FY26 Pricing Information

Dear Colleagues — 

I hope this message finds you, your families, friends and co-workers well. I’m writing to announce APM’s pricing for fiscal year 2026. Your Station Representative will be reaching out to you in the weeks ahead.

Earlier this year we sent a brief anonymous survey out to stations to better understand the landscape. Thank you to the nearly 50% of you who replied — your feedback helped guide our FY26 decisions.

This year APM’s annual pricing will remain flat year-over-year for all programs*. In a landscape of economic uncertainty, we hope that this offer will help you plan for the year ahead:

  • Marketplace, The BBC World Service, and On Point will remain flat to FY25.
  • The Daily will continue to be offered with no carriage fee.
  • APM Classical programming and The Splendid Table will remain flat to FY25.
  • APM Affiliation will remain flat to FY25.
  • APM Presents quarterly specials will continue to be included under your overall APM Affiliation.

We’re thrilled to welcome This Old House Radio Hour to our robust portfolio of programs and hope you’ll consider adding it to your weekend programming. This Old House Radio Hour builds (pun intended) on the iconic trusted legacy brand of This Old House. 

Hosted by This Old House editor Jenn Largesse, each episode offers a deep dive into renovations, practical DIY advice, rich storytelling, and answers to listeners’ home improvement call-in questions — covering everything from plumbing to flooring, framing to finishing — all with a little fun and games, surprise guests, and some seriously ridiculous prizes. This Old House Radio Hour is available for no additional fee until FY27 (June 30, 2026). Visit apmdistribution.org and ContentDepot for more information. Your Station Relations Representative will be sharing your station’s pricing grid with you in the weeks ahead and will be happy to answer any questions you have and discuss APM opportunities that may be of interest to you and your audiences.

Thank you for your continued support, feedback and partnership. We look forward to a successful year ahead serving audiences together with you.

Best,

Mark Evans
Managing Director, APMG Broadcast Distribution

*existing ramp-up plans and FY25 negotiated discounts excluded

Remodel your weekend schedule

Hi everyone, 

We’re writing to share exciting (embargoed) news!  

Later today, we will announce APM’s new collaboration with This Old House and LAist to bring you This Old House Radio Hour.  

This all-new, hour-long weekly radio program will launch March 21 and will be available each week from Friday at 9:00 am ET – Thursday 11:59pm ET.  

As you know, This Old House (TOH) has been a trusted source for home improvement, craftsmanship, and restoration for over four decades. Now, we’re bringing that same expertise to the radio airwaves with This Old House Radio Hour—a weekly deep dive into the art, science, and soul of home renovation. Hosted by This Old House editor Jenn Largesse and featuring all your favorite TOH experts, each episode blends practical advice with rich storytelling. Whether you’re tackling a DIY project, renovating a historic home, or simply fascinated by the way we shape—and are shaped by—the spaces we live in, this show has something for you. Expect expert guidance from a roster of top builders, designers, and craftspeople to answer your home improvement questions—from plumbing to flooring, framing to finishing. We’ll also go beyond the toolbelt, exploring the philosophy of craftsmanship with master artisans, and uncovering America’s forgotten architectural gems with the team behind Cheap Old Houses. Along the way, we’ll dive into the latest in building science, design trends, and home innovation while keeping things fun with games, surprise guests, and some seriously ridiculous prizes.  

The time is ripe to launch a lifestyle show that celebrates the joy of making a house a home.  Turn on the television, scroll through Instagram, browse YouTube, you’ll see folks of all ages and in all living situations remodeling, redecorating, reorganizing. We are excited to be part of the zeitgeist and hope you’ll “remodel” your weekend schedule to share the fun with your audience. We know this show is going to be a hit! 

At noon ET, we’ll publish the press release below and our This Old House Radio Hour page will go live at apmdistribution.org. In the meantime, please reach out to your APM Stations Rep to learn more.  

Thanks, 

Mark Evans                                                                                         Amy Lundgren 

Managing Director                                                                             Director, Portfolio & Operations  

APM Distribution                                                                                APM Distribution 

EMBARGOED UNTIL MARCH 11 @ 12PM ET / 9AM PT

Iconic Series This Old House Comes To Public Radio

with New Weekly Show

Offering Fresh Take on Acclaimed TV Franchise, This Old House Radio Hour, Distributed by APM, to Premiere in March on Radio Nationwide and as a Weekly Podcast

LOS ANGELES, CA – March 11, 2025 – LAist Studios and American Public Media (APM) today announced the launch of This Old House Radio Hour, an innovative new series from the creators of the beloved television series This Old House, currently available on The Roku Channel and PBS. The radio show is co-produced by LAist Studios, This Old House Productions and Ember20 and distributed to public radio stations nationwide by APM. The hour-long show begins airing March 22, and will bring the spirit of home improvement and do-it-yourself culture to radio audiences, inspiring people of all skill levels to take on projects big and small. The Home Depot is the presenting sponsor and launch partner of This Old House Radio Hour and podcast.

This Old House Radio Hour offers listeners a dispatch from the world of home renovation and maker culture, as well as classic “call-in” advice. The show balances practical suggestions with heartfelt storytelling, making it an entertaining must-listen for anyone with a passion for the place they call home. Weekly episodes will be offered to APM’s nationwide network of more than 850 stations and also be available on-demand as a podcast after the radio broadcast. Stations that have signed on include producing station LAist 89.3, the top public radio station in Los Angeles and second-largest market in the U.S.

Jenn Largesse, longtime This Old House personality and editor, will serve as host of This Old House Radio Hour. In addition, episodes will feature fan-favorite talent from This Old House, including General Contractor Zack Dettmore and Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey as well as a new generation of craftspeople who have emerged from social media and other non-traditional outlets, blending traditional know-how with fresh, creative perspectives.

“For decades, This Old House has been the most trusted and most authentic source of home improvement information on television. Now, we’re excited to share the expertise and insights of our team with radio listeners as well,” says Chris Wolfe, executive producer of This Old House.

“Southern California is home to every type of dwelling and architecture, and the LAist audience has consistently identified housing issues as a top interest,” says Shana Naomi Krochmal, vice president of LAist Studios. “That was true for Angelenos even before the recent wildfires, and as so many in our community begin the long and difficult process to rebuild and resettle, we hope this show can be a familiar and helpful companion. We’re proud to partner with the experts at This Old House to bring this new show to our listeners at home and those across the country.”

This Old House Radio Hour was created by Ember20’s Jimmy Jellinek who will executive produce along with David Thwaites and Chris Wolfe. Show producers include Matt Bogart and Michelle Lanz with Jeremiah Zimmerman serving as the show’s editor and sound designer.

Recurring segments include:

● Ask This Old House: Have a question about plumbing, electrical work, roofing, or landscaping? This Old House experts will tackle real listener queries, solving household mysteries and offering step-by-step advice.

● My Old House: Prominent figures like American Pickers’ Mike Wolfe, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, musician Rosanne Cash, filmmaker Ken Burns, and actor Alessandro Nivola share heartfelt stories about the homes that shaped their lives.

● Save This Old House: In collaboration with Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein, whose popular Cheap Old Houses social accounts boast over three million combined followers, listeners explore the potential of historic properties — some available for as little as $10 — and debate what it takes to bring them back to life.

● What’s That Sound?: A fun, interactive game where listeners guess the sound of a tool or job site activity for a chance to win prizes.

● A Simple Fix: Quick, simple, and actionable solutions for common household problems such as clogged drains, squeaky hinges and fridge odors.

Since 1979, This Old House has been a fixture on local PBS stations nationwide. Now in its 46th season, current and past episodes of the show are also available for free on The Roku Channel.

Learn more at www.thisoldhouse.com/radiohour

ABOUT LAist

LAist (LAist.com) is an award-winning member-supported public media organization. Recognized as a national leader in public service journalism and community engagement, LAist

has earned more than 500 journalistic honors since 1999. Its flagship station LAist 89.3 is LA’s #1 NPR affiliate. The network’s five signals (LAist 89.3, LAist 89.1 KUOR-FM, LAist 90.3 KVLA-FM, LAist 89.5 KJAI-FM and LAist 89.9 Santa Barbara) deliver local stories to communities across the region, including a robust slate of signature programs from NPR, APM, the BBC, and PRI. LAist’s reporting reaches more than seven million people per month across broadcast, digital, and social media platforms. Its in-house production arm, LAist Studios, develops and produces signature programming for linear and on-demand, including the weekly newsmagazine “Imperfect Paradise.” Through its live programming and events platform, LAist operates The Crawford, a state-of-the-art convening venue, and produces a range of events and experiences there, and in the communities of Southern California throughout the year.

LAist aims to reflect the diverse and forward-looking ethos of Los Angeles and is committed to serving audiences in Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire, while also creating content that connects with audiences around the world.

ABOUT THE ROKU CHANNEL

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free ad-supported streaming television on Roku, and features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 on-demand movies and programs, more than 500 live linear television channels, and premium subscription offerings in the U.S. It licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners and features a growing library of Roku Originals. The Roku Channel is also available in Mexico, Canada, and the U.K.

ABOUT EMBER20

EMBER20 is an award-winning, audio-first creative studio specializing in IP creation and monetization across radio, podcasting, TV, digital media, and branded content. With a deep focus on storytelling and audience engagement, EMBER20 delivers turnkey solutions for brands seeking authentic connections with consumers. Beyond its expertise in the audio space, EMBER20 develops original intellectual property designed for multi-platform expansion, including streaming television, film, experiential activations, and consumer packaged goods. The studio operates at the intersection of innovation and entertainment, crafting compelling narratives that resonate across mediums.

ABOUT AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA (APM)

American Public Media® (APM) is the national programming and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio® and reaches nearly 15 million listeners across 1,000 public radio stations. APM is one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio that includes BBC World Service, Marketplace® and the leading classical music programs in the nation. APM Studios, a division of APM, offers a diverse array of podcasts featuring the best in food, culture, entertainment, business and investigative journalism. For more information on APM, visit americanpublicmedia.org.

Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio, Nationwide DMA data, Persons 12+, Fall ‘23 + Spring ‘24.

MEDIA CONTACT:

The Lippin Group for LAist and APM

Kevin Broderick

kevin@lippingroup.com

323-965-1990

BBC 2025 Spring Interim Schedule

Spring Interim Schedule Now Available 

Given differences in daylight saving time schedules, the BBC World Service will be on a three-week interim schedule prior to the summer schedule.

The 2025 spring interim schedule is effective Sunday, March 9 through Saturday, March 29, 2025.   Interim Schedule Highlights

Newshour
Weekday editions remain the same with an extra edition at 3 p.m. ET.

Weekend 8 a.m. ET editions shift one hour to 9 a.m. ET. This change impacts scheduling on March 9, March 15, March 16, March 22, March 23, and March 29.

Weekend 4 p.m. ET editions remain consistent during the interim schedule, with an extra edition at 5 p.m. ET.

BBC OS
Editions move forward one hour to 12 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. ET.

The Newsroom
There will be no 2 p.m. ET edition Sunday – Friday.  


The BBC summer schedule will take effect on Sunday March 30, 2025. We will share details of that schedule change once they are finalized.

2025 Spring Fundraising Assets

It’s spring member drive time again and we have a new batch of fundraising assets available for you to use. All segments are available now on ContentDepot. Visit the ‘Episodes’ section of the pages below to find the new fundraising assets.

If you don’t find what you need in the links below, please submit a custom request.

Please reach out to your station relations representative with any questions.

News

BBC World Service

  • 8 new featured BBC Newshour segments

Marketplace

  • 5 new promos voiced by Kai Ryssdal

Marketplace Morning Report

  • 5 new promos voiced by David Brancaccio

Marketplace Tech

  • 4 promos voiced by Meghan McCarty Carino

The Daily

  • 3 new promos voiced by Michael Barbaro
  • 1 shortened evergreen episodes (including promos) to pitch around

On Point

  • 7 new promos voiced by Meghna Chakrabarti

Classical

Classical 24

  • 7 new promos voiced by hosts Melissa Ousley, Valerie Kahler, Steve Staruch, Scott Blankenship, Vernon Neal, and Steve Seel.

Performance Today

  • 5 new promos voiced by Fred Child
  • 4 long in-studio segments (11:30-13:00) with guest artists

Pipedreams

  • 5 new promos voiced by Michael Barone

SymphonyCast

  • 5 new promos voiced by Steve Seel

Arts & Culture

The Splendid Table

  • 5 new promos voiced by Francis Lam

Update from The Daily

Dear Stations,

I’d like to share a note from Ben Calhoun, Executive Producer for The Daily:

I’m writing with some big news for all of us at “The Daily,” which is that Sabrina Tavernise plans to step away from her role hosting the show, and return to reporting. Sabrina joined the team full time in 2022. In the years since, Sabrina has been at the heart of some of the most memorable, powerful and impactful work in New York Times Audio.

The coverage she spearheaded of the war in Ukraine is some of the most human, searing, compassionate and meaningful audio coverage of that conflict. Sabrina deployed her mettle as a veteran war correspondent, Russian fluency, eye for human stories and empathetic interviewing skills to transport the show’s audience to a war raging on the other side of the globe, and into the lives and hearts of those there. She has used those same skills and expertise to power our coverage of the war in Gaza, and before that the fallout of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. She has also hosted scores of shows ranging from the delightful to the tragic. She has thrown herself into the challenges of a new medium, and lifted so many ideas and episodes into existence. Her incredible contribution to this show has been singular. We’re so grateful.


As for the empty seat she leaves behind, some of our regular guest hosts will return as we begin a search for a permanent co-host immediately. Sabrina will continue to host shows until the end of January, and our goal is to name a permanent new co-host by spring.

We appreciate all of Sabrina’s work, and we’ll keep you updated on the search for the new co-host. Please reach out to your APM Station Representative with any questions.

Sincerely,

Amy Lundgren

Director, Portfolio & Operations

APM Distribution

Classical 24: Holiday Programming 2024

Classical 24

Thanksgiving 2024
Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27 & 28 – C24 will program festive music to celebrate family, feasting and harvest themes.

Christmas 2024
As in the past, Classical 24 will gradually increase Christmas programming throughout December.

  • Nov 29 – Dec 6: 3-5 minutes of Christmas music per hour
  • Dec 7-13: 5-10 minutes of Christmas music per hour
  • Dec 14-18: 10-15 minutes of Christmas music per hour
  • Dec 19-21: 50% Christmas programming
  • Dec 21: 4pm-6pm CT The Nutcracker ballet with Mindy Ratner
  • Dec 22-25: 100% Christmas programming
  • Dec 24 (Christmas Eve): 6:01pm CT and 9:01 pm CT “The Night Before Christmas,” complete with classical music and sound effects, narrated by C24 host, Lynne Warfel, inside the news holes.

Chanukah 2024
Wednesday, Dec. 25 – Thursday, Jan. 2: Classical 24 celebrates each day of Chanukah with a bit of music to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights throughout the Chanukah.

ADDITIONAL HOURS of Holiday Music from C24

All APM affiliates: 8 Hours of Christmas Music
C24 is offering 8 hours of Christmas music hosted by Mindy Ratner. Stations may use these hours to best suit their needs. These evergreen hours will be posted on Content Depot Dec. 1, 2024.

C24 affiliates: 20 Bonus hours at no charge
Remember that if you subscribe to any day part of C24, you are entitled to 20 additional C24 hours per quarter without charge. Many stations use this C24 bonus during the holidays.

Contact your APM Station Relations Rep if you have questions about C24 holiday use.

BBC Monthly – November 2024

US Election 2024 – Coverage Plans

BBC World Service will cover the US election with special live programming November 5th and 6th. It’s been a dramatic, surprising and historic race for the White House; whatever happens will have an impact beyond the fifty states. What will the result mean for people, politics and business?

Join us for live coverage from 5PM ET to find out who will be the next US President.

America Decides
8 hours – Live only
5 pm ET Tues, November 5th – 1 am ET Wednesday, November 6th
Live coverage of the US presidential election as the results are announced.
Presented by Nuala McGovern and Ros Atkins

***Please note, the standard BBC clock will NOT be maintained. The top of the hour Newscasts 1 & 2 (xx:01:00 to xx:05:59) and the bottom of the hour Newscast (xx:30:30 to xx:32:29) will be broadcast but all other elements will be dropped to provide full uninterrupted coverage of events as they unfold:

  • 00:00 – 00:59 Live Election Coverage
  • 01:00 – 03:59 Newscast 1
  • 04:00 – 05:59 Newscast 2
  • 06:00 – 30:29 Live Election Coverage
  • 30:30 – 32:29 Newscast
  • 32:30 – 59:59 Live Election Coverage

Newsday
4 hours – Live only
1 a.m. – 5 a.m. ET Wednesday, November 6
An extended edition of Newsday will continue coverage of the US Election.
This program will follow the standard BBC program clock

***Both programs MAY be subject to further clock changes. If a live statement from Kamala Harris or Donald Trump should take place over the Newscast, this will take precedence, and the Newscast will be dropped.***

The Newsroom
2 hours – Live only
5 – 7AM ET Wednesday, November 6
Coverage of the Election continues with two, hour long editions of The Newsroom. This program will follow the standard BBC program clock

November Documentaries

The full list of available BBC documentaries can be found here. Look for these specials and their promos on Content Depot.  

World Book Club: Kate Mosse
November 2 – December 31, 2024
One hour

Kate Mosse talks about her bestselling historical thriller Labyrinth. Ahead of its 20th anniversary early next year, the author Kate Mosse talks to Harriett Gilbert and readers from around the world, about her globally bestselling novel, Labyrinth. A historical thriller set between medieval and contemporary France where the lives of two women, living centuries apart, are linked in a common destiny. In 13th century Carcassonne, seventeen-year-old Alaïs is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the Grail. While 700 years later, archaeologist Dr Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons in a forgotten cave in the French Pyrenees and sets out to investigate their origin.

The Documentary: Eyes to the skies
November 21 – December 17, 2024
Half hour

A week behind the scenes of Heathrow airport’s multi faith chapel. In many ways, St George’s is what you’d expect from a local chapel: friendly dedicated staff, weekly mass, an open door every day of the year. But being in the heart of Heathrow Airport makes its mission unique. With more than 20 multi-faith chaplains representing the major world religions, it offers sanctuary and support to 90 million plus people annually in the unpredictable environment of a mega airport. We spend a week with the chaplains, and the passengers and airport staff they encounter. Can faith and connection soar in this most transitory, stressful, and ethereal of spaces?

The Forum: Jewellery
November 23 – December 19, 2024
One hour

The timeless allure of precious ornaments. The earliest known precious personal adornments continue to puzzle archaeologists and historians: what were our ancestors using them for tens of thousands of years ago? Since then, why have we continued to ascribe so much value to what are either shiny metals or colourful stones? And why is no traditional wedding in places such as India complete without copious amounts of gold? These are some of the questions that Iszi Lawrence will be asking jewellery makers, art historians and World Service listeners.

Me and My Digital Twin
November 30 – December 27, 2024
One hour

How to build a digital you – Professor Ghislaine Boddington investigates. Ghislaine aspires to be interconnected with an AI digital companion that advises and supports her, keeps her healthy and represents her around the world. A twin that could live on after her death, or for as long as someone pays the subscription. This is not some private fantasy but, as technologies converge, a potential near-future for many of us – or at least those of us who can afford it. Researchers and companies are already experimenting with ways of combining virtual worlds, gaming avatars, fitness sensors, health apps and AI.

In practical terms, a digital bio-twin is made up of continuously measured multiple biological signals from your body. These might include your heartbeat, breath, temperature and muscle tension, as well as food intake, exercise and mental health – all fed into an avatar body. By combining AI and, for example, scanning our bodies and faces, cloning our voice and mannerisms, our virtual twin will become more and more like us.

In a journey that involves an MRI heart scan, dancing in a Belgium basement and a discussion about digital death, Ghislaine explores how existing technology is making a digital human twin possible. She hears from cardiologists, engineers, performance artists and tech entrepreneurs as she learns how to build her own digital twin.

BBC 2024 Fall Interim & Winter Schedules

Fall Interim and Winter Schedules Now Available

The 2024-25 fall interim and winter BBC schedules are now available. The BBC World Service will be on a one week interim schedule prior to the winter schedule to accommodate daylight savings in both the UK and US. Please watch ContentDepot for additional reminders.

The 2024 fall interim schedule is effective Sunday October 27, 2024 through Saturday, November 2, 2024.

Fall Interim Schedule Highlights

  • Newshour
    • Weekday editions remain the same with an extra edition at 5 PM ET
    • Weekend 8 AM ET editions shift one hour to 9 AM ET. This change impacts scheduling on Sunday October 27 and Saturday November 2.
    • Weekend 4pm ET editions remain consistent during the interim schedule week, with an extra edition at 5 PM ET.
  • BBC OS
    • Editions move forward one hour to 12 PM ET and 1 PM ET.
  • The Newsroom
    • The Monday – Sunday edition at 6 PM ET remains the same.

The 2024 winter schedule is effective Sunday November 3, 2024 through Saturday March 8, 2025.

Winter Schedule Highlights

  • Newshour
    • Weekend morning edition returns to 8 AM ET.
  • The Newsroom
    • The Monday – Sunday edition returns to 5 PM ET for the winter as usual.
  • Unspun World
    • On the schedule until the end of its current run, on Friday November 29th.

Find these schedules on our website. Please review them carefully and contact your Station Representative with any questions.

America Are We Ready?

We are pleased to introduce America Are We Ready: Healthcare, Housing, and the Care Economy: What the November Election Means for Our Money. Hosted by WNYC’s Brian Lehrer and Marketplace’s senior Washington correspondent Kimberly Adams, these three live call-in shows will run on Wednesday, October 9, 16, & 23 from 8-9 PM EST. Together with guests, our hosts will take listener calls, opening a national conversation across divides, about what the November election means for some of the biggest pocket-book issues Americans face today: healthcare costs, housing costs, and the care economy. We will hear the stories that shape our points of view, ask questions, and learn what the candidates’ probable policies could mean for things like medicine, bills, rent, and childcare

This series is co-distributed by American Public Media and WNYC Distribution.

Program Details

America Are We Ready: Healthcare, Housing, and the Care Economy: What the November Election Means for our Money

  • Wednesdays Oct 9, 16, & 23
  • 8-9 PM ET
  • Air Window: Live with subsequent air window of 24 hours
  • Content Depot Page
  • Promos: Available a week before each episode
  • Rundowns: Available 12PM ET the day of the show
  • Clock: 59 minutes, newscast compatible, fixed :90 second breaks at 0:19:00 and 0:39:00 (each hour)
  • Call-in Line: This will be provided closer to air time

View full program details here

BBC Monthly – October 2024

October Documentaries

The full list of available BBC documentaries can be found here. Look for these specials and their promos on Content Depot.  

The Documentary: Saving a sinking city – Jakarta
October 3 – October 30, 2024
Half hour

Jakarta is the fastest sinking city in the world. Is the solution a new capital?

Jakarta is facing all sorts of problems: deadly floods, land subsidence, extreme pollution, notorious traffic, and overcrowding. Indonesia’s outgoing President has come up with an extreme solution: moving the country’s capital a thousand kilometres away, to the middle of the rainforest. Will the new city be a futuristic utopia and a model for sustainable urbanisation or an eye-wateringly expensive, ecologically disastrous ghost town? BBC Indonesia reporter Astudestra Ajengrastri travels to the island of Borneo to find out if the ambitious plans could live up to reality.

World Questions: Mexico
October 12 – November 29, 2024
One hour

Drug violence, poverty, and democracy: a Mexican panel debates the country’s big issues. As a new President takes power in Mexico, there are major challenges for her to face. Violence, crime, drug cartels, economic inequality, and migration all loom large in a large country that shares a long border with the USA. A new government contemplates politicising the judiciary to tackle corruption, but will it be positive for democracy?

Jonny Dymond and a panel of leading politicians debate questions on the big issues from people across Mexico.

The Evidence: Would you get sick for science?
October 19 – November 15, 2024
One hour

Why are some people deliberately infected with diseases? Human challenge trials are when volunteers are deliberately infected with diseases to help find vaccines or cures. In this episode of The Evidence, Claudia’s expert panel, including Chris Chiu of Imperial College London, Shobana Balasingham of Wellcome and Kondwani Jambo of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine look at what these trials have accomplished, how safe they are, and the long and oftentimes complicated history behind the practice.

The Forum: Insomnia
October 26 – Decmeber 13, 2024
One hour

Do you find it difficult to get a good night’s sleep? If so, you are not alone. According to the US National Institutes of Health, between 6 and 30 percent of adults suffer from insomnia, or lack of restorative sleep. Since the establishment of sleep medicine a century ago, we have learnt a lot about what causes sleeplessness. And yet, as the never-ending proliferation of sleep aids demonstrates, its prevalence remains high.

Persistent lack of sleep can have serious consequences for your health and yet some writers and other creatives, seem to welcome it. Franz Kafka famously claimed that if he couldn’t pursue his stories through the night, they would “break away and disappear”. Iszi Lawrence discusses the past and present of research into insomnia, and its hold over our imagination with scientists, writers, and BBC News World Service listeners.