Up First
Up First is a daily news podcast by the American media organization NPR, which releases an episode every weekday at 6:30 a.m. ET, Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET, and Sundays by 8 a.m ET. Up First gives a brief overview of each news item in its weekday and Saturday episodes, unlike some of NPR's other popular news podcasts which provide a deep exploration of each story. The Sunday edition of the podcast varies between originally produced content for the feed and showcasing previously published episodes for NPR's various long-form journalism podcasts. The podcast was launched on April 5, 2017, in order to showcase the most prominent stories of the day in a digestible format, and giving hosts the opportunity to discuss current news items with experts. The podcast's weekday edition is hosted by Morning Edition hosts A Martínez, Steve Inskeep, Leila Fadel, and Michel Martin. The podcast expanded to a Saturday edition on November 9, 2019, and is hosted by Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon alongside Weekend Edition Sunday host Ayesha Rascoe. Beginning on January 9, 2022, the podcast expanded to a Sunday edition now hosted by Ayesha Rascoe offering extended content in each episode to provide context behind current headlines.
| Up First | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Monday-Saturday: News summary Sunday: Long-form journalism |
| Language | English |
| Cast and voices | |
| Hosted by | Steve Inskeep, A Martínez, Leila Fadel, Michel Martin (weekdays); Scott Simon, Ayesha Rascoe (Saturdays); Rachel Martin (Sundays) |
| Production | |
| Length | avg. 10-15 minutes (Monday-Saturday) to 25 minutes (Sunday) |
| Publication | |
| Provider | National Public Radio |
| Updates | Monday-Friday by 6 a.m. ET; Saturdays and Sundays by 8 a.m. ET |
| Related | |
| Website | npr.org/podcasts/510318/up-first |
Up First is a daily news podcast by the American media organization NPR, which releases an episode every weekday at 6:30 a.m. ET, Saturdays at 9 a.m. ET, and Sundays by 8 a.m ET.[1] Up First gives a brief overview of each news item in its weekday and Saturday episodes, unlike some of NPR's other popular news podcasts which provide a deep exploration of each story.[2] The Sunday edition of the podcast varies between originally produced content for the feed and showcasing previously published episodes for NPR's various long-form journalism podcasts.
The podcast was launched on April 5, 2017, in order to showcase the most prominent stories of the day in a digestible format,[3] and giving hosts the opportunity to discuss current news items with experts.[1] The podcast's weekday edition is hosted by Morning Edition hosts A Martínez, Steve Inskeep, Leila Fadel, and Michel Martin. The podcast expanded to a Saturday edition on November 9, 2019, and is hosted by Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon alongside Weekend Edition Sunday host Ayesha Rascoe. Beginning on January 9, 2022, the podcast expanded to a Sunday edition now hosted by Ayesha Rascoe offering extended content in each episode to provide context behind current headlines.[4][1]
Format
[edit]When Up First launched, it was intended to be a spin off of the popular NPR show Morning Edition, a morning news show that runs for several hours each weekday on NPR. For many people, Morning Edition was inaccessible due to its length or the time in which it aired.[5] For this reason, Up First was introduced to cater to the "more than three-fourths of NPR podcast listeners [who] say they are “definitely” interested in short, daily audio news updates."[6]
Up First was NPR's solution to delivering the most broad overview of the show for the day, as many fans of Morning Edition didn't have the hours to dedicate to listening to the long show. After Morning Edition first goes live at 5 am ET, NPR takes its first 10 minutes or so with its hosts, and edits that into the show that many know best as Up First. When the Morning Edition broadcast picks up again at 7 am ET, the first ten minutes of the broadcast are replaced with something new to keep the information fresh and not repetitive.[7][8]
Competition with The Daily
[edit]Though Up First is often compared to The New York Times daily news podcast The Daily, the two podcasts have differences in how they are formatted. The Daily, a 20-25 minute podcast, favors an in-depth look at a single story. Meanwhile, NPR's Up First clocks in closer to 15 minutes each day trying to make the day's biggest news stories as accessible and digestible as possible, typically over three to four segments in each episode.[2][5][9]
Up First is available to listen to on the NPR website, NPR One, and anywhere else NPR podcasts are posted.[8]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Year[a] | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globe Awards | 2026 | Best Podcast | Up First | Nominated | [10] |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Indicates the year of ceremony
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Up First". NPR. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ a b "The New York Times' The Daily vs. NPR's Up First: Which morning news podcast is better at what?". Nieman Lab. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (April 3, 2017). "NPR Sets Launch of 'Up First' Morning Podcast". Variety. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ "Starting this week get 'Consider This' on Saturdays and 'Up First' on Sundays". NPR. January 4, 2022. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Want quick, on-demand morning news? NPR presents podcast 'Up First'". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ "Up First | National Public Media". National Public Media. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ "With 'Up First,' NPR has created a bite-sized, podcast version of 'Morning Edition'". Poynter. April 3, 2017. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ a b "Up First: The Essential Morning News Podcast From NPR". NPR.org. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ "Battle heats up for morning daily podcasts as NPR enters the fray". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ Youngs, Ian (December 8, 2025). "Golden Globes: The full list of nominees". BBC. Retrieved December 8, 2025.