The Grill Room

Julia and Dylan reunite to dig into The New York Times’s pivot to a video-first model—confirmed this week by executive editor Joe Kahn, who’s likening the shift to the paper’s move from print to digital. They discuss what it means for the Times’s business and marketing strategy, what happens to newsroom culture when a star system takes hold, and what the move portends for journalism writ large. Th...

The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan join Dylan for an inside look at their new book, ‘Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,’ which moved an extraordinary 300,000 copies in its first week. They shed light on their reporting process, why the book has cut through despite widespread Trump fatigue in media, where their reporting partnership goes from here, and...

Julia and Dylan reunite to talk through the implications of the Comcast-NBCUniversal split—a move that could actually reposition NBCU as a buyer rather than an acquisition target, with Netflix and Amazon among the potential suitors. Then they turn to a revealing Beehiiv report on the newsletter business, and break down why niche topics like finance and investing are dominating the industry leaderb...

Campbell Brown, the former CNN veteran and founder of Forum AI, joins Dylan to explain why A.I. companies shouldn’t be trusted to evaluate themselves—and why the industry’s self-grading habit may be its worst blind spot. Then they debate whether media outlets that are hesitant to reckon with A.I. are just accelerating their own obsolescence. See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward a...

Julia and Dylan reconvene to pull on every thread from The New York Times’ sprawling exposé on former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini. They dig into the journalism scandal at the heart of the piece, what it really means to be an insider versus a reporter, and how The Times balances standards and ethics as it grows its business, courts new audiences, and elevates its own stars—all while protecting...

Lulu Cheng Meservey, the communications guru and founder of Rostra, joins Dylan to make the case that traditional media and P.R. are dead, and that founders are better off talking directly to their audiences than waiting for others to tell their story. She breaks down how to balance the demands of publicity with actually building a worthwhile product, and suggests why founders who show up, build t...

Dylan and Julia trade notes on a gigantic week in media: Lachlan Murdoch’s $22 billion move on Roku, Jay Penske scooping up the Vox Media scraps, and the tortured hunt for a new No. 2 to run CNN and CBS with Bari Weiss.  See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward at ⁠⁠bp.com/InvestingInAmerica.⁠⁠ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.c...

Versant C.E.O. Mark Lazarus joins Dylan to make the bull case for the cable business everyone keeps pronouncing dead, and his four-vertical strategy anchored by MS Now, CNBC, Golf Channel, and Fandango. They also discuss MS Now’s digital expansion, Crooked Media’s licensing deal, and other media topics du jour. See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward at ⁠⁠bp.com/InvestingInAmerica.⁠...

Dylan and Julia relive the Knicks' instant-classic Game 4 win at MSG and break down the cultural spectacle that is Celebrity Row. They then dive into the latest seismic shocks in the creator economy: CAA and Integrated Media's $250 million venture, Billy Parks' Creator Studios at Fox, and the Times' plan for Substack creators. See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward at ⁠⁠bp.com/Inve...

Dylan sits down with Fox One head Pete Distad to discuss why the World Cup is a make-or-break moment for Fox's streaming service. They dive into the platform's new features designed to pull in and retain fans and why sports fans are sticking around for Fox News in greater numbers than anticipated. See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward at ⁠⁠bp.com/InvestingInAmerica.⁠⁠ To learn mor...

Dylan and Julia sit down to discuss the chaos unfolding at CBS, with the addition of Nick Bilton and the loss of Scott Pelley et al. They talk about how strong-minded leadership without relevant experience might impact the network's ability to retain top talent going forward and whether the still-valuable 60 Minutes brand can survive its reinvention. See all the ways bp is driving American energy...

Dylan and Julia welcome tech reporter Joanna Stern, who after 12 years at the Wall Street Journal recently went independent — launching a newsletter called New Things, joining NBC News as a contributor, and publishing a new book on A.I., I Am Not a Robot. They also get into the state of A.I. wearables and the role of A.I. agents in decision-making at all levels. See all the ways bp is driving Amer...

Dylan and Julia get right down to brass tacks with the latest shocks in the  Bari Weiss–CBS News psychodrama: the firing of Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, and the stunning appointment of Nick Bilton—a magazine journalist without TV news experience—to replace Tanya Simon as executive producer. Then they turn to the challenges of managing a news program, the friction between staff and new leadersh...

Media investor and new BuzzFeed majority stakeholder Byron Allen joins Dylan to discuss his plans for the platform—and his long-term goal of building the world’s biggest media company. They discuss how the acquisition could help boost awareness for his app, Local Now, and his plan to ultimately turn BuzzFeed into a free streaming service (like YouTube) to appeal to advertisers and content creators...

Julia and Dylan get into the potential final death of the search traffic era, courtesy of Google I/O, and what it means for digital publishers and news media at large. They also discuss the week's buying and selling frenzy — New York Magazine and BuzzFeed both changing hands — and Barbara Peng's exit from Business Insider. See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward at ⁠⁠bp.com/Investin...

Dylan Byers sits down with tech journalist Alex Heath, founder of the Sources newsletter, to discuss the impact of A.I. tools like Claude and WhisperFlow for efficiency in reporting. He also talks about what it actually takes to go independent: risk tolerance, revenue instincts, and a willingness to rewire how you work. Plus, the importance of adapting to A.I. advancements and the evolving role of...

Dylan and Julia dive right in to discuss Byron Allen's eye-popping $120 million purchase of BuzzFeed, a legacy media brand that has seen better days. They also look into the New York Times' decision to license Wordle to NBC and analyze how the outlet has made use of its growing IP. The conversation also covers CNN's new weather app and culminates in some well-earned optimism about the New York Kni...

In this special bonus episode of The Grill Room, presented by Paramount+, Julia Alexander convenes a star-studded panel of female cast members from the Taylor Sheridan cinematic universe—Ali Larter, Beau Garrett, Michelle Randolph, Nicole Kidman, and Zoe Saldaña—to discuss their career journeys and the challenges they’ve surmounted to bring their characters to life. They also speak candidly about...

Dylan is joined by Puck's own John Ourand and CNBC's Alex Sherman to discuss the tensions around NFL broadcast rights as upfront season gets into full swing in New York, including the standoff between legacy networks and streamers gunning for more games. They also discuss how Roger Goodell is navigating these talks, where Rupert Murdoch fits in, and what's at stake as NFL rights become the ultimat...

Julia and Dylan chew over James Murdoch’s expected $300 million-plus acquisition of New York magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. They discuss what the deal signals about Murdoch’s true ambitions—whether he'll embrace a journalism-first approach á la The Atlantic or adopt Jay Penske’s events-driven playbook—and what it means for New York magazine’s legacy identity moving forward. See all th...

Political scientist David Sterrett joins Dylan and Julia to discuss the findings of his latest data-driven report, which suggests we’ve officially crossed the Rubicon on creators and influencers becoming a primary news source for Americans, particularly younger audiences. They dig into why trust in creators has seemingly surpassed trust in traditional news outlets, what’s driving people toward the...

Julia and Dylan join forces to wrestle with A.I.'s growing footprint in journalism—and make the case for what real reporters still bring to the table that no artificial model can replicate. They also take stock of Substack’s current moment of uncertainty, prompted by The Ankler’s high-profile departure to Ben Thompson’s new platform Passport, and consider whether it’s time to hit the panic button...

Trey Yingst, the leading war correspondent on Fox News, joins Dylan to talk about building one of the most prominent social media presences in TV news—and what his multiplatform reach means not just for his own profile but for Fox News as a whole. Yingst reflects on covering some of the world’s most consequential conflicts, including the U.S.-Iran war and the Israel-Gaza conflict, and makes the ca...

Julia and Dylan discuss Andreessen Horowitz’s new Twitter-based live show, Monitoring the Situation, and what it reveals about the steep challenges of building influence in a hyper-fragmented media landscape. They also weigh in on the ego dynamics powering the live streaming boom, social media’s grip on C.E.O. culture, the role legacy media plays in fueling the very shows that claim to be replacin...

Family Lore is a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates ancestral mystique. Each episode begins with a guest sharing a fascinating family legend, followed by a historical deep-dive to uncover the truth and meaning behind the tale. Available now: link.pscrb.fm/f0281/FLFD To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Le...