Ep. 159: 'Writers' Room' With Travon Free, Cathy Lew, Pat Barker, Joel Solomon, And Brendan Lynch

hello, media consumers! bryan and david are back on this monday edition to talk about the election of a new pope and the media frenzy it spawned (1:00), the week of jayson tatum takes (8:00), nbc’s plans for the future of its basketball coverage, including michael jordan (17:00), and new media ventures being unable to come up with compelling names for their products (24:00). then, they’re joined by politico’s adam wren to talk about the reemergence of joe biden in the media ahead of a book that’s about to be released about him (38:00). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker guest: adam wren senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers! this week, please enjoy a little j-school (1:00) before bryan and joel are joined by espn basketball reporter brian windhorst to talk about his path to espn and whether it’s replicable, the place good reporting has in our modern media ecosystem, the dreaded aggregators, gregg popovich stories, and what direction he sees the future of basketball reporting heading in (26:00). hosts: bryan curtis and joel d. anderson guest: brian windhorst senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david are here this monday to discuss sports media’s evolving coverage of athletes’ families and significant others after recent stories about bill belichick, jax ulbrich, and john haliburton (1:00). then, they run through a handful of bite-size topics, including a new entry in the running for worst question ever asked in the white house press room (23:00), a lengthy and interesting new york magazine profile of john fetterman (28:00), cnn’s scott jennings appearing onstage at a trump rally (37:00), some disconcerting news out of meadowlark media (42:00), and notes from the nba playoffs (46:00). finally, they’re joined by the atlantic’s ashley parker to discuss the feature story in which she and her colleagues cold-called donald trump on his personal cellphone to get an interview (57:00). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker guest: ashley parker senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers! on this press box thursday edition, bryan and joel dig deeper into the strange bill belichick cbs news interview that recently went viral after jordon hudson, his girlfriend, interrupted the interview multiple times (1:00). then, they discuss the fallout and media fervor from the jax ulbrich–shedeur sanders nfl draft prank call (18:00), before discussing pete buttigieg’s appearance on the flagrant podcast and assessing the state of prominent democrats’ media strategies (35:00). finally, they’re joined by nbc’s mike tirico to discuss the official horse of the press box, "journalism," and covering the kentucky derby (53:00). hosts: bryan curtis and joel d. andersonguest: mike tiricosenior producer: bobby wagner  learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers! bryan and david are back to opine on the overwhelming amount of content that has come from shedeur sanders sliding in the nfl draft (1:00), including a bizarre story line about the son of the atlanta falcons’ defensive coordinator prank-calling sanders (22:00). then, they run through a handful of smaller stories from the weekend, including the awkward bill belichick cbs sunday morning interview that went viral (32:00) and “www pr” trending (37:00). in the notebook dump, the washington post’s kara voght joins to relay her experience of attending the white house correspondents' dinner (44:00).plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline.hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemakerguest: kara voghtsenior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! on this press box thursday, bryan and joel discuss the shannon sharpe lawsuit, stephen a. smith’s role in negotiating espn’s public response to it, and how the rest of the media world has reacted to this news (10:00). then, they assess new entries in the “worst question asked at the white house” genre (32:00) and talk about the nfl draft as a media property—the tv show vs. attending in person, the overwhelming amount of mock drafts, and the line between fans of the nfl and fans of college football (39:00). finally, they react to the turmoil at ‘60 minutes’ following the $20 billion trump lawsuit against cbs (52:00). hosts: bryan curtis and joel d. anderson senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! in our latest 25 for 25 installment, bryan is joined by ringer superstar chris ryan to discuss his come up in the mid-2000s blog world, how it set up the rest of his career and changed media forever, where the energy of blogging was dispersed, and whether there will be a revival of blogging. host: bryan curtis guest: chris ryan senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! this press box thursday edition includes a j-school on bylines, steak sauce, and nonprofit media (1:00). then, bryan and joel dig into lee corso’s retirement from 'college gameday' (20:00), trump’s attempt to prevent the ap from covering the white house (33:00), and nico harrison’s bizarre closed-door press conference (40:00). plus: journalists in space and an update on journalism, the official race horse of the press box. hosts: bryan curtis and joel d. anderson senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! this week, bryan and david discuss the intense back and forth of rory mcilroy’s first win at augusta national (1:00), before running through a number of short items, including: the faux reluctant update about stephen a. smith’s presidential campaign (17:50) the bevy of barstool personalities releasing apologies for their discussion of the mary kate cornett rumor (20:00) the newest era of college football insider-dom and how it’s covering the nico iamaleava story (29:20) an update on journalism, the official racehorse of ‘the press box’ (40:00) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! this week, bryan and joel are joined by jamelle bouie, opinion columnist at the new york times, to discuss a number of timely media topics before backtracking and talking through bouie’s career, writing an opinion column in this era of the internet, the relationship between his tiktok and his journalistic work, and more. hosts: bryan curtis and joel d. anderson guest: jamelle bouie senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david discuss the highlights, lowlights, and books bought during bryan’s family vacation across the american southwest (1:30). then, they dig deep into three stories that bryan missed while he was out: jeffrey goldberg’s signal scoop of the trump administration’s war plans (15:00) the latest chapter of the lebron vs. stephen a. smith feud (29:00) the messy removal of amber ruffin by the white house correspondents' association (47:00) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker senior producer: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan is still out on vacation, but joel is here with two former colleagues, josh levin and stefan fatsis. they kick off the show by discussing the first time joel joined them on a podcast (0:44). then they discuss the following: ‘hang up and listen,’ a sports show that was produced by a non-sports publication (14:00) the reason josh and stefan hate the hall of fame (28:34) josh and bryan’s "mutually reinforcing weirdo tendencies" (32:01) how covering sports for ‘hang up and listen’ helped with their other work (52:34) how josh and stefan’s relationship evolved as they worked together (57:33) host: joel anderson guests: josh levin and stefan fatsis producer: brian h. waters additional production support: bobby wagner learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel are back with the second edition of the press box's 25 for 25. today, they look back at the publications lost in the 21st century—including espn the magazine, gawker, and many others—and ask: what do we lose when a media company disappears? and how should we remember them, if at all? hosts: bryan curtis and joel d. anderson producer: brian h. waters additional production: conor nevins learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! while bryan is on vacation, joel is in the driver’s seat and he welcomes in the ringer’s own, van lathan (3:10). they kick off the show by discussing their paths to today’s episode then talk about the following: how van prepares for his cnn appearances (6:56) stephen a. smith as a presidential candidate (17:52) who will be the face of the nba (32:23)? nil ruining college sports (44:19) van’s time at tmz and what he learned (51:23) life after confronting kanye west (1:03:29) host: joel anderson guest: van lathan producers: brian h. waters and jonathan kermah learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

bryan kicks off the week with a conversation with graydon carter, who comes on to discuss ‘spy magazine’ going to ‘vanity fair’ and more. they discuss the following: the idea behind 'spy magazine' (2:46) who took the stories the hardest from 'spy' (9:57) his perception of donald trump (10:36) if spy could have worked in the early 2000s (13:20) being offered a choice between 'vanity fair' and 'the new yorker' (14:19) how writers were treated like stars (23:26) how 'vanity fair' was able to land the”deep throat” story, the source behind the watergate scandal (29:10) creating the vanity fair oscar party (38:00) why he left 'vanity fair' in 2017 (40:50) what we lost from the magazine era (43:33) host: bryan curtis guest: graydon carter producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel fire up the mics to close out the week here at 'the press box.' joel takes you to j-school, where he discusses whether or not there is a diet for kanye west content, collin morikawa’s comments on mainstream coverage, and getting off the feinstein train. joel closes the segment with a brief tribute to his uncle doug (1:45). then they get into the following headlines: the trump administration's replacements for the white house correspondents' association dinner (26:12) the removal of jackie robinson’s story from the department of defense’s website (36:08) is march madness losing its luster? (46:39) the chicago sun-times buyout (1:02:30) hosts: bryan curtis and joel d. anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the week by discussing donald trump’s dismantlement of the u.s. agency for global media, which oversees the voice of america (0:45). then they get into the old guy’s still got it segment with sounds from rick pitino (8:40), tom izzo (10:30), and dick vitale (14:20). afterward they discuss michael wilbon’s tribute to john feinstein (16:20). later in the notebook dump they discuss the changes happening at the new yorker (38:42). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producers: jessie lopez and brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers! "bryan and joel kick off the show with j-school during which they discuss monday’s topics, including stephen a. smith vs. tim walz for the 2028 democratic nominee, sources calling after a kendrick perkins story, and more (1:24) they then get into the following headlines: reflecting on john feinstein’s legacy including his book, ‘a season on the brink’ (16:36) nfl free agency week in america (24:55) michelle obama and gavin newsom launching podcasts (43:38) three pieces of audio that may make you smile, laugh, or furrow your brow (57:10) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

tim walz is making the media rounds, leading the ringer’s bryan curtis and david shoemaker to ask whether the minnesota governor or stephen a. smith is more likely to run for president in 2028 (00:00). then, the guys get into a series of media meltdowns, including the ongoing beef between stephen a. and lebron james (13:00), charles barkley vs. kendrick perkins (26:12), draymond green’s shameless self-promotion (35:08), mark cuban’s thoughts on the luka doncic trade (40:57), and more. plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, and shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: troy farkas learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel return to discuss the state of the union address (2:04). then, they break down the press surrounding nfl draft prospect shedeur sanders and the bias meter (21:40). they close by remembering 'around the horn' and fivethirtyeight (56:43). hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: stefan anderson learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off recapping the oscars, including conan o’brien’s performance as host (0:34). then they discuss the following stories from washington: donald trump and volodymyr zelensky meeting in the oval office (18:39) finally having the jefferey epstein files (33:20) the washington post losing over 75,000 subscribers (41:23) then in the ‘notebook dump’, they discuss jimmy johnson’s retirement from television (52:37) and former biden officials' explanation of the 2024 election (58:09). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel fire up the mics to close out the week here at 'the press box.' joel takes you to “j-school,” where he talks to bryan about his media diet, stephen a. smith's presidential bid, and his return to d.c. (1:22). then they get into the following headlines: jeff bezos’s extreme opinion section makeover (19:24) when nfl insiders attack: the battle between ian rapoport and jordan schultz (47:14) a new book on joe biden (53:55) joy reid out and the remaking of msnbc (57:16) curt menefee interviews new york mayor eric adams (1:00:42) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the week by discussing the massive amount of news coming from donald trump and how people outside of news are trying to process it (0:30). then they discuss the following topics this week:  stephen a. smith’s odds to be president (12:23)  the ap getting banned for not using the term ‘gulf of america’ (32:38)  a new press box rule clarification (42:27)  remembering dimitri sotis (44:16) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel kick off their new podcast series, '25 for 25'. they welcome fox sports 1’s nick wright, and he discusses the following: his thoughts as the chiefs were losing the super bowl (5:25) why the chiefs are the villains (12:56) why he decided to start his career in sports radio (20:00) the biggest difference between tv and radio (40:00) linear television vs. streaming (1:01:10) quick takes on current tv hosts (1:09:34) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson guest: nick wright producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel kick off the show with this week’s class in j-school. joel discusses bryan’s appearance on ‘the bill simmons podcast’ in which they talked about whether or not patrick mahomes will reach another super bowl (1:26). then he gets into the jalen hurts media tour that hurts himself appears disinterested in, john rocker vs. patrick mahomes sr., and kendrick lamar’s performance. (7:49). then they go over the following headlines: donald trump’s full court press on the media (20:18) luka doncic’s fans are still upset (45:48) jeffrey toobin joins the new york times (59:01) journalism advice from a basketball coach (1:00:35) they conclude the show by introducing a new bonus podcast series called ‘25 for 25’ (1:04:35). hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david are here to review the super bowl, where the eagles dethroned the mighty chiefs. the best review features the following: the amount of money fox spent (0:40) tom brady’s best game of the year (13:32) kevin burkhardt’s grade after his second super bowl (28:28) fox’s broadcast production magic (33:04) the pivot of the game (35:40) later, in the notebook dump, they discuss the following: donald trump is canceling his subscriptions to politico pro (45:15) hubie brown’s final sign-off (48:25) the death of the book blurb (50:12) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel kick off the show with this week’s class in j-school. joel discusses some of the highlights from bryan’s interview with chris berman (1:45). then bryan shares some of the best stories from radio row (15:59). then they get into some more headlines, including: donald trump being the first sitting president to attend the super bowl (25:20) the dallas fan base's feelings after luka doncic was traded to the lakers (29:25) hubie brown’s farewell tour (39:40) stephen a. smith’s potential presidential bid (59:08) and as they get ready for sunday’s big game, they welcome cnn anchor and eagles superfan kasie hunt, who discusses her excitement for super bowl lix. she discusses the following about her fandom: her worst experience as an eagles fan (1:03:32) the secret society of eagles fans in washington (1:08:23) rapid-fire questions, including her favorite eagles player, who she considers to be their biggest rival, and more (16:48) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson guest: kasie hunt producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan has a special bonus episode for you. he caught up with one of espn’s originals, chris berman, in new orleans. they sit down and discuss the following: what chris berman’s super bowl week is like (2:12) when espn asked him to stop using nicknames (14:34) the original idea for ‘nfl primetime’ (23:33) turning down nbc (36:14) the three eras of espn (53:08) and then bryan closes out the show with a fun lightning round where berman talks about his favorite anchors to work with, getting a super bowl ring from the san francisco 49ers, what he would have done if he wasn’t a sports anchor, and more (58:27). host: bryan curtis guest: chris berman producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the week by discussing the chaos surrounding the reporting on the blockbuster trade involving the dallas mavericks' decision to send luka doncic to the los angeles lakers for anthony davis (0:30). then bryan, who is in new orleans, shares the current temperature of radio row (19:16). later, in the notebook dump, they discuss the following: reports that chuck todd is leaving nbc (38:30) the new media switcheroo (42:16) in the hall of departed journalists, they reflect on the life of jules feiffer (48:55). plus, bryan shares an update on his movie career (0:00).finally, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producers: brian h. waters and carlos chiriboga learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel fire up the mics to close out the week here at the press box. joel takes you to “j-school,” where he discusses donald trump’s first press briefing since returning to the white house, the tragic plane crash in washington, and giving props to the new yorker, and he revisits an interview he had with the late cedric benson (1:53). then they get into the following headlines: the white house embracing new media (14:45) whether the chiefs really are the villains (23:00) ryan fitzpatrick with an edition of ‘when ex-quarterbacks attack’ (37:25) paul krugman’s exit from the new york times (47:037) nick saban on the media (59:24) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the week by discussing the new yorker turning 100 and what it has been throughout time (0:00). then they get into the sounds of the nfl playoffs: strangest moment from the eagles-commanders … from the referee (32:00) tom brady on his future in the broadcast booth (40:34) the cbs disaster with the phantom flag in the bills-chiefs game (44:12) then in the notebook dump they follow up thursday’s episode of how failed profiles came apart with a couple of stories from listeners (50:32). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan opens the show to share some notes from the press box of the national championship game with david (1:01). then, they discuss notes and sounds from the game, including donald trump’s message at halftime and kirk herbstreit’s emotional reaction to his ohio state buckeyes winning it all (11:30). later, they get into what journalists are facing covering donald trump's second presidency (23:21) and the new nba announcers for nbc and amazon (37:35).then, in the notebook dump, they discuss the appetite for profiles and movies that were never published (44:11).in the hall of departed journalists, they reflect on the life of jules feiffer (48:55). and bryan shares an update on his movie career .plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel are in atlanta for the national championship game. they kick off the week with j-school. joel discusses a question he didn’t get to ask rece davis during their interview saturday, snoop dogg performing at the crypto ball, and more (1:38). then they get into the nfl playoffs with lots of sound from tom brady, mike tirico, jim nantz, and dan campbell (13:13)later, they discuss donald trump’s inauguration and the media climate fear (42:55). they close the show talking about what it has been like to cover the national title game (49:55). hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel are in atlanta for the national championship game and they kick off the weekend with an interview with espn's rece davis. they discuss the following: what worked with year one of the playoffs (2:06) his influence on the committee (6:05) should first two rounds be at home campuses (20:18)? working with nick saban and pat mcafee (33:41) the real story behind “let a naysayer know” (47:25) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson guest: rece davis producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel kick off the show with this week’s class in j-school. joel discusses ways he is looking to assist those affected by the l.a. fires, feeling bad about bryan’s longhorns losing, and more (2:05). then they get into some headlines, including: tom brady continuing his broadcast career (16:20) the dallas cowboys' coaching search (21:36) mike tomlin is the most coveted would-be announcer (37:28) mark zuckerberg is attending the inauguration with elon musk and jeff bezos (51:54) they close the show by remembering bob uecker, who has passed away at the age of 90 (57:10). hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david begin the week by showing love to ringer colleague yasi salek, who was affected by the l.a. fires (1:07). if you would like to help out yasi, here is a link to the gofundme that bryan mentions. then they get into the stories and sounds from wild-card weekend, including: tom brady’s game of the year and the one-and-done theory (7:19) a.j. brown reading a book on the sideline (15:57) the proud franchise tier (20:30) kirk herbstreit’s promo on the steelers (23:57) the "i have seen the future" call of the week (31:27) then, in the notebook dump, they discuss: barstool’s big cat’s interesting revelation (33:46) venu, the sports streamer, is no more (46:23) rachel maddow returns to msnbc prime time (49:24) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel kick off the show with this week’s class in j-school. joel discusses a few topics from this week, including bryan’s impression of the intuit dome (2:02), why hulk hogan was booed during the wwe 'monday night raw' netflix debut (7:44), and the fox sports lawsuit (12:12). then, bryan discusses the fires in los angeles and a new app that helped him get through the night (16:11). also in the headlines, they discuss the washington post and the atlantic (33:49) and how to cover donald trump (48:02). before they go, they talk about jason kelce’s new late-night show that featured charles barkley (56:05). hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers, bryan and david kick off the show with a recap of wwe’s debut on netflix. bryan, who was in attendance, takes you ringside and shares his observations (0:37). then they discuss the washington post losing its mojo, with more staff members leaving (14:30). later, they discuss the life and legacy of the late aaron brown (30:11), whether aaron rodgers could have a future in television (33:44), the new magazine called ‘metrograph’ (40:11), the fox sports lawsuit (42:48), 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: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

paul levesque on wwe’s netflix debut, wrestling in the streaming age, and memories of ‘raw’ in this special crossover episode of 'the press box' and 'the masked man show,' bryan and david welcome wwe chief content officer paul levesque, a.k.a. triple h (3:25). he discusses how netflix allows wwe flexibility in terms of the length of the show (5:40), how this move measures up with the move to fox roughly five years ago (9:32), what sports leagues will be watching (21:10), and more. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker guest: paul levesque producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

happy new year media consumers! it’s a new year and it’s time to return to j-school. joel discusses a few topics from this week, including the performance of boise state’s ashton jeanty against penn state (1:02).. then they discuss espn reporting the act of terror in new orleans on new year’s day (14:51). later, bryan gives a report from the rose bowl (31:42). they close the show reacting to semafor’s “what we got wrong in 2024” media round-up (53:33). hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! do not adjust your podcast feeds, as bryan is joined by joel on the monday edition with david away on assignment. they kick off the show with j school, where he discusses a few things, including covering big games on holidays and the netflix nfl broadcast team (1:30). then, they exchange jolabokaflod gifts (13:31).  then they discuss college football and how espn has been critical of the college football playoff… while televising it (17:53). they close out the show by recapping 2024. first, they talk about it being the year of the “media bro,” where they discuss athletes/sports pods rejecting democrats (37:37), then it being the year of the “media layoff” (48:22), and lastly, it being the year in “ducking media” (52:40). finally, they reflect on the lives of jimmy carter and greg gumbel (56:31). hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show celebrating the first holiday of the week, jolabokaflod!  then, they discuss the amount of announcers for the christmas nfl games on netflix (8:07), and shannon sharpe calling out his colleagues on 'first take' after the first weekend of the college football playoff (21:51). and in the notebook dump, they discuss media companies pivoting to write for ceos (35:31). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, america’s softest target, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel open up with j-school, during which bryan recaps a few things he and david discussed on monday (1:09). then they discuss the following headlines: what kind of year did espn have (14:11) does anyone want to edit the washington post (27:38) la times’ publisher talks about shaking up the organization (34:40) trump is still suing publications (42:45) fretting over nba ratings (48:20) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

the media makes amends with donald trump, nfl audio, and an icelandic christmas tradition hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show by discussing max tani’s interview with kamala harris campaign manager rob flaherty, who talked about key sports podcasters that turned down interviews with her (01:02). then they discuss how abc news settled its case with donald trump (9:56). later, they talk about the following; greg olsen being happy to call his first panthers game this year (14:40) the backlash from larry fitzgerald sr.'s tweet about randy moss’s cancer diagnosis (19:27) words you will hear only in sports broadcasting (24:45) whether or not the athletic is ok (27:00) and in the notebook dump, bryan introduces david to icelandic christmas (32:29) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, america’s softest target, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and joel reveal what the people have voted to call joel’s new segment (2:40). then they discuss the following how luigi mangione has been covered in the news (14:07) whether or not david zaslav was right when it comes to the nba rights deal (26:09) bill belichick tv rehabilitation flopped, now he returns to the sidelines (36:54) nick saban becomes a tv character (43:50) the new genre of woj bombs, how college football players enter the transfer portal (54:21) brandon graham calls out his teammates (60:00) there will be a stadium named after sports illustrated (63:01) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show with reactions to some morning headlines, including the following: suspect in the shooting of the insurance executive in nyc (1:12) bashar al-assad’s reign in syria ends (6:44) juan soto signs with the new york mets (8:41) then they react to the news about pete hegseth and his mom (14:00) and discuss a plan for saving tv news (28:16). later, in the notebook, they discuss the following: college football’s first year with 12 playoff teams (36:33) the magazine article that inspired ‘national lampoon’s christmas vacation’ (44:56) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, america’s softest target, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan curtis is rejoined by joel anderson, who gives his opening thoughts (in a soon-to-be-named segment) about the woj bomb that came out about adrian wojnarowski’s health scare (05:00). after that, they address jeff bezos’s recent comments about the washington post’s decision to withhold its support of kamala harris just days before the 2024 presidential election (17:58). then, they talk about the college football playoff (40:30), michigan’s planting of the flag following its win over ohio state (46:22), and stephen a. smith’s new deal with espn and what his future there could look like (58:45). host: bryan curtis guest: joel anderson producer: troy farkas learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show with bryan’s thanksgiving report about being back home in texas and the cowboys-giants game. then, they go over the harris campaign postmortem on 'pod save america' (19:18) and discuss how the “snippet generation” has completely changed the way we consume news (36:07). then, in the notebook dump, they discuss the passing of usa today columnist rudy martzke and the daily mail’s coverage of azeez al-shaair’s terrible hit on trevor lawrence (46:10). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, america’s softest target, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producers: brian h. waters and eduardo ocampo learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

happy thanksgiving media consumers, bryan has a bonus episode for you on this holiday. he speaks with fox’s chris myers, who takes us through his career. he discusses the following: interviewing muhammad ali (6:40) joining espn and hosting ‘sportscenter’ (11:56) hosting ‘up close’ and having the nickname the velvet hammer (19:48) his infamous interview with o.j. simpson (23:07) interviewing mike tyson two years after tyson bit evander holyfield’s ear (29:04) moving from espn to fox (34:54) mind-blowing sports moment he was present for (37:44) host: bryan curtis guest: chris myers producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

it's time for a weekend 'press box,' where david and bryan take a look at some interesting news regarding famous author cormac mccarthy, the latest headlines from around the nfl, and the possible overconsumption of the news. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker senior producer: steve ahlman learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers. bryan and joel close out the week with a new opening titled joel’s thoughts, where joel recaps discussions from monday’s show, including a 'press box' media person of the year award (1:05) and joe and mika’s explanation for their trip to meet donald trump (5:00). then they discuss the end of espn’s 'around the horn' (16:17), sounds that may surprise you from gus johnson’s touchdown calls in the ohio state–purdue game (35:59), and what’s going on with college football on television (37:43) hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the week with some exciting news: 'inside the nba' will live on! they discuss the popular nba show, which has been licensed to espn (0:30). then they discuss netflix, which is now streaming live sports, including this past weekend’s tyson-paul fight (11:35). then in the notebook dump, they discuss the following: bryan gives a report on going to bluesky and his thoughts on the social media platform (28:21) former nfl head coach and john madden’s best friend john robinson has passed away (35:24) the rock has been named gq’s entertainer of the year (37:21) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, america’s softest target, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers. bryan and joel kick off the show by discussing whether or not they are still on x (formerly known as twitter) as they get into celebrities that have left the social media platform (1:04). then they talk about donald trump’s endless news cycle restarting (17:24). later, they go over the upcoming boxing match between mike tyson and jake paul live on netflix (32:32), and close the show with talk of some the onion's recent antics (44:23). hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show by discussing the washington post email alerting staff that they'll need to return to the office (0:35). then they discuss the following: the fallout from the harris-trump presidential race (11:37) stephen a. smith possibly running for president (24:11) podcasts merging with traditional media (33:42) sounds you need to hear around the nfl (49:17) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers. bryan closes a busy week on 'the press box' with semafor’s david weigel. they begin the show by reacting to the many reasons donald trump won the election (0:52). then they discuss how twitter is a pro-trump app (16:22), the value of podcast appearances (19:59), whether or not this race was winnable for kamala harris (33:49), and more. host: bryan curtis guest: david weigel producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan welcomes the newest member of the ringer, joel anderson, to 'the press box' with a huge announcement that the listeners will love moving forward. then they get into the election, which saw donald trump chosen as president of the united states again. they reflect on last night’s election and its presentation, the upcoming think pieces on what democrats need to do, what resistance 2.0 will look like, and more. hosts: bryan curtis and joel anderson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david react to an inconclusive election as results are still coming in. they discuss the current projections at the time of recording, as well as the different newscasts and election big boards. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! it’s election day eve! bryan and david kick off the podcast by discussing the selzer poll (0:47), what the news cycle has looked like during this election (10:24), some possible pre-recriminations (15:13), and more. then in the notebook dump they discuss how the washington post lost subscribers after a non-endorsement of harris (41:30), as well as joel embiid’s altercation with columnist marcus hayes (53:14) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! as we are five days from the election, bryan welcomes back astead herndon of the new york times to discuss the following: how the democrats feel with five days left (1:14) donald trump’s msg rally (8:48) the number of vibes stories during this election (12:20) the washington post's decision not to endorse vice president kamala harris (36:57)   plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: astead herndon producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan kicks off the show by discussing the recent non-endorsements for the presidential candidates (0:40). then he discusses the arena-show phase of the campaigns, including kamala harris’s visit to houston with beyoncé and willie nelson and donald trump’s rally in madison square garden (19:16). later, he gets into some of the best dodgers walk-off world series calls (31:54). to finish, bryan recaps his visit to the set of 'good morning football' with a few sound bites (37:20). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan welcomes chris ryan, host of the ringer’s 'the watch' and 'the rewatchables,' to the show! they discuss how they are consuming election news in the final stretch (0:46). they also react to mark halperin’s claim of a scoop that could change the election (8:12) and tucker carlson comparing donald trump to america’s dad (9:35). later they get into some ways this election seems like a television show (14:50). they close the show with chris’s background in journalism, growing up with a dad who was a film critic and transitioning into podcasting (29:35). plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline of the week. host: bryan curtis guest: chris ryan learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan kicks off the show by recapping his visit to austin for the texas-georgia game (:35). then he and david get into the final stretch of the presidential race between kamala harris and donald trump (13:58). then in the notebook dump they discuss: a piece in new york magazine titled “can the media survive” (40:41) an olivia nuzzi update (42:10) breaking down the tom brady rules (44:51) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan welcomes notus's jasmine wright, who is the journalist you need to read to understand vice president kamala harris’s campaign. she comes on to discuss the following about the campaign: highlights of the vp’s interview with bret baier (1:45) how the vp feels about adversarial settings (0:00) reasons for the current media blitz (11:15) the quiet planning of her transition team (13:11) things that worry team harris in the closing stretch (21:10) then she closes out with how she got into political journalism (24:10). plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: jasmine wright producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david return to discuss kamala harris podcast appearances and her upcoming sitdowns with fox news and joe rogan (5:39). then they discuss bob woodward's new book and the “vibes switch” (17:41). they close with discussing tom brady’s growth as an announcer and local angles (32:20). plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: stefan anderson learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan is joined today by politico’s white house correspondent and politico playbook co-author eugene daniels to get into the latest on this upcoming election and more, including: does the harris campaign really believe they’re underdogs in this race (01:47)? are they running a “risk-averse” campaign (16:18)? what is it like covering the white house and writing playbook (21:19)? leaping from college football to journalism (30:46). plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: eugene daniels producers: brian h. waters and eduardo ocampo learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david open with two contradictory ideas: “the return of triumph the insult comic dog” and “there are too many bits (0:36).”then they get into the following: kamala harris's current podcast tour (10:12) nfl players wanting to kick reporters out of the locker room (22:54) kate winslet playing a war correspondent in the movie 'lee' (31:03) everyone is introducing a paywall (36:27) later they react to breaking news, as shams charania joins espn as the new senior nba reporter (44:34). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! today, bryan is joined by bomani jones—host of ‘the right time with bomani jones’—to discuss all things politics, media, and sports, including: thoughts on the vice presidential debate (03:11) democrats’ lean-into-football strategy (coach walz) (08:06) what to make of the coverage around kamala harris (11:50) zach lowe and espn in the 2010s (21:15) college football, the 12-team playoff, and nil (30:53) looking back on ‘high noon’ (40:31) plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: bomani jones producers: brian h. waters and eduardo ocampo learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! in a special bonus edition of the press box, bryan has two guests. first, he speaks with semafor’s benjy sarlin for instant reactions to the tim walz–jd vance vice presidential debate. they discuss the following: the biggest surprise of the debate (1:22) who looked more confident, tim walz or jd vance (9:35) the january 6 exchange (16:40 whether or not this will be the last debate (26:04) then he speaks with screenwriter gabriel sherman about writing 'the apprentice,' a story about donald trump (30:44). he discusses the following about the film: how he went about writing the story (31:10) trump’s relationship with roy cohn (32:36) how cohn’s rules of winning influenced trump (37:04) deciding on sebastian stan to play trump (47:02) hosts: bryan curtis guests: benjy sarlin and gabriel sherman producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david open the show by discussing zach lowe’s departure from espn (0:34). then they preview the vice presidential debate between tim walz and jd vance (12:34). later, they react to dijonai carrington’s postgame interview about caitlin clark (28:37). then they talk about only in journalism classics following the story about new york city mayor eric adams (37:56). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan sits with not one, not two, but three guests this week. first he speaks with the wall street journal’s jason gay and they they discuss the following: zach lowe getting laid off by espn (1:47) how everyone has been covering travis kelce’s bad play (20:45) a possible kamala harris podcast tour (30:30) then he speaks with kate conger and ryan mac, the authors of ‘character limit: how elon musk destroyed twitter,’ and they get into the following: elon changing the block feature (35:20) turning twitter headquarters into a long-stay hotel (44:23) elon removing journalists’ verified check (49:00) twitter/x losing it’s value (59:59) plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis guests: jason gay, kate conger, and ryan mac producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david have a scandalous episode coming up. they discuss the following: mark robinson’s post on an adult website (0:35) oliva nuzzi being placed on leave after a relationship with robert f. kennedy jr. (7:12) the controversy surrounding 'megalopolis' (22:46) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week, only in journalism, and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan welcomes the ringer’s head of content, sean fennessey, this week. first they discuss woj’s shocking announcement and the value of the sports insider (1:39). then they discuss the latest with the election and what they expect in the remaining months (16:3 0). and to stay on theme with election season, they close the show with their top 5 campaign movies (30:54). plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis guest: sean fennessey producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david immediately react to adrian wojnarowski’s retirement from espn (0:30). they reflect on: his commitment to bell-to-bell nba coverage (2:40) being the first iphone alert sports journalist (11:40) how his nba draft day tweets changed when he began at espn (14:45) how the “woj bomb” caught on (17:30) the nba media in the post-woj era (22:39) hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david are back to discuss what’s next after the donald trump–kamala harris debate (4:00). they share their thoughts on the moderators (6:15), jd vance’s responses to the "cats and dogs" comment (9:32), and kamala harris’s performance (17:26). later in the notebook dump they react to the following: linda deutsch's legacy as a court reporter (32:10) how iconic james earl jones’s voice was (35:00) plus a couple of tv host–tv producer meltdown clips (37:57) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan grabs his coffee and fires up the mic with benjy sarlin so they can provide you with the morning-after immediate reactions to the kamala harris–donald trump debate. they discuss the following: the biggest things everyone learned from the debate (1:10) how close did we get to seeing kamala harris the prosecutor (8:51) how kamala harris was prepared for the debate (12:24) things that connected with undecided voters (16:00) words that will be remembered out of this debate (22:58) their thoughts on the moderators (25:25) reactions to taylor swift’s endorsement of harris (30:56) benjy shares insight from the spin room in philadelphia (33:18) plus david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: benjy sarlin producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show by previewing this tuesday’s long-awaited debate between kamala harris and donald trump (00:36). then they discuss tom brady’s first day on his new job (17:35). later, in the notebook, they react to the following: tenet media got covert funding from russian state media employees (35:33), joe tessitore debuted on 'raw' (38:54), and shannon sharpe called out his producers (49:47) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan kicks off the show with a preview of his latest piece on the ringer dot com, how fox threw tom brady a hail mary and won (0:45). then he welcomes pablo torre and they discuss the following: how the media talks football these days (7:05) tom brady being recast as an announcer (18:13) the democratic rollout of tim walz (31:29) pablo’s podcast, ‘pablo finds out’ (43:43) plus david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: pablo torre producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show by recapping kamala harris and tim walz’s interview with dana bash (0:32). then, as they get ready for the return of football, they get into the following: football season starts with tom brady in a different seat (13:34) legendary head coaches nick saban and bill belichick make their television debuts (19:23) espn takes over the sec (24:16) deion sanders vs. denver post columnist sean keeler (30:17) then, in the notebook, they discuss the following: having status by knowing a journalist on a first-name basis (36:58) things you call a story (38:25) journalists' overuse of the phrase “existential crisis” (41:00) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! on the final edition of 'the press box,' bryan welcomes oliver darcy to the pod. they discuss the following: the rules of the upcoming harris-trump debate (1:49) kamala harris’s upcoming interview and what to expect (10:42) sarah palin’s new trial against the new york times (15:49) mark zuckerberg’s letter to the house judiciary committee (17:33) then oliver discusses why he left cnn to build his own platform, ‘status’ (21:32). plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: oliver darcy producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show by discussing the state of sports color commentary and whether or not analysts should be ex-players (0:30). then bryan recaps his four nights at the upper deck of the united center in chicago (10:30). they also discuss the following from the democratic national convention: their favorite moments that stuck out (19:26) some media grumbling (30:17) the branded media place to hang out (36:00) then, in the notebook, they discuss the following: rece davis introduces college football (42:17) espn brings back 'the sports reporters' (44:41) and then, in only in journalism, they discuss deion sanders’s reaction to an only-in-journalism word (0:00) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan is live out of the united center in chicago along with semafor’s benjy sarlin, and they recap the democratic convention. they assess kamala harris’s speech and then hit on 10 topics: defining kamala harris (8:08) how the democrats talk about donald trump (10:47) the democrats’ embrace of celebrity (15:34) thoughts on the rollout of tim walz as kamala harris’s running mate (17:55) the return of the obamas and obama-isms to the democratic party (21:27) the democrats claim patriotism as their own with the usa chants (25:57) their favorite speeches (28:30) speeches that whiffed (32:11) the vibes in the convention (35:25) what they are looking for after this convention (37:31) plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: benjy sarlin producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers! bryan has a bonus mid-week episode with two special guests from cbs news. first he speaks with white house correspondent ed o’keefe, who discusses working the floors of the convention, staking out joe biden during his final days in the white house, and the early returns on kamala harris and tim walz (1:21) then he talks with the chief election and campaign correspondent, robert costa, to discuss his conversations with donald trump and joe biden, his thoughts on the convention so far, and leaving the theater after biden announced that he is stepping down. (25:45) host: bryan curtis guest: ed o’keefe and robert costa producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show with a fun spoiler from the democratic national convention (0:30). bryan is in chicago right now and he has a few notes, including on the dnc version of radio row (8:00). then they discuss the following: the return of the onion (14:28) press box party at the dnc recap (15:44) remembering phil donahue (23:18) espn makes a couple of cuts (31:01) nicolas cage to play john madden in a biopic (36:00) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan welcomes the ringer’s own hollywood bureau chief, alan siegel. they both share some of their lukewarm takes on the media and the following subjects: donald trump’s love affair with hannibal lecter (01:31). the donald trump hack: documents sent to politico emails (8:42) a sports documentary check-in on 'hard knocks' and 'receiver' (18:15) the essence of cable news (28:01) australian b-girl raygun breaks her silence (37:26) alan closes out with a few of his “only journalism words" (43:22) plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: alan siegel producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show by discussing the new york times story, “inside the worst three weeks of donald trump’s 2024 campaign (0:43).” then they discuss the following: three reasons tim walz was selected as kamala harris’s running mate (09:00). the harris-trump debate is set (20:23) tim walz’s couch jokes (23:40) then in the notebook they discuss the following: noah eagle’s impressive performance in the men’s and women’s basketball gold medal games (37:34) another charles barkley update (39:24) a discussion about aggregators (43:50) and then in “only in journalism” they discuss deion sanders’s reaction to an only-in-journalism word (0:00) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david stop their vacations to discuss tim walz being picked to be kamala harris's running mate and the reactions of democrats to the selection (1:27). they also discuss the following: claire malone’s profile of rfk jr. (14:53). evan gershkovich being released from russian prison (21:09) a botched summer olympics call (28:38) donald trump at nabj (37:26) hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show by discussing the opening ceremony of the olympics, which included celebrities on the sideline, ai al michaels, and dwyane wade and noah eagle’s commentary (0:40). then they discuss the running auditions for kamala harris’s running mate (12:29). later, in the notebook dump, they discuss the final stages of the nba media rights deal (25:16) and take time to remember journalist evan wright (34:30). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

on the final edition, bryan welcomes alex thompson, a national political correspondent for axios. they kick off the show by discussing coverage of the last two weeks, which included president joe biden dropping out of the race (1:14). then he gets into the current relationship between biden and vice president kamala harris (16:24), the relationship between biden and barack obama over the past few weeks (27:26), and what it will look like covering harris now (32:14). plus, david shoemaker guesses another strained-pun headline host: bryan curtis guest: alex thompson producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david react to the news that president joe biden will drop out of the 2024 presidential race and has endorsed vice president kamala harris. they discuss the following: how cable news moved slowly with its coverage and reactions (5:00) reporters who could have taken a bow after the news broke (7:55) how harris will be covered by political reporters (33:24) hulk hogan's and dana white's appearances at the rnc (40:35) then, in the notebook dump, they discuss the following: skip bayless leaving fox sports (48:36) tnt's plan to match amazon’s bid for nba media rights (52:40) pete wells stepping down as the new york times food critic (56:46) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

on the final edition, bryan welcomes the washington post’s chris suellentrop, who joins the show from milwaukee, where he's covering the republican national convention. he kicks off the show by discussing how the republicans are ecstatic right now at the convention (1:40). then they discuss republican vice presidential candidate j.d. vance’s speech (4:16), whether donald trump will be more effective if he's elected president again (9:27), how the assassination attempt has become a part of the convention (16:07), and more. host: bryan curtis guests: chris suellentrop producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david react to the attempted assassination of former president donald trump. they discuss the following, regarding the coverage: reactions to hearing the news (0:36) the photographers and the amazing photos they captured (4:30) interviews that took place immediately after the shooting (10:40) social media conspiracy theories (20:12) host: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan welcomes back astead herndon of the new york times and host of ‘the run-up podcast.’ he comes on to discuss the following about president joe biden: astead’s reporting in 2020 and how biden’s age was a topic of conversation (1:04) whether or not he ran his first campaign with the intentions of being a one-term president (08:38) the biden campaign being more online now than four years ago (19:18) his experience interviewing vice president kamala harris in 2016 (40:55) plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained punned headline and bryan closes the show with a quick update on the nba rights host: bryan curtis guest: astead herndon producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show with talk of a rare breaking of silence: president joe biden’s interview on abc (0:40). then, they discuss the "now they tell us" headline from the new york post (13:50) and talk through whether or not the press blew it when it comes to reporting on joe biden (17:58). later, in the notebook dump, bryan talks about visiting the nfl broadcast bootcamp for current and former players, and shares some sound as they discuss being a rookie at something again (29:55) plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

with the holiday coming up, bryan is treating you to the final edition of 'the press box' early. he welcomes msnbc analyst and 'bulwark' podcast contributor tim miller, and they discuss the following: the atmosphere in atlanta during the debate (2:14) reactions to some biden family members blaming staffers for the performance (13:15) reactions to the media telling biden to remove himself from the race (19:09) this podcast was recorded before the announcement that biden will sit down for a tv interview. plus, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: tim miller producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello media consumers! bryan and david talk for the first time since the presidential debate. they discuss whether or not the media could push joe biden off the ticket and have an open democratic convention to choose the candidate (1:45). later, in the notebook dump, they get into al michaels agreeing to allow nbc to use his voice for ai for olympics coverage (40:50) then they discuss the antitrust lawsuit and the nfl loss regarding the ‘sunday ticket’ (51:06). plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

on the final edition, bryan has a jam-packed show following the presidential debate. first, he welcomes semafor's benjy sarlin for a recap. they discuss: the worst part of the night for joe biden (1:08) the timing of the debate (10:35) the history of incumbent presidents who've lost their first debates (15:31) ben’s opinion on whether or not biden will be the democratic nominee on election day (26:06) what stood out about donald trump (31:04) anderson cooper’s interview with vice president kamala harris (39:19) then, he welcomes longtime cnn and abc news political analyst jeff greenfield, who takes us back down memory lane as he revisits four presidential campaigns that he's covered in his career. how trump has changed everything he thought about campaigns (50:39). biden's run for president in 1988 and its collapse (54:12). television's importance to presidential campaigns in the '80s (56:43) behind the scenes of the race between george h. w. bush and the democratic nominee michael dukakis in 1988 (61:35) bill clinton's decision not to do an interview with howard stern interview, and biden's decision to go through with it (70:46) cnn's coverage of the 2000 election (76:17) observations from the al gore and george w. bush campaigns (79:40). revisiting the night florida was called for al gore and then recalled (84:12) covering the 2008 election and how campaigns were thinking about television in the age of social media (88:17) what stands out about the democratic primary campaigns of barack obama and hillary clinton (91:39) host: bryan curtis guests: benjy sarlin and jeff greenfield producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan welcomes wall street journal’s jason gay. he kicks off the show with five thoughts on the upcoming presidential debate (2:23). then they discuss espn’s first bid to stephen a. smith and how it compares to pat mcafee’s deal (20:21). later, they talk about jj redick becoming the new lakers head coach and leaving the podcast game (33:42). they close the show with the 48 new york tabloid headlines about justin timberlake’s arrest (54:07). host: bryan curtis guest: jason gay producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

on the final edition, bryan welcomes dylan byers and starts the show with a discussion about the word “defenestration" (1:20).then they discuss the following: dylan’s reaction to charles barkley’s "retirement” (2:42) what did david zaslav and warner bros. discovery do wrong during the nba negotiations (9:18)? cnn producing the presidential debate (15:02) william lewis, ’washington post’ publisher, gets embattled (30:16). then, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline.host: bryan curtis guest: dylan byers producer: brian h. waters  learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello, media consumers! bryan and david kick off the show by discussing yet another charles barkley “retirement announcement” (0:42). then, they close out this nba season with talk of espn adding an active player to their pregame show (13:14) and jj redick potentially being the first podcaster turned nba coach (15:50). they then discuss the upcoming presidential debate and why it will be a huge night for cnn (19:40). later in the notebook dump, they get into the brat pack documentary and why it is an interesting, secret media movie (32:01).  plus, the overworked twitter joke of the week and david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. hosts: bryan curtis and david shoemaker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

on the final edition, bryan welcomes katie baker, and they have a loaded show for you, with the following discussion topics: brian windhorst's scarface-like message to luka doncic (1:45) jayson tatum’s reaction to joe mazzulla's quotes (5:57) remembering jerry west, a friend to sportswriters everywhere (14:03) the olympics and caitlin clark discourse (24:03) the hollywood junket crisis (37:14) remembering howard fineman (52:14) then, david shoemaker guesses the strained-pun headline. host: bryan curtis guest: katie baker producer: brian h. waters learn more about your ad choices. visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices