Manoush Zomorodi Named the New Host of TED Radio Hour

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, November 5, 2019

NPR and TED announced today that Manoush Zomorodi has been selected as the new host of TED Radio Hour. A narrative journey through fascinating ideas, the TED Radio Hour is carried on more than 600 public radio stations and is one of the top podcasts in the world. Since 2013, the show has been hosted by Guy Raz, who announced his departure in July.

Manoush Zomorodi is a journalist, podcaster, and media entrepreneur. She is also the author of Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Creative Self and her 2017 TED Talk on surviving information overload and the "Attention Economy" has been viewed more than three million times.

"Hosting TED Radio Hour is one of the best jobs in radio/podcasting. Who wouldn't want to interview the smartest people on the planet about their life's work and then collaborate with one of the top teams in audio to turn it into an intimate, educational, and entertaining hour of listening that impacts millions of people around the world?" Zomorodi added, "On a more personal note, the show's mission aligns beautifully with my own professional ambition to continue inspiring people to learn more about the world, their community, and themselves... while also having some fun along the way."

"Manoush's passionate curiosity about how technology is transforming humanity and her ability to make complicated ideas accessible and relevant make her a terrific match for the TED Radio Hour and NPR," said Anya Grundmann, NPR's Senior Vice President of Programming and Audience Development. "We can't wait for NPR's audience to hear her tackle the world of big ideas and be inspired."

"TED Radio Hour has been one of the most important and impactful ways for people to discover TED and the ideas of our incredible speakers. In our search for a new host, we knew we wanted someone who was genuinely curious and passionate about the world of ideas, and could bring their own voice and perspective to that world. We're thrilled to have Manoush - also a cherished member of the TED community and brilliant journalist and entrepreneur - to lead the show into its next phase," said Colin Helms, Head of Media, TED.

"Manoush is such an incredibly talented and engaging host. She brings joy, kindness and deep intellectual rigor to all of her interviews," Guy Raz said. "As a long-time fan of Manoush's work, I am so excited to hear her write TED Radio Hour's next chapter." Guy Raz will continue his work on How I Built This and the children's podcast Wow in the World. Episodes hosted by Zomorodi will debut in the spring; she guest-hosted the TED Radio Hour episode Teaching for Better Humans this summer.

TED Radio Hour is an editorial partnership between NPR and TED. It is a powerhouse public radio program that explores big ideas through interviews with the world's greatest thinkers, scientists, artists, and visionaries. Since 2013, Raz has curated and hosted 155 episodes, interviewing nearly 750 TED speakers including Bill Gates, Oliver Sacks, Elizabeth Gilbert, Monica Lewinsky, Ken Robinson, Simon Sinek, Susain Cain, Dan Pink, Jill Bolte Taylor, Dan Gilbert, Jon Ronson, Sting, and Daniel Kahneman.

In 2018, Zomorodi co-founded a media company to help people navigate personal and global change. Its first project is ZigZag, a show about the changing culture of business and work. She is also the creator and host of Note to Self, a co-production with WNYC Studios which the Academy of Podcasters named Best Tech Podcast of 2017. She has won numerous awards, including two Gracies for Best Radio Host and is especially proud of the Webby her team won in 2018 for The Privacy Paradox, an interactive digital project about personal data.