Science Friday
 |
This article relies on references to primary sources. (April 2012) |
 |
|
| Other names | SciFri |
|---|---|
| Genre | talk |
| Running time | approx. 110 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | NPR |
| Host(s) | Ira Flatow |
| Creator(s) | ScienceFriday, Inc. |
| Director(s) | Charles Bergquist |
| Exec. producer(s) | Ira Flatow |
| Recording studio | New York, New York |
| Air dates | since October 1991 |
| Audio format | Stereophonic |
| Website | www.sciencefriday.com |
| Podcast | iTunes |
Science Friday (known as SciFri for short) is a weekly call-in talk show that is part of NPR's Talk of the Nation radio program.[1][2] SciFri is hosted by award winning science journalist Ira Flatow and was created and is produced by ScienceFriday, Inc. The program is divided into two, one-hour programs. The focus of each program is nature, science, and technology and the news and information. Each week 1.3 million listeners tune into the program.[citation needed]
Science Friday is also available in a podcasting format 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 and over 1.3 million listeners tune in each week to hear the program. It is also carried via Sirius/XM satellite radio. In addition to the program, SciFri creates original videos and educational materials, all available on its website.[citation needed]
The program's slogans are “Making Science User Friendly” and "Making Science Radioactive."[citation needed]
SciFri broadcasts excerpts from the annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony on the Friday after Thanksgiving.[3]
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. But that venue is no longer in operation.[citation needed]
Contents |
Funding [edit]
The Science Friday Initiative is a 501(c)(3) partner organization. It helps create educational materials, and finds underwriting for the program. The Science Friday Initiative accepts tax-deductible donations on behalf of the radio program.[4] Science Friday is funded by the NPR member stations that broadcast the program, by individual donors, and by foundation and corporate underwriters including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the US National Science Foundation, the Noyce Foundation, the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.[5]
History [edit]
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 a daily talk show called Talk of the Nation, and incorporated Science Friday into it. Science Friday is not produced "in-house" at NPR but is licensed from ScienceFriday, Inc.[citation needed]
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 a Colorado pastor. [6]
References [edit]
- ^ NPR : Science Friday
- ^ Science Friday: About The Radio Program
- ^ Science Friday Archives: The 2007 Ig Nobel Awards
- ^ "Science Friday Initiative: Our Mission". scifri.org. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ "Science Friday Initiative: Thank You!". scifri.org. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ Flaherty, Scott (Nov. 13, 2012). "NPR Program Sues Christian Radio Hosts Over Trademarks". Law360.
External links [edit]
- Science Friday official website
- Science Friday Initiative
- Claudia Dreifus (April 4, 2000). "A CONVERSATION WITH: Ira Flatow; Latter-Day Mr. Wizard Expounds on the Joy of Science". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
