The un-cancelable country star & the GOP's post-Trump playbook

John Ourand joins Peter Hamby to break down a consequential stretch in sports media, with Paramount cutting a $7.7 billion check for UFC rights and ESPN expanding its sports empire ahead of football season with its forthcoming super app. As John explains, these moves are part of a concerted push by legacy media to fight back against the rise of tech platforms and streamers. And despite the industry upheaval, the old guard still holds one powerful advantage: bigger audiences. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Elo 26min

Ian Krietzberg joins guest host Julia Ioffe to discuss Sam Altman’s latest gambit: offering ChatGPT Enterprise to U.S. government agencies for next to nothing, in hopes of building muscle memory inside the government and promoting the widespread adoption of A.I. in day-to-day operations. Yet, as adoption grows, so do the questions and concerns—about security, reliability, and the costs of running energy-hungry systems prone to unpredictable errors. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13 Elo 23min

Abby Livingston joins guest host Julia Ioffe to break down the August recess town halls, where some members of Congress are dodging the spotlight while others face heat over the Big Beautiful Bill and the Epstein scandal. They also discuss the latest Texas redistricting battle—and what it all means for the road to the 2026 midterms. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Elo 22min

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to discuss some of the overlooked complexifiers in David Ellison's conquest of Paramount. They also assess the challenging points of leverage between ESPN and Fox and their respective college football media heroes, Pat McAfee and Dave Portnoy   To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 Elo 27min

Katie Drummond, global editorial director of Wired, joins the pod to reflect on her overhaul of the tech magazine—transforming it into a sharp-edged outlet covering the dystopian intersection of technology, politics, and culture. She discusses the significance of original reporting, Wired’s notable growth and ambitions growth strategy, A.I.’s threat to journalism, and much, much more. The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica Make sure you subscribe to The Grill Room here To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9 Elo 41min

Kim Masters joins Peter to dig into the latest buzz around Hollywood: that Paramount C.E.O. David Ellison is eyeing a slimmed-down Warner Bros. as a potential acquisition target. They consider the potential upsides of a merger, the regulatory hurdles, and the implications for the entertainment ecosystem writ large. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Elo 20min

John Ourand joins Peter Hamby to break down ESPN’s flurry of major announcements this week, from its big NFL broadcast deal to the addition of RedZone and premium WWE content. As ESPN prepares to launch its long-awaited D.T.C. product later this month, Jimmy Pitaro has outined a future where sports fans no longer need to toggle between cable, YouTube TV, Hulu, and Disney to watch the games and programming they want. Can it deliver? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Elo 25min

Julia Ioffe joins guest host Leigh Ann Caldwell to discuss the strange and unsettling appointment of Lew Olowski, a Trump loyalist, to lead H.R. at the State Department. They examine his history of erratic behavior—from accessing classified files to delivering bizarre speeches—and how his rise reflects a broader push to reshape U.S. diplomacy around political allegiance rather than competence. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Elo 18min