{{Short description|Daily radio series}} {{About|the science and nature radio series|the interactive fiction trilogy|Earth and Sky|the Graham Nash album|Earth & Sky (album)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Use American English|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox radio show | image = EarthSky_radio_program_logo.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Radio program logo | other_names = EarthSky | format = | runtime = 60 and 90 second spots | country = United States | language = English, Spanish | home_station = | syndicates = NPR | television = | presenter = | starring = | announcer = | creator = Deborah Byrd, Joel Block | writer = | director = | senior_editor = | editor = | producer = | exec_producer =Deborah Byrd | narrated = | rec_location = Austin, Texas, USA | rem_location = | oth_location = | first_aired = 1991 | last_aired = June 2, 2013 | num_series = | num_episodes = | audio_format = | opentheme = | othertheme = | endtheme = | sponsor = | website = {{URL|earthsky.org}} | podcast = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> }}

'''''Earth & Sky''''' was a daily radio series that presented information about science and nature.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://earthsky.org/earthsky-a-clear-voice-for-science|title=EarthSky: Earth, Space, Human World, Tonight - EarthSky|website=earthsky.org}}</ref> It began broadcasting in 1991 and ceased operations in 2013. '''''EarthSky''''' is the ongoing website, serving 21 million users in 2019, according to Google Analytics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://earthsky.org/human-world/2020-aas-education-prize-deborah-byrd|title=Astronomers award 2020 Education Prize to Deborah Byrd|website=earthsky.org|language=en-US|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref>

==History==

''Earth & Sky'' was the creation of producers Deborah Byrd and Joel Block, who were also the hosts. Byrd had previously created the radio program ''Star Date'' that began broadcasting in the US in 1978, and Block was ''Star Date'''s original host.

Several producers researched topics, interviewed scientists and wrote radio scripts for the program through the years, including Jorge Salazar<ref>{{cite web|url=http://earthsky.org/team/jorgesalazar|title=Jorge Salazar-EarthSky|access-date=31 Mar 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103134302/http://earthsky.org/team/jorgesalazar|archive-date=3 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Marc Airhart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earthsky.org/about/mairhart.php|title=Earth & Sky: Marc Airhart|access-date=31 Mar 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204135902/http://www.earthsky.org/about/mairhart.php|archive-date=4 February 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The final episode of ''Earth & Sky'' was broadcast on June 2, 2013. President and co-founder Deborah Byrd said that although funding options existed to continue the radio program, a decision was made to stop producing the radio show in order to concentrate on the EarthSky.org website and social media.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2013-03-04/silent-night/ |title=Silent Night: EarthSky says goodbye to radio |website=austinchronicle.com |last1=Watson |first1=Brandon |date=March 4, 2013 |access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref>

==Content==

''Earth & Sky'' presented 60- and 90-second radio spots (called "modules") on a wide variety of scientific topics, communicating through terrestrial radio as well as satellite radio and internet radio.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.podfeed.net/podcast/Earth++Sky+radio+show/2730 |title=Earth & Sky radio show Podcast |access-date=2 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309015559/http://www.podfeed.net/podcast/earth++sky+radio+show/2730 |archive-date=9 March 2016 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> ''Earth & Sky'' was aired one or more times daily on more than 1,000 commercial, NPR, and other public radio stations, 80 affiliate stations for the sight-impaired, and across 35 channels on both XM and Sirius satellite radio in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://earthsky.org/partners/offerings|title=Retrieved 1 Dec 2012|access-date=2 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001214803/http://earthsky.org/partners/offerings|archive-date=1 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Abroad, the programming iwas heard on American Forces Radio, Voice of America Radio, World Radio Network, and others.

The information on ''Earth & Sky'' came directly from scientists. The journalists who produced the ''Earth & Sky'' radio program spoke to several scientists each day, dozens each week and hundreds each year.<ref name="turkcebilgi.com">{{cite web|url=http://english.turkcebilgi.com/Earth+%26+Sky|title=Retrieved 1 Dec 2012|access-date=2 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726224108/http://english.turkcebilgi.com/Earth+%26+Sky|archive-date=26 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> More than 500 scientists had joined ''Earth & Sky'' as volunteer advisers. ''Earth & Sky'' science advisers suggested content, gave feedback, recommended other experts, and reviewed scripts for accuracy before they were recorded for broadcast.

''Earth & Sky'' featured many fields of science. In 2006, it focused on nanotechnology, women in science, observing the Earth, astrophysics and space, and the human world.<ref name="turkcebilgi.com"/>

==Further reading== *Flagg, B. N., Can 90 seconds of science make a difference. Informal Learning Review, The, No. 75, November - December 2005 pp.&nbsp;2, 22 *Multimedia Research. "Earth & Sky Summative Evaluation, Study 2." August 2005. *Act 1 Systems. "Earth & Sky, Inc.: Arbitron DMA Area." Spring 2003. *Multimedia Research. "Earth & Sky Summative Evaluation, Study 1." June 2002. *"With dreams beyond 'Earth & Sky,' show's future is bright." Austin American Statesman. 10 January 2002. *"'Earth & Sky' is rising star among radio science shows." Austin American Statesman. 9 November 1992. *"AGU Supports New Earth Science Radio Program." Earth in Space 4 (2): p.&nbsp;15 (1991). *"Staff disintegrates at stellar radio program." Current: The Public Telecommunications Newspaper, Vol. X (13): (1991).

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.earthsky.org ''Earth & Sky'' website]

{{World Radio Network}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Earth and Sky}} Category:American talk radio programs Category:Science education Category:Science radio programs Category:1991 radio programme debuts Category:Science and technology in the United States Category:2013 radio programme endings