Ira Glass reflects on fame, podcasting, and the future of public radio episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 21, 2026 · 22 MIN

Ira Glass reflects on fame, podcasting, and the future of public radio

from Soundside · host KUOW News and Information

For over 30 years (since 1995) Ira Glass has been one of, if not THE voice of public radio.  His show, This American Life, has won Peabody awards, the first ever audio journalism Pulitzer. And it’s also shaped generations of listeners and audio makers. As an early adopter of podcasting (2006), the show was for many a first foray into digital listening. It spawned major hits like Serial, which led to a boom in documentary podcasting. But the world of audio has changed a lot in recent years.  Ira Glass shares his thoughts with Soundside. And he’s coming to the Mount Baker Theater in Bellingham this weekend (Saturday, January 24th) to share some of his secrets: the show is called  “An Evening with Ira Glass: Seven Things I've Learned” Guest: Host and executive producer of This American Life, Ira Glass Related Links: Mount Baker Theatre Presents An Evening with Ira Glass: Seven Things I've Learned Ira Glass Explains Why I’m Listening to Podcasts Wrong | SubwayTakes Uncut - Youtube Ira Glass plays a nicer version of himself on the radio - NPR Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 21, 2026

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This American Life's Ira Glass sits down with the show to talk the future of NPR, how fast to listen to podcasts, and his favorite public media icon.

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Ira Glass reflects on fame, podcasting, and the future of public radio

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