The Press Box

Bryan and David begin with a breakdown of the recent NPR departures as chronicled by NPR’s own media reporter David Folkenflik (1:06). They transition to the rise of Wordle, a puzzle game heavily featured on the Twitter accounts of reporters everywhere (11:30). Then they discuss the Postgame Question of the Week, posed to Stetson Bennett IV after Monday’s college football national championship gam...

Bryan and David break down Ted Cruz’s appearance on the 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' discussing the siege of the Capitol on January 6 (9:25). Then, they bid farewell to longform.org (30:05), present the Postgame Question of the Week (43:49), discuss Nick Kristof’s attempt to run for governor (45:54), and share some Bob Saget obits (52:36). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoema...

Bryan touches on the news that The New York Times has bought The Athletic before then being joined by Mina Kimes to discuss the Aaron Rodgers discourse. They talk about her 2017 piece featuring Rodgers, discuss his relationship with the media, weigh in on past comments about both potentially leaving his team and his stance on the vaccine, and eventually parse through the ongoing discourse involvin...

Bryan and David are back and kicking off the new year with Ben Smith’s announcement that he is leaving The New York Times for a global media startup (0:22). Then they transition to the first anniversary of the January siege of the Capitol by discussing Evan Osnos’s New Yorker profile of radio host Dan Bongino (9:24). Then they touch on Ken Rosenthal’s comments that lost him a gig with the MLB Netw...

Bryan is joined by The Wall Street Journal's Jason Gay to remember legendary football coach, sportscaster, and businessman John Madden. They reflect on the games Madden called, how he influenced television, and discuss all that he added to the sport of football.  Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Jason Gay Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adcho...

Bryan is joined by journalist J.R. Moehringer to discuss his career working at The New York Times and Los Angeles Times before then discussing his memoir ‘The Tender Bar.’ They touch on details of the memoir including Moehringer’s reason for writing the book, the significance of the bar Publicans, and how it was received by the individuals featured. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: J.R. Moehringer  Assoc...

Bryan and David touch on the news that The New York Times might be buying The Athletic. They discuss the potential deal and what place The Athletic could have at the Times (1:19). Then they hand out 2021 Year in Media awards for Image of the Year, Sports Media Story of the Year, Disgraceful Exit of the Year, and more (15:21)! Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesse...

Bryan is joined by Slate’s Joel Anderson to discuss his career, from starting at TCU to working at BuzzFeed News to covering college football at ESPN and eventually finding himself at Slate working on his podcast, ‘Slow Burn.’ They touch on the differences between print and podcasts, talk through reporting longform stories, and dive into the details of the newest season of his show, ‘Slow Burn: Th...

Bryan and David start by talking about Pat McAfee’s new $120 million deal with FanDuel (3:26). Then they discuss Chris Wallace leaving Fox News for CNN (21:10). Then they wrap up by talking about Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine, '80s and '90s commercial fiction power rankings, plus David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline. Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker Production Assista...

Bryan and David react to the news that Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN and then discuss actions leading up to the decision and what this means for the organization (3:30). Later, they weigh in on the conversation presented by Priya Krishna’s New York Times article, “Who Owns a Recipe? A Plagiarism Claim Has Cookbook Authors Asking," and talk about the concept of recipe plagiarism (25:27). Plus, the O...

Bryan is joined by The Washington Post’s Dan Diamond to discuss covering COVID-19. Diamond shares his experience becoming a journalist, reflects on the COVID-19 coverage since the beginning of the pandemic, and touches on the new COVID-19 variant, omicron, and the difference in coverage under Trump vs. Biden. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Dan Diamond Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more abou...

Bryan and David break down news that Twitter CEO and cofounder Jack Dorsey has resigned. They discuss how Dorsey handled past incidents of misinformation circulating on Twitter, where Twitter ranks next to competitor Facebook, and how this news could affect the media landscape (4:48). Then, they weigh in on the rapidly evolving news about the new coronavirus variant, omicron, and talk through how...

Bryan is joined by author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney to discuss his career and book series 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid.’ They touch on how Kinney got a book deal at Comic-Con, how he utilizes systematic inventive thinking to help his writing process, how he balances both jokes and big ideas throughout his books, and what it’s like going on book tours for children. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Jeff Kinney A...

Bryan and David discuss the new Tom Brady documentary ‘Man in the Arena,’ and break down the athlete-produced doc, the new sports memoir, and Scottie Pippen’s response to ‘The Last Dance’ in his new book (4:42). Then, they touch on commentator and writers Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes quitting Fox News due to Tucker Carlson’s upcoming documentary about January 6 (22:15) before wrapping things u...

Bryan is joined by actor Jeffrey Wright to discuss his role as journalist Roebuck Wright in ‘The French Dispatch.’ They touch on the details within a Wes Anderson script, finding inspiration in the late James Baldwin, the use of Twitter, and more! Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Jeffrey Wright Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bryan and David respond to The Verge’s announcement that they're changing their “on background” policy (1:00) before assessing whether or not People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” has any remaining cultural relevance (23:00). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline. Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker Producer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about yo...

Bryan is joined by film director Oliver Stone to discuss his 1986 film, ‘Salvador.’ Stone talks about meeting journalist Richard Boyle, working with actors like James Woods, covering topics such as American foreign policy, filming in Mexico, and much more! Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Oliver Stone Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bryan and David break down the news that Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 and discuss the media’s fascination with Rodgers as a media figure (7:33). Then, they unpack Tucker Carlson’s new documentary, 'Patriot Purge,' about the January 6 Capitol insurrection (32:14). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.  Hosts: Bryan Curtis...

Bryan is joined by sportswriter Bill Plaschke to discuss how he got his start as a writer (4:58), the difference between beat writing in Seattle vs. Los Angeles (12:36), his transition to a columnist (14:14), how he came across the Paradise High football team in California that was featured in his book ‘Paradise Found’ (28:13), and more! Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Bill Plaschke Associate Producer:...

Bryan and David answer your Listener Mail and discuss networks making announcer trades, Halloween-themed TV studio shows, their dream choice for who would write a Ben Simmons profile, and much more. Plus the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week, and David Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline. Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely Learn more about your ad choices....

Bryan is joined by sportswriter Ivan Maisel to discuss his book about his late son Max, ‘I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye.’ They discuss Max’s childhood and passions, the moment Maisel heard the news that his son might have died of suicide, talk through the grieving process, and touch on his decision to write this book.  This podcast contains sensitive material about suicide. If you or anyone you kn...

Bryan and David talk through details of Katie Couric’s memoir such as how she withheld insensitive comments from an interview with Ruth Bader Ginsburg and how the media pitted Couric against other women in the industry (4:35). Then, they dissect Lindsey Adler’s tweet that addresses the repercussions of highlighting longform journalism and discuss how this specifically relates to sports writing (19...

In preparation for the new Wes Anderson film, Bryan is joined by Sean Fennessey to break down the ‘The French Dispatch.’ They discuss all three features portrayed in the film and touch on how it stacks up among journalism movies.  Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Sean Fennessey Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bryan and David discuss the 20-year anniversary of 'Pardon the Interruption' and highlight the layout of the show, the chemistry between Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, and touch on how the show has changed the sports talk landscape (7:05). Later, they break down Nick Kristof’s decision to leave his job at The New York Times to run for governor of Oregon (32:35). Plus, the Overworked Twitter J...

Bryan and David break down the recent NFL/NBA Insider controversy and touch on recent news involving Adam Schefter sharing an unpublished story with a source (0:40). Later, Bryan is joined by music critic Kelefa Sanneh to discuss how he got his start, what it’s like discovering and writing music criticism for a new genre, and what we can learn from subgenres in his new book, ‘Major Labels’ (19:06)...