Science Friday

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Original synthesis to sit alongside the encyclopedia article below. Not part of Wikipedia; verify facts on Wikipedia when precision matters.

Science Friday (colloquially shortened to SciFri) is a prominent long-running US public science talk and educational media franchise, originally founded by veteran science journalist Ira Flatow who served as its long-time lead host. First launched as a weekly public radio program in 1991, it has grown to distribute content across linear radio, podcast platforms, official web articles and short-form digital video, delivering balanced, accessible STEM coverage, expert interviews, and listener call-in discussions to general audiences curious about science, technology and related public policy issues.

Key moments

1991Officially launched as a weekly two-hour public radio broadcast, hosted by Ira Flatow, distributed across US national public radio stations
2000sExpanded distribution to include podcast feeds, launched free public educational resources for K-12 and higher education classroom use, alongside original web science content
2020sAdded new co-hosts including Flora Lichtman, expanded short-form social media content targeting younger audiences, maintained broad availability across all major global podcast platforms

Distinctive niche in public-facing science media

Unlike many commercial science podcasts that prioritize sensationalized viral science topics or simplified pop-science framing, Science Friday has sustained a 30+ year editorial commitment to rigorous, balanced discussion: it regularly invites lead researchers of newly published peer-reviewed studies and leading domain experts as guests, with coverage that avoids overly heavy jargon but also avoids dumbing down complex topics, filling a unique gap for audiences seeking nuanced analysis of emerging STEM policy, public health developments, and underdiscussed niche scientific fields.

Hidden cross-generational educational impact

Beyond its core audience of casual curious science fans, the program has become a widely used supplementary learning resource for multiple groups: K-12 STEM teachers leverage its episodes to make classroom content more engaging, English learners and test-takers for standardized exams like TOEFL regularly use its free full episode transcripts to practice listening comprehension and build academic science vocabulary, making high quality formal science education accessible to audiences across different socioeconomic backgrounds without paid paywalls.

Sustainable independent public media model

After starting as part of core NPR programming, Science Friday transitioned to operate as its own independent production entity distributed via public radio networks and WNYC Studios, proving that long-running niche public interest content can maintain editorial independence, retain a large loyal cross-country audience, and operate sustainably without being tied directly to a large national public broadcasting institutional structure.

creator	ScienceFriday, Inc.

director	Charles Bergquist

executive producer	Ira Flatow

record location	New York City

first aired	October 1991

audio format	Stereophonic

website	http://www.sciencefriday.com

Science Friday (known as SciFri for short) is a weekly call-in talk show that broadcasts each Friday on public radio stations, distributed by WNYC Studios, and carried on over 500 public radio stations. SciFri is hosted by science journalist Ira Flatow and Flora Lichtman and is produced by the Science Friday Initiative. The program is divided into two one-hour programs, with each hour ending with a complete sign-off. The focus of each program is news and information on science, nature, medicine, and technology. The show originated as the Friday episode of the daily call-in talk show Talk of the Nation, but was spun off as a series in its own right when Talk of the Nation was canceled in June 2013.

The Science Friday radio program is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) organization. The Science Friday Initiative is an independently run organization with a governing board of directors and executive director. In addition to the radio program and podcasts, the organization creates educational and digital content, finds underwriting for the program, and hosts public science events.

Science Friday is also available as a daily podcast and is one of the most popular iTunes downloads, frequently in the top 15 downloads each week. SciFri podcasts are downloaded over 23 million times per year.

SciFri has broadcast excerpts from the annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony on the Friday after Thanksgiving.[1][2]

Funding

The Science Friday Initiative accepts tax-deductible donations on behalf of the radio program.[3]

Science Friday is funded by stations fees that broadcast the program, by individual donors, by advertising underwriters, and by foundation grants including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Heising-Simons Foundation.[4] Formerly the program was supported by the Noyce Foundation, the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Science Friday has received federal funding from the US National Science Foundation and NASA.

History

SciFri was created when the National Science Foundation agreed to fund a weekly science talk-show on NPR. After the Gulf War in 1991, NPR created the daily talk show Talk of the Nation, with Science Friday originating as the Friday edition of that series. Talk of the Nation ended its run in 2013,[5] after which Science Friday became a standalone series and moved from NPR to Public Radio International in 2014.[6]

Science Friday maintained an island (Science Friday Island) in Second Life, including an open-air theater with live audio and video feeds of the broadcast. That venue is no longer in operation.

On November 9, 2012, ScienceFriday, Inc. filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in New York state court against a long-running Denver radio program, titled Real Science Friday, hosted by two young earth creationists including Colorado pastor and radio personality Bob Enyart. The show was re-titled Real Science Radio.[7]

On April 11, 2018, distribution of the show changed hands once more when it went from PRI to

External links

References

Science Friday Archives: The 2007 Ig Nobel Awards^
Ig Nobel day-after-Thanksgiving broadcast on Science Friday www.improbable.com, 27 November 2015, retrieved September 8, 2016^
Science Friday Initiative: Our Mission scifri.org, retrieved September 6, 2012^

presenter
show name	Science Friday
imagesize	200px
other names	SciFri
format	talk
runtime	approx. 110 min.
country	United States
language	English
syndicates	WNYC Studios