Have you heard of the Fresh Air podcast?

If you are a radio or podcast fan, chances are that you have. It is one of the most popular podcasts in the United States of America for pop culture and entertainment. 

But just because it is popular with other people, does that mean you should give it a listen?

This article will offer you a comprehensive guide to the Fresh Air podcast, including why it has become so popular, who is behind the show, and whether or not you should give it a listen.

Why the Podcast is Gaining Popularity

When it comes to evaluating the popularity of the Fresh Air Podcast, it is not so much about why it has gained popularity and more about how the creators have managed to move the popularity the show already had onto a new platform.

The Fresh Air podcast comes from the Fresh Air radio show, which has been in circulation since 1985.

Therefore, when the show turned into a podcast, it was not about gaining popularity, but more about ensuring the popularity remained across each channel, which has done so to great effect.

Turning the Fresh Air radio show into a podcast has opened the show up to an entirely new audience while also keeping the existing audience engaged.

How the Podcast Came to be

The show started in 1986 at WHYY and was hosted by Judy Blank. However, by the end of the year, Terry Gross had become the presenter and producer and continues to present the show to this day.

Initially, the show launched as a weekly radio show with a 30-minute run time on NPR.

Since then, the show has been turned into a podcast to keep up with the listening preferences of its audience. Fewer people were tuning into radio stations live, and more people were listening to content on demand, so it was a no-brainer to turn the Fresh Air radio show into a podcast.

Since then, it has gone on to be one of the most-downloaded podcasts on iTunes, hitting the #1 most-downloaded podcast in America in 2016.

Themes and Topics Covered

The main focus of the Fresh Air podcast is culture and arts. It focuses on discussions with leaders in different areas of culture and promotes new up-and-coming art and culture-related content, such as events, or hotly anticipated releases, such as book, TV, or movie release dates.

Overview of the types of topics discussed on the podcast

In recent episodes, the show has focused on working directly with people from a chosen industry, discussing a topic they are passionate about.

For example, on January 31st, they posted a show with actor Lizzy Caplan, discussing her upcoming role in the series Fleishman.

Also, in this episode, the guests review a new series on Apple TV called Shrinking, giving an honest verdict on whether or not the viewers should give it a chance.

Reach of the Fresh Air Podcast

The Fresh Air podcast is a popular show but doesn’t put much time into its YouTube channel. As a result, the show has 1.34k followers on youtube, 5,519 followers on Instagram, and no official account on Tik Tok.

On youtube, where view statistics are readily available, the average podcast receives between 300 and 500 views per episode.

As of February 2023, the Fresh Air Podcast was ranked #62 on Apple Music for all podcasts. It is also the #1 Apple podcast in the United States of America in the Arts and Books categories.

In Great Britain, the show ranks #29 in the Arts category and #6 in the Books category.

Based on this analysis, we estimated that the Fresh Air Podcast receives 300k – 400k listens each time an episode goes out across Apple, Google, Youtube, and Spotify podcast networks.

The Format of the Podcast

In the Fresh Air podcast, the main content includes interviews with prominent people from different fields of work. After the main interview segment, there tend to be a few additional shorter segments that focus on reviews and coverage of events and updates or new releases related to culture and entertainment. 

That could include books, TV shows, movies, stage plays, or music.

Guests featured on the podcast

As mentioned, the Fresh Air podcasts regularly have guests on the show, often people with high standing in their field. They then discuss a relevant subject within their field, which takes up most of the show.

Some of the regular guests include:

• Ken Tucker
• Maureen Corrigan
• Dave Davies
• Davin Bianculli
• John Powers
• Geoffrey Nunberg
• Milo Miles
• Lloyd Schwartz
• Ed Ward

Reception and Impact

As you would expect, the podcast received the same popularity and critical claim upon launch as the radio show did back in 1985.

The podcast did not alter the format in any way, which ensured people continued to feel comfortable and familiar with the content and enjoyed it to the same level.

The impact of creating the Fresh Air podcast is that it opened up the show to an all-new audience and allowed its current audience to listen at a time that best suits their schedule.

Conclusion

Now you have all the information you need to determine whether or not you should listen to the Fresh Air podcast!

If the show sounds like something that you would want to listen to, you can check it out on several of the leading podcasting platforms.

• Google Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Music