Marketplace

Marketplace has been the go-to business news program in America since it first aired on January 2, 1989, and Kai Ryssdal has been at the helm since 2005. Produced by American Public Media, the show airs every weekday and reaches roughly 12 million listeners across public radio and podcast platforms, making it the most widely heard business program in the country -- radio or TV, commercial or public. Ryssdal has a background you don't typically find in journalism. He flew Navy jets, worked at the Pentagon, and served in the U.S. Foreign Service before pivoting to media. That experience gives him a directness that cuts through economic jargon. He doesn't just read numbers at you; he explains why today's jobs report or Fed decision actually matters for your life. Each episode runs about 30 minutes and mixes reported segments, live interviews, and Ryssdal's commentary. The production team talks to everyone from small business owners to Fortune 500 executives, and the show has covered ground from AI investment frenzies to cargo theft rings to housing market shifts in recent months. Marketplace also anchors a family of companion shows, including Marketplace Morning Report with David Brancaccio and Marketplace Tech, giving listeners multiple entry points throughout the day. The flagship show works because it treats its audience as intelligent adults who happen not to be finance professionals. Ryssdal makes complicated economic stories feel conversational without dumbing them down, and that balance has kept Marketplace at the top of business broadcasting for over three decades.