Weekly Program Highlights
Friday 9/4
NOON – 1:00 PM
Fresh Air… This week on Fresh Air, remember feminist icon and founder of the influential feminist Ms. Magazine, Gloria Steinem. Listen back to two interviews Fresh Air with her from 1987 and 2015.
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Science Friday… This week on Science Friday, between E coli in blueberries, glass in popsicles, and cyclospora, take a look at if there have been more food recalls this summer, and if agency cuts are to blame.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… On Today, Explained, to some people — especially people on TikTok — inflammation is the root of all disease. It’s not that simple, but inflammation does have a lot to teach us about why modern life can make us feel so bad, and even what we might be able to do about it..
6:30 – 7:30 PM
The Club McKenzie… At Its Core: The origins of New Orleans’ jazz – from 1900 to the early 1920s – centers on ensembles that were relatively small, with only five to eight components, compared to what came later. These smaller bands practiced simultaneous improvisation before jazz transitioned to the soloist-centered performance, which changed the basis of the music. Hear music by some of the smaller groups that acted as a practical enabler of the collective texture that became a defining feature of jazz.
Saturday 9/5
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!… This week on Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the show is broadcast from the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, Ohio, with panelists Mo Rocca, Rachel Coster, and Shane Torres. And, poet Maggie Smith talks about her works and plays Not My Job.
11:00 – NOON
Radiolab… This week on Radiolab, travel under and across the oceans to find vigilante whales and heroic octopi. First, humpbacks who refuse to back down when other creatures are being attacked. And then, a simple act of motherhood becomes a heroic feat that has never been equaled by any known species on Earth.
3:00 – 5:00 PM
American Routes… This week on American Routes, hear the best of American Routes Live – studio concerts and conversation in collaboration with the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park – including Cajun tunes and dances, Haitian-American singer songwriter Leyla McCalla and her band, Creole banjoist and songman Don Vappie, New Orleans's king of the trumpet Kermit Ruffins, jazz saxophone modernist Donald Harrison, and an acoustic set by Rickie Lee Jones.
Sunday 9/6
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Hidden Brain… From childhood, we're taught that honesty is the best policy. Yet in everyday life, we hedge, soften our words, and leave things unsaid. This week on Hidden Brain, a conversation about why indirect speech is such a fundamental part of human relationships.
NOON – 2:00 PM
Sunday Baroque… Hear music by some hardworking musicians. The show includes works by sixteenth-century German musician Michael Praetorius, who wrote more than 1500 compositions; Venetian violinist Antonio Vivaldi, who produced 500-plus concertos; and Neapolitan keyboard virtuoso Domenico Scarlatti, who composed 555 solo keyboard sonatas.
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!… This week on Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the show is broadcast from the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, Ohio, with panelists Mo Rocca, Rachel Coster, and Shane Torres. And, poet Maggie Smith talks about her works and plays Not My Job.
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Latino USA… In August 2025, six workers died from toxic gas exposure at a Colorado dairy farm. Organizers and safety advocates say the deaths were tragic, but entirely avoidable, and they brought renewed focus to what it means to live and die as a farmworker in Colorado. Also on the show, as a comic and actor, Cheech Marin’s counterculture humor with Cheech and Chong defined an era. But, lesser-known, is that Cheech is also a prolific collector of Chicano art, which he’s now donated for public viewing.
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Reveal… Twenty-five years later, more people have now died from 9/11 than died on 9/11. In a Long Island community, the funerals seem constant. This week on Reveal, a doctor turned journalist who lives and works in this community tells the stories of responders—and explains why they're still developing cancers and other illnesses decades later.
6:00 – 7:00 PM
The Moth Radio Hour… This week on The Moth Radio Hour, hear stories from The Moth's Education Program about starting fresh: new jobs; new schools; and new perspectives.
Monday 9/7
1:00 – 2:00 PM
SPECIAL: Notes from the Edge of Work… Tune in for a Labor Day special, Notes from the Edge of Work, that explores the current state of work and care. Host Jeff Chang talks with domestic worker organizer Ai-jen Poo about why some kinds of work are valued more than others. He also speaks with writer Jenny O’Dell about what it would take to create a system that makes it easier to take better care of ourselves and each other. Plus, he’ll chat with singer-songwriter Valerie June about the history of the work song and her anthem, Working Woman Blues.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… Curtis Yarvin began as an anonymous blogger arguing esoteric ideas about how America would be better off as a monarchy. He’s now the Trump administration’s favorite philosopher.
Tuesday 9/8
1:00 – 2:00 PM
The Reluctant Therapist… How do you say Goodbye to a Friend: The Many Forms of Grief. Tune in for a conversation about the complex feelings associated with the death of a close friend or loved one. Grief comes in many forms and stages. Sharing stories, emotions and sadness with others can help bring comfort and healing.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… Money is ruining youth sports, and private equity pouring into for-profit sports leagues is partly to blame.
8:00 – 10:00 PM
Pickin’ Up the Tempo… This week on Pickin’ Up the Tempo, tune in for a show focused on indie bluegrass. Host Laura Joines shares fresh sounds and artists carrying the music forward in exciting new directions.
Wednesday 9/9
1:00 – 1:30 PM
Bioneers… This week on Bioneers, hear from Professor Manuel Pastor on how shocks to the system are precipitating a great awakening and growing movements to transform the economy. He says that an extractive economy wastes both nature and people, and at the same time, it is Hoovering extreme wealth up to the billionaire class.
1:30 – 2:00 PM
California Report Magazine… This week on California Report Magazine, a look at how the closely-watched trial of a woman accused of killing her own children in Massachusetts echoes a case from more than a decade ago in California about postpartum psychosis.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… What started as a referendum on taxing the rich has turned into a litmus test on Democratic party politics.
6:30 – 8:00 PM
KCBX in Concert… In the early 1700s, the Baroque lute (with its 21 strings) became exceedingly popular, especially in the hands of the gifted performer, Sylvius Leopold Weiss. This week on KCBX in Concert, host Craig Russell explores Weiss’s Suite in D Major. Then, Craig delves into Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, ‘Pastoral,’ digging down into the nuts-and-bolts of Beethoven’s compositional process and pondering how Beethoven’s life struggles between were impacting his artistic decisions.
Thursday 9/10
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Special: Outside/In: Milk, Microplastics and the Puzzle of Public Health… Trying to make healthy choices in 2026 can be perplexing. Public health measures that have been around for generations are being questioned and rolled back by the very agencies that once imposed them. At the same time, there are new health threats that we still don’t totally understand. In this special, we look at the debates around two health-related topics — raw milk and microplastics — where concerns about how to live a healthy life are leading to unusual, and in some cases controversial, choices.
Friday 9/11
6:30 – 7:30 PM
The Club McKenzie… The Renaissance: The Harlem Renaissance in 1920s America stands as a vitally important time in the country’s history. This era was characterized by an extraordinary flourishing of creativity across artistic disciplines. From the lyrical genius of poets like Langston Hughes to the innovative rhythms of musicians such as Duke Ellington, the Harlem Renaissance produced an unparalleled body of work that not only enriched American culture but also laid the groundwork for future generations of artists. The movement's emphasis on self-expression and racial pride resonated deeply, making it a significant chapter in the ongoing struggle for equality and justice.