Bryan is on the ground for the second Republican debate and discusses which Fox representatives he spotted at the event, where journalists watched it, and the aftermath in the spin room (0:31). Later, New York Times journalist Adam Nagourney joins to discuss his new book, 'The Times,' which covers four decades at the paper. They touch on the process of clearance for writing a book about his employer, review certain moments of the Times’ history, from coverage of 9/11 to the Iraq War, and discuss where the Times could be in a couple of years (10:56).

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Adam Nagourney

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Report From the GOP Debate. Plus: Adam Nagourney on Triumphs and Disasters at The New York Times.

Bryan and David preview the second Republican debate and discuss what we can expect with only six participating candidates (0:37). Then, they are back with another round of Football Weekend Audio, where they highlight their favorite moments from the weekend, including Taylor Swift's attendance at the Chiefs game, as well as how Oregon head coach Dan Lanning vouched for his team (11:45). Later, they touch on a new update for The New York Times that features in-depth bios for their writers, break down another installment of the death of cable series that involves Max's sports package, and then review the suspension of USC beat reporter Luca Evans (31:34). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Streaming Is Coming for Sports, a Debate Preview, and Football Weekend Audio

Bryan and David react to the news that Rupert Murdoch will be stepping down as chairman of both Fox and News Corporation. They talk about the Murdoch era of journalism, how he went from kingmaker to answering to Donald Trump, and what will happen to the Fox properties, including Fox News.
Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker
Producer: Eduardo Ocampo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emergency Podcast: Rupert Murdoch Retires

Bryan and David discuss Jann Wenner’s meltdown involving his promo tour interview with the New York Times for his new book (0:35). They touch on the news about former NFL reporter Jim Trotter's lawsuit that accuses the league of racial discrimination (7:42), before reflecting on a collective of sports writers from different organizations leaving their jobs and assembling their own sports pages (14:42). Later, they listen to some NFL moments from the weekend (22:58), discuss the news that ABC is for sale, and review this new version of 'Meet the Press.' Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An NFL Media Lawsuit, Jann Wenner’s Meltdown, and ABC for Sale!

Bryan talks Weekend Headlines and starts with a Washington Post story about Senator Tim Scott’s love life. He also details his favorite call from Joe Buck during the Bills-Jets game on ‘Monday Night Football’ and talks about some negative reviews of Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk biography (00:31). Then, Detroit sports radio host Mike Valenti joins the show to discuss the hopeful skepticism from Lions fans heading into the season and why local sports radio continues to resonate with listeners (06:41).
Host: Bryan Curtis
Guest: Mike Valenti
Producer: Eduardo Ocampo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tim Scott Story and Musk-ageddon, Plus Mike Valenti on Lions Happiness and Detroit Sports

Bryan and David discuss Jen Psaki taking over Chris Hayes’s Monday night primetime slot at MSNBC (00:48). Then, they listen to some announcer clips from the NFL and college football (07:03) and talk about the GOP candidates at the Iowa–Iowa State football game (15:14). They also touch on Joe Buck and Troy Aikman’s 22nd year as commentary partners (21:52), the end of ‘Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel,’ Vulture’s piece on Rotten Tomatoes, and more! Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.
Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker
Producer: Eduardo Ocampo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 1 NFL Season Audio, the Howard Stern-ing of Cable News, and the Iowa Football Primary

Bryan and David begin this week with Deion Sanders’s coaching debut at Colorado and how the team has already become a content machine and then look into the lack of horse race coverage so far in this election cycle (13:54). Later, they discuss this year’s NFL announcing booths (26:41), Walter Isaacson’s upcoming biography of Elon Musk (35:56), and more! Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.
Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker
Producer: Eduardo Ocampo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Coach Prime Content Machine. Plus: The "What Do We Cover Now?" Campaign and a Musk Mega-book.

Bryan talks Weekend Headlines and begins with news of The Athletic’s acquisition of sportswriter Diana Russini. Then he discusses how news outlets are utilizing code to protect their content against AI and touches on college football’s epidemic of depth-chart withholding (0:19). Then, Richard Deitsch joins from The Athletic to review the Tony Romo backlash heading into his seventh year of broadcasting and discuss the state of ESPN among the ongoing changes (6:15).

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Richard Dietsch

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An AI-Journalist Truce and The Athletic’s Big Spending. Plus: Richard Deitsch on Tony Romo and ESPN.

Bryan and David discuss takeaways from the first GOP political debate, from the moderator’s performance to Ron DeSantis’s approach to Chris Christie’s role in the race (8:56). Later, they touch on the news that the Texas Tribune has made layoffs, then review the death of the magazine profile and identify more only-in-journalism words (32:48). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Not to Moderate a Debate. Plus: Hollywood’s Starless Profiles and the Death of a Lousy Sportswriter.

Bryan is back with Weekend Headlines to review a misquote from Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, then discuss sports docs' equivalence to memoir and Tucker Carlson’s biography (0:48). Later, Bryan is joined by Semafor's Washington bureau chief, Benjy Sarlin, to react to the first GOP debate. They discuss candidates’ approach to Ron DeSantis, talk through Nikki Haley’s and Mike Pence’s campaigns, touch on a Trump-less debate, and then predict who may win Iowa and who may drop out before then (7:10).

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Benjy Sarlin

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Campaign "Misquote," the Sports Doc Crisis, and Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin on the GOP Debate

Bryan and David begin the week by reviewing the new cast of 'Monday Night Countdown' (0:43) before discussing what to expect from the first GOP debate airing on Wednesday night without former president Donald Trump (8:22). Later, they talk through the ongoing situation between former NFL player Michael Oher and the Tuohys (28:30) and then touch on NFL aggregators and more! Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GOP Debate Preview. Plus, the 'Blind Side' Situation and NFL Aggregators.

Bryan and David hit on the newly announced NBA ‘Countdown’ lineup and discuss its new potential format, before author James Andrew Miller joins the show to unpack the state of ESPN and how things could unfold after the Penn Entertainment deal (9:45). Later, they discuss the Hollywood Reporter’s recent incident involving an awards pundit asking for special privileges (27:07), then touch on a Kansas newsroom being raided by the police (35:27). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Guest: James Andrew Miller

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN’s Big Gamble With James Andrew Miller, Plus a Raid in Kansas, and a New ‘Countdown’ Cast

Bryan hits on headlines from the week from ESPN’s new billion-dollar deal with Penn Entertainment to the Orioles’ miscalculation with announcer Kevin Brown. Then, The New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro joins to discuss his career as a sports columnist for 20+ years. He talks about the power of a sports columnist, writing about sports in New York, and his relationship with Adrian Wojnarowski and experiencing his first Woj Bomb.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Mike Vaccaro

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN Bets on Itself and the Orioles’ Massive Blunder. Plus: The New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro on Two Decades of Column-Writing

Bryan and David begin this week by discussing the U.S. women’s national team’s loss to Sweden this weekend and how both current and former players responded to their elimination (0:41). Then, they weigh Fox News’ approach at encouraging Donald Trump to take the stage for GOP debates (12:00). Later, they state their case in defense of former NBA Finals team announcer Mark Jackson (30:00). Plus, another Not About Media segment, where they talk conference realignment. And, of course, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Wooing of Donald Trump, USWNT Takery, and in Defense of Mark Jackson

Bryan is back with a new segment, Weekend Headlines, where he shares three stories that will get you through the weekend. Then, Matt Belloni joins to talk through Bob Iger's linear media strategy, and weigh the effects of the strikes on Hollywood and the media.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Matt Belloni

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump Trials and the Starless GOP Debate. Plus, Matt Belloni on Disney and the Strikes.

Bryan and David preview the new NBA announcing team at ESPN (0:30) before they unpack the media face-off between 'Variety' and both 'The Atlantic' and 'Puck' (9:10). Then, they touch on Twitter rebranding to X (18:28), discuss Sean Payton’s recent comments in the media (23:40), and Ron DeSantis’s media approach. Later, they introduce a new feature, "Not About the Media," where they share a personal story from their week (39:10). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Erika Cervantes 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Variety vs. Puck and The Atlantic. Plus, ESPN’s New NBA Team, and Twitter Becomes X.

Bryan’s East Coast media tour stops off in Connecticut to sit down with ‘SportsCenter’ host Kevin Negandhi. They discuss show production and rundown (1:00), becoming a news anchor in an Indian American family (11:40), and his career path at ESPN (26:30).
Host: Bryan Curtis
Guest: Kevin Negandhi
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi on 'SportsCenter' in 2023, Making It at ESPN, Philly Fandom, and Watching Games With His Dad.

Bryan and David are joined by colleague Lindsay Jones to discuss her experience working at The Athletic. They review Bob Kravitz’s piece on Substack, touch on Jones’s experience at the site, and discuss how things are progressing after the merger with the Times (4:33). Later, they debate just how well our new member of the newsroom, Genesis, an artificial intelligence tool, could integrate into the workplace (40:05). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Guest: Lindsay Jones

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What It’s Like to Work at The Athletic With Lindsay Jones. Plus, ESPN and Newsroom AI.

Bryan is joined by New York Times reporter and podcaster Astead Herndon from ‘The Run-Up’ to discuss life on the campaign trail. They talk through the transition from print stories to podcasting, dive into the inner workings behind the stories reported for ‘The Run-Up,’ then unpack voters' response to candidates on the trail.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Astead Herndon

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Astead Herndon on Campaign 2024, Midwest Diners, Podcasting vs. Writing, and The New York Times.

Bryan and David brainstorm how The New York Times and The Athletic could restructure heading into the new phase of coverage (3:40). Then, amid the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, they discuss a few more media side effects, including the loss of the celebrity profile, actor promos, and more (34:10). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Erika Cervantes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get Started

Download the App