National Public Radio announced today that it will launch a new radio program later this month based on the TED conferences. TED, which stands for technology, entertainment, and design, holds conferences around the world that feature enlightening lectures of under 18 minutes from the foremost scholars and entrepreneurs in the world. Videos of these lectures, dubbed TED Talks, have become popular online.

“With TED and NPR, there’s this collective curiosity about the world – a belief that civil discourse and shared ideas leads to a better understanding of the issues and opportunities we face,” says Eric Nuzum, vice president for programming at NPR. “TED Radio Hour brims with the possibility of these ideas, engaging us to think hard, and differently. It’s captivating.”

Each episode of the “TED Radio Hour” will be based on TED Talks, delivered at TED conferences, that have a common theme. The program will be hosted by Alison Stewart, previous host of NPR’s Bryant Park Project. Some of the episode themes already mentioned are the source of happiness, crowd-sourcing innovation, power shifts, and inexplicable connections. Also, some of the featured speakers on the show’s first season will be chef Jamie Oliver, behavioral economist Dan Ariely, and author Kathryn Schulz.

“At TED, we’re always looking for new ways to spread ideas,” says June Cohen, executive producer at TED. “It’s exciting to bring TED to radio – one of the world’s most powerful mediums – with a partner that has perfected the art of storytelling. TED Radio Hour is the first collaboration of its kind at TED; given NPR’s wide scope of listeners and journalistic integrity, we’re confident it will inspire curiosity among an entirely new audience.”

The radio program will begin airing on NPR member stations on April 27, but you will have to check your local public radio station’s schedule to confirm that it will air the show.

As a sample of what you are likely to hear on the “TED Radio Hour” take in this TED talk given by chef Jamie Oliver in February 2010: