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PODCAST

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

Semafor Podcasts

Every Friday media reporter Max Tani and Semafor Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith pull back the curtain on the most important stories about media, revealing why you see and hear what you see and hear. Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is supported by Think with Google.

news news commentary

All Episodes

38:26

TikTok Stars on the Politicians Begging Them for...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/12/30

What happens when TikTokers replace TV hosts and interviewers, and presidential candidates start begging to be on their shows? Brian Reed sits down in a Brooklyn wine shop with four of the internet’s biggest creators: Caleb Simpson, who gets people on the street to take him up to their apartments; Julian Shapiro-Barnum who interviews kids on Recess Therapy; Anania Williams of the LGBTQ quiz show Gaydar; and Jack Coyne, host of the music game show Track Star. Their videos reach more people than

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35:06

What actually mattered in 2025, with Janice Min and...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/12/26

The Ankler’s Janice Min and FeedMe founder Emily Sundberg join Mixed Signals for a candid roundtable lookback at a disorienting year in media. They sound off on everything from YouTube’s domination, to the Charlie Kirk saga, and the increasingly niche areas of coverage for newsletters. Max and Ben also ask about Substack’s evolution, creator economics, and what media moments might be top of mind for 2026.Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter:

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44:39

Instagram's Adam Mosseri on algorithms, AI slop, and...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/12/19

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri joins Mixed Signals to talk about what Instagram actually is in 2025, and what it isn't. Max and Ben ask about the platform’s new move onto TV screens, the dominance of Reels and DMs, and whether “everything is becoming television.” Mosseri also explains how the company is competing with TikTok and YouTube, and whether "AI slop" is a legitimate concern for social media feeds.Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter:

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42:16

Andy Richter on Late Night’s decline, “Dancing With...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/12/12

Comedy veteran and longtime Conan O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter joins Mixed Signals for an existentially funny conversation about surviving three decades in entertainment. Max and Ben ask Andy about how he became late night’s most adaptable performer, whether he ever worried about becoming “the next Ed McMahon,” and why acting work has become so elusive in Hollywood. Andy also talks about the decline of late night as a cultural force, and how “Dancing With the Stars” accidentally turned him into a

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44:03

David Remnick on 100 years of the New Yorker, Netflix...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/12/05

The New Yorker’s longtime editor-in-chief David Remnick joins Mixed Signals for a candid conversation about a new Netflix documentary about the magazine, and the New Yorker’s past, present, and uncertain future. Max and Ben ask Remnick how a century-old institution adapts to the digital age, and about what he’s learned from nearly three decades on the job. Remnick also reflects on magazine subscriptions models, Max's reporting about who should take his job , and why he’s grateful he never joined

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35:34

Trump’s war on public media, with PBS CEO Paula Kerger

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/11/28

Paula Kerger, the chief executive of America’s public broadcaster, joins Mixed Signals at a moment when public broadcasting is facing its most existential threat in decades. Max and Ben ask her about the political onslaught from the Trump administration and Congress, and what losing federal support will mean for hundreds of local stations. Kerger makes the case for kids’ programming, and spars with Ben about the relevance of broadcast television in the first place.Sign up for Semafor Media’s

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39:38

Can the Supreme Court keep its secrets? With Jodi...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/11/21

New York Times investigative reporter Jodi Kantor joins Mixed Signals to explain how she’s revealed the secrets of internal deliberations behind the ceremony and black robes of the US Supreme Court. Max and Ben ask whether the court is actually leaking more, how newer justices are reshaping its public face, and what Kantor has learned about the culture of secrecy and power inside a long-impenetrable institution. She also reflects on the post–#MeToo media landscape and the fracturing of “factual

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51:01

Derek Thompson on why everything is becoming...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/11/14

Is television the final form of all media? Derek Thompson, the co-author of Abundance, podcaster, and Atlantic writer joins Mixed Signals to explain what he sees as the forces behind what Ben and Max keep observing: The way in which podcasts and other forms of journalism appear to be getting their largest audience in an endless, passive feed of videos first observed by analysts of 20th century television. Derek discusses all that as well as his own turn toward independent media, and his personal

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44:26

GQ Editor Will Welch on masculinity, celebrities, and...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/11/07

Will Welch is the global editorial director of GQ, and has been the editor-in-chief of its US operation since 2019. On this week’s Mixed Signals, Welch talks to Ben and Max about how the magazine plans to address men amid the prominence of the manosphere, the value in covering niche subcultures, and how the parties thrown by the magazine operate as content creation mechanisms. Welch also talks about how he works with celebrities, praising Robert Pattinson as a more creative collaborator than he’s

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44:03

Ken Burns on the future of PBS, the new age of media,...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/10/31

Ken Burns has been telling the story of America through his entire career with genre-defining documentaries on the Civil War, the Vietnam War, and now the American Revolution. This week, Ben and Max bring on the renowned documentarian to talk about his latest series, the parallels he sees between America’s founding moment and today’s media environment, and what we can learn from our history. They also discuss what he makes of the Trump administration’s cuts on PBS, and – after spending 10 meticulous

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42:26

The inside story of Sydney Sweeney's 'Great Jeans' —...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/10/24

American Eagle’s summer campaign with Sydney Sweeney blew up in ways no one could’ve imagined – but chief marketing officer, Craig Brommers, knew they were going to hit a cultural nerve. This week, Ben and Max bring on the AE CMO to give us an inside look into the “Great Jeans” campaign, what he made of the controversy that surrounded it, and how Donald Trump and JD Vance boosted their sales. They also discuss how marketing today is like running an entertainment company, why he ignored the advice of

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49:03

Governor JB Pritzker on Chicago, ICE, and the...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/10/17

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 week, Ben and Max bring on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to talk about how he’s navigating a communications crisis and a messaging battle against the Trump White House in the new media landscape. They also talk about how conservative media is shaping the situation on the ground, what he thinks of

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49:28

Alison Roman on cookbooks, food influencers, and the...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/10/10

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 trying to move away from life on the Internet. This week, Ben and Max bring on the chef and author to talk about food media, the value of a physical cookbook in a digital world, and how AI is influencing her recipes. They also talk about why cooking, and her new book, are the ‘antithesis of the

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49:05

Blackbird Spyplane’s Jonah Weiner on Substack,...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/10/03

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 journalist, Jonah Weiner, to talk about how the newsletter has evolved, how it changed his marriage, and why he’s ‘grossed out’ by affiliate links. They also talk about if he wants to expand the business further, and why Obama epitomizes ‘the state of the art of dad pants.’Sign up for Semafor Media’s

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54:55

Can MS survive without NBC? Inside CEO Mark Lazarus’...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/09/26

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 first interview about the new “SpinCo,” Ben and Max talk to CEO Mark Lazarus about how he envisions the company will operate, how he wants to grow each of the brands, and what independent outlets he’s looking to acquire. They also discuss how he looks at MSNBC and progressive media’s place in the company

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54:02

Malcolm Gladwell’s theories on podcasting, America,...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/09/19

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 to get his current theories about the state of podcasting, how that industry can extend your career, and why he’s betting on narrative shows when everyone else is running towards chat shows. They also discuss his take on Joe Rogan as a “tightly muscled possum,” and why he’s skeptical of the power of

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37:43

How AI is reshaping media, with Google’s VP of...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/09/12

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 about advertising, how he’s navigated the technological changes in that space, and if AI is going to homogenize all of the ads we see. Josh also answers some listener questions about how advertisers work with creators and what the biggest blind spots in marketing are today. This episode is partner content

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43:35

How to be elite in the age of populism, with the FT’s...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/09/05

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 are the consequences of high quality journalism only being available to the 1%? This week, Ben and Max bring on the editor of the FT, Roula Khalaf, to talk about the paper’s position in a populist world, who it ultimately serves, and the surprising success that older FT journalists have had on social

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46:10

How media drove America crazy, with Thomas Chatterton...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/08/29

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 Atlantic staff writer, Thomas Chatterton Williams, to talk about how we can trace Donald Trump’s re-election to that summer, the role that media played in fueling the right-wing backlash, and how his experience on social media at the time spawned his latest book, Summer of Our Discontent. They also discuss the

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39:54

Don Lemon on Elon Musk, Chris Cuomo, and why YouTube...

Mixed Signals from Semafor Media ·

2025/08/22

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 to discuss what he’s learned in the transition to new media, the latest on his legal battle with Musk, and if there’s a place for centrists on YouTube. They also get his take on his former TV “friend,” Chris Cuomo, his thoughts on corporations “bending the knee” to the administration, and why he

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79 results

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