Media Monday: Ellison's Tech Talk & The McAfee Plan

Andy Lack, former chairman of NBC News and MSNBC, joins Dylan to pore over the myriad existential crises rattling television news, from CBS’s messy Trump settlement to the Versant spin that leaves MSNBC in the wilderness—and more. He also discusses his new act as a purveyor of local news startups across the Deep South, and his bid to build sustainable outlets at a time when local journalism is facing significant headwinds. The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: ⁠https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica For more episodes of The Grill Room, click 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

30 Aug 40min

John Heilemann joins Peter Hamby to assess how Democrats in blue states and cities are countering Trump’s false claims about violent crime, and his threats to deploy the National Guard in places like Chicago, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. They also discuss what these clashes reveal about the positioning of potential 2028 presidential candidates like Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, and Wes Moore—and whether they have the savvy to thrive in America’s nonstop political media machine. 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

29 Aug 37min

John Ourand joins Peter to discuss the booming business of college football as the season kicks off this weekend. They dig into the broadcast bonanza surrounding the legendary Lee Corso’s final College GameDay, how the attention economy is reshaping sports media, Fox’s controversial Dave Portnoy hire and so-called “ban” from the Ohio State opener, Bill Belichick’s arrival at UNC, the professionalization of the college game—and much more. 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

28 Aug 25min

Eriq Gardner joins guest host Leigh Ann Caldwell to game out a bizarre but plausible future in which Trump insists on a cut of individual copyrights to assert control over intellectual property, particularly in the entertainment industry—and how that gambit could, paradoxically, bolster the case for A.I.-created works. 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

27 Aug 20min

Julia Ioffe joins guest Leigh Ann Caldwell to dissect Donald Trump’s latest diplomatic maneuvers with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, and why his failure to deliver security guarantees or a trilateral meeting may embolden Russian aggression and strain U.S.-European relations. They also examine the strange role of Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff—fresh off receiving a medal from Putin—and the wider geopolitical currents involving China and India. 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

26 Aug 25min

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby are reunited for a rapturous dissection of MSNBC’s dreary new acronymic name and some learned hypotheses about ESPN’s new gaming-first-ish streamer and its multichannel universe. 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

25 Aug 25min

Designer, writer, and non-profit founder Aurora James returns to Fashion People to discuss Robin Givhan’s exit from The Washington Post, the tariff nonsense, the nostalgia trap, Travis Kelce’s GQ cover, Taylor Swift’s political responsibility as a deeply influential famous person, flea markets, Alexander Wang Spring/Summer 2010, and so much more. 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

23 Aug 33min

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to puzzle over the latest congressional maps, from Texas and California to Indiana, where Trump wants to lock Democrats out of power forever. Then they size up Gavin Newsom’s palpable 2028 ambition, as liberals go ga-ga for a Trumpian fighter of their own. 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

22 Aug 25min