How to be a guest
How to Get Booked on Short Wave
Short Wave is a science podcast hosted by NPR with 1908 episodes. Your strongest route into Short Wave starts with evidence from its feed and the contact path this show publishes.
Short Wave is not affiliated with Let's Make A Podcast. We cannot book its guests.
What Short Wave is about
New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines, in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Short Wave.
In the show’s own words, from its public feed.
- Publishes
- a few times a week
- Latest episode
- Aug 21, 2026
- Catalogue
- 1908 episodes
Recent episodes
Listen to a few of these before you pitch, then reference one by name.
- Why scientists are stoked about mysterious black hole stars
- More men are taking testosterone. What gives?
- A survivor's view from inside a tornado
- Could future wars be fought by AI?
- Inside Colombia's big quake – and why more could be coming
Episode list read from the show’s public RSS feed on 2026-08-23.
3 show-specific steps to pitch Short Wave
- 1
Listen before you pitch
Start with the latest episode of Short Wave, which publishes a few times a week, currently “Why scientists are stoked about mysterious black hole stars”. Listen for how the host frames the conversation, then make your angle fit Short Wave.
- 2
Send it to the address Short Wave publishes
Short Wave's feed publishes a contact address. We do not print Short Wave's address on public pages. A free account opens a pre-addressed draft for Short Wave in your mail app; we never send it. Short Wave's own site is npr.org, so a booking or about link would be there, and that route needs no account. Get the address for Short Wave. Open npr.org.
- 3
Lead with a specific, relevant angle
Hosts want a researcher or communicator who can make a complex finding clear and vivid. Open with one sentence on why you fit Short Wave and the exact topic you would bring to an episode. See our pitch template, or write it now, prefilled for Short Wave, then grade the draft against Short Wave.
Pitch basics: read the complete guide. Short Wave is listed from Apple Podcasts (iTunes Search API), public directory data; its host can manage it below.
Host of Short Wave?
Claim, correct, or remove Short Wave.
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