[5] Day to Day began as a co-production with the then-Microsoft-owned Slate that was "targeted for midday broadcast" and designed to "showcase newsworthy topics with a smart, savvy and spontaneous approach" with a "diverse family of contributors from both NPR News and Slate"; it was the "first program collaboration NPR has initiated with a commercial media outlet in its 33-year history.

"[6] The partnership was criticized in the Online Journalism Review for "possible conflicts on Microsoft coverage (or lack thereof)" and the "cross-media advertisements and underwriting" plans.

Segment A (duration 12:29) contained the top story of the day, and usually synopses of longer-term issues viewed through the lens of current events.

Segment topics ranged from the American judicial system to economics to geopolitics to conversations with notable newsmakers, and more.

Segment B composed the remainder of the first half-hour, and as such continued coverage on important news events of the day, or segued into lighter culturally or socially relevant stories.

There was little specificity to the content of Segment D; stories ranged from international and domestic issues to long-term reports on a variety of topics.

Segment E was usually devoted to commentary and light features, including "The Unger Report", a satirical take on news and current events.

NPR personalities Noah Adams, Alex Cohen and Mike Pesca often served as substitute hosts for the program.