Chris Ryan on Election News, the Campaign As a TV Show, and Growing Up to Be a Critic

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel start this Dallas Cowboys–centric show with their thoughts on Netflix’s ‘America’s Team’ documentary. They reminisce about the ’90s era of football and the media landscape then, discuss people’s affection for the Cowboys, and talk about why the documentary works. Next, Bryan and Joel welcome longtime reporter Ed Werder to discuss what it was like covering the Cowboys in the ’90s. They talk about how competitive the Cowboys beat was, how Jerry thought about reporters, and Werder's most memorable moment with Charles Haley (23:30). Finally, Bryan and Joel close the show with their reporting war stories about Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith (1:08:33). Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson Guest: Ed Werder Producer: Kyle Williams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David discuss the end of summer and showing pop culture treasures from their youth to their children. Then they tackle the headlines, starting with the MSNBC rebrand (8:30), before talking about a Rolling Stone article about the death of the narrative podcast (26:28). Then in the notebook dump, they talk about what’s been going on with Gavin Newsom’s Twitter account (40:20), the UFC deal (46:49), sheep puns, and David guesses the strained pun headline of the week. Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David ShoemakerProducer: Isaiah BlakelyAdditional Music: Epidemic Sound, Anna Landström, Anna Dager, and Hanna Ekström Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello media consumers! It’s a Monday show on a Thursday! Bryan fills David in on his Connecticut hotdog tour earlier this week (0:16), before discussing Taylor Swift’s appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce’s ‘New Heights’ podcast, and a few thoughts on Monday’s Jimmy Pitaro interview (11:23). Then they run through the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week, two new entries of Worst Question Ever Asked at the White House, rumors of Howard Stern and SirusXM parting ways, Oklahoma selling ‘postgame media access’ to fans, and loads more (38:20)! Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker Producer: Kyle Crichton  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, media consumers! Bryan heads to the ESPN HQ in Bristol, Connecticut, to sit down with ESPN's chairman, Jimmy Pitaro. They discuss the highly anticipated launch of ESPN's direct-to-consumer app, the massive deals ESPN made with the NFL and WWE, hiring talent vs. developing talent, preparing for ESPN's first Super Bowl, the state of ESPN in 2025, and more. Host: Bryan CurtisGuest: Jimmy PitaroProducer: Kyle Crichton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel start the show with J-School, discussing the new threats to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the ongoing Texas redistricting fight (01:43). Next, they dive into some headlines, starting with the deals made by ESPN this week. First, they go through all the details from the ESPN-NFL deal, including what properties ESPN acquired from the NFL, and they debate whether Donald Trump will try to interfere (13:40). After, they break down the WWE’s deal with ESPN, who acquired the rights to air all of WWE’s live premium events starting in 2026 (30:30). They then move on to how Shams Charania has affected the NBA media since Woj retired and LeBron James's dwindling power in the news cycle (35:27). Lastly, Bryan and Joel discuss the New York Post’s announcement that a sister publication will be coming out west (45:28). Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel AndersonProducer: Jessie Lopez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices