show’s new host.

Credits According to the show credits, in Season 1, TED Radio Hour was produced by Jeff Rogers, Sam Greenspan and Meghan Keane with help from NPR's Eric Nuzum, and TED's Chris Anderson, June Cohen, Deron Triff, Emily McManus and Janet Lee. In Season 2, TED Radio Hour was produced by Jeff Rogers, Brent Baughman, Meghan Keane, Neva Grant and Sanaz Meshkinpour with help from NPR's Portia Robertson Migas and Eric Nuzum, and TED's Chris Anderson, June Cohen, Deron Triff and Janet Lee.

Reception and awards TED Radio Hour is carried by 600+ public radio stations. As of January 2024, TED Radio Hour has earned 4 wins and 2 nominations, which includes:

The Webby Awards 2018 Winner for Best Science and Education Podcasts (General Series).

The Ambies 2023 Winner for Best Knowledge, Science or Tech Podcast. 2022 Nominee for Best Knowledge, Science or Tech Podcast.

People's Choice Podcast Awards 2018 People's Voice Award Winner for Best Science and Education Podcast. 2010 People's Choice Podcast Award Winner for Best Video Podcast.

iHeartRadio Podcast Awards 2021 Nominee for Best Technology Podcast. TED Radio Hour was also named "Best New Audio Podcast of 2012" by iTunes.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TED Radio Hour

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TED Radio Hour claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to TED Radio Hour before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about TED Radio Hour ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of TED Radio Hour

In research: TED Radio Hour appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses TED Radio Hour in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: TED Radio Hour is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2012 podcast debuts, Arts podcasts, TED (conference), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for TED Radio Hour outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study TED Radio Hour in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what TED Radio Hour means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain TED Radio Hour out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is TED Radio Hour in simple terms?

Why does TED Radio Hour matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study TED Radio Hour?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on TED Radio Hour.