Mixed Signals from Semafor Media Podcast
1) Governor JB Pritzker on Chicago, ICE, and the information war with Trump’s White House
Chicago is either a war zone quickly spiraling out of control, or a peaceful city under siege by an overreaching federal government. It all depends on who you ask — and which channel they watch. This ...Show More
2) Alison Roman on cookbooks, food influencers, and the surprising way AI is changing her recipes
Alison Roman was one of digital media’s first food stars – she’s had recipes go viral since 2018 and an infamous ‘cancellation’ in 2020. Now, with her latest cookbook, Something From Nothing, she’s tr...Show More
3) Blackbird Spyplane’s Jonah Weiner on Substack, resisting selling out, and Obama’s pants legacy
Blackbird Spyplane, a style and culture newsletter, launched in 2020 as one of the early adopters and success stories on Substack. This week, Ben and Max bring on co-author and longtime magazine journ...Show More
4) Can MS survive without NBC? Inside CEO Mark Lazarus’ efforts to save cable’s great brands
MSNBC and 10 other television channels, from CNBC to Golf Channel, are splitting from NBC over the next several weeks to form a new digital-focused, publicly traded company called Versant. In his firs...Show More
5) Malcolm Gladwell’s theories on podcasting, America, and Joe Rogan
Malcolm Gladwell is a man of many theories – he’s made a career of it through his books and podcasts through Pushkin Industries. This week, Ben and Max bring on the author and Revisionist History host...Show More
6) How AI is reshaping media, with Google’s VP of marketing, Josh Spanier
This week, a special episode featuring Josh Spanier, VP of marketing at Google, who you might recognize from our branded segments. In this sponsored episode, Ben asks Josh about how Google thinks abou...Show More
7) How to be elite in the age of populism, with the FT’s Roula Khalaf
The Financial Times is the paper for business and world leaders, and comes with a hefty subscription price of $45/month. But what does it mean to serve the elite in a growing age of populism, and what...Show More
8) How media drove America crazy, with Thomas Chatterton Williams
Five years since the start of the pandemic and the racial reckoning post-George Floyd, we’re still seeing the effects that 2020 had on culture and politics. This week, Ben and Max bring on The Atlanti...Show More
9) Don Lemon on Elon Musk, Chris Cuomo, and why YouTube is better than CNN
After his dramatic breakup with CNN and failed partnership with Elon Musk’s X, Don Lemon now has almost 800,000 subscribers on YouTube. This week, Ben and Max bring on the broadcaster-turned-streamer ...Show More
10) Mark Cuban on AI in politics, running for president (or not), and why he hates the media business
Mark Cuban is everywhere – and famously accessible. But what might be called overexposure in a previous era is now a strength in a fragmented media world, to the point that many people want him to run...Show More