Russ: The power... is with us.
Nadia: I'm Nadia.
Russ: And I'm Russ.
Nadia: And you're listening to The Feed for Monday, August 24th.
Russ: We're tracking three big stories from the world of podcasts and beyond.
Nadia: On the show today: some surprisingly good news for the podcast industry, and why the power might actually be shifting back to creators.
Russ: We're also asking what a Nobel Prize-winning film has to do with your favorite pods—and whether anyone really wants 'honest and truthful' content.
Nadia: Plus, John Oliver goes after a politician for his 'godawful' YouTube reality show.
Nadia: So let's start with that good news. Podnews is out with a piece, which they note is sponsored by Magellan AI, arguing that despite all the doom and gloom, the power in podcasting is shifting back to creators.
Russ: 'The power is with us'? Sounds like something a CEO says right before a round of layoffs.
Nadia: Be cynical, but hear them out. The argument is, with big platforms cooling their spending, the focus is back on indie shows and networks that can build a direct line to their audience.
Russ: A 'direct line' means what, exactly? They're answering my angry DMs? Because I haven't noticed.
Nadia: It means not being chained to a single platform. The report cites a strong, diversified ad market that's way more than just host-reads now.
Russ: So more money is flying around the top. Great for the people selling the ads.
Nadia: But that's good for the whole ecosystem, Russ. A healthy ad market supports more shows, which means more choice. The piece, called 'Beyond the Buy', points to smarter ad signaling...
Russ: Hold on. 'Smarter ad signaling' sounds like a very clean way of saying 'we're getting even better at tracking you'.
Nadia: Or it means you get ads for stuff you might actually want instead of the same meal kit for the tenth time. The point is, the market's stabilizing. It's not just a few giants controlling the whole pie.
Russ: I'll believe the power is with 'us' when a great indie show can get discovered without having to kiss the ring of a big network.
Nadia: But that's starting to happen. Discovery is still the biggest hurdle, but it’s not the walled garden it was threatening to become two years ago.
Russ: So the takeaway for a normal person is… 'Don't worry, the shows you like probably won't get canceled tomorrow?'
Nadia: Basically, yeah. And in this climate, that's not nothing.
Russ: Alright, let's jump to the film world. Variety reports director Erik Poppe is adapting a script from Nobel Prize winner Jon Fosse, and he says people 'long for something honest and truthful'.
Nadia: Right, it's a film called 'Beloved'. And I think this speaks to a bigger trend I'm seeing everywhere, podcasts included.
Russ: The trend of being 'honest and truthful'? As opposed to all the lying, fake stuff we're supposed to like?
Nadia: No, it's a desire for slower, more deliberate, more artfully-made stuff. You see it in podcasting with the rise of 'slow podcasting'—shows that are really crafted, almost literary experiences.
Russ: Crafted, literary… you mean boring. Who actually listens to that? People say they want it, but their download history is all true crime and celebrity gossip.
Nadia: I think there's a growing audience that's just burned out on noise. They want substance. The director's quote is key: people 'long for something honest and truthful'. That's not just filmgoers.
Russ: A Nobel laureate's script comes with built-in prestige. A podcast trying the same thing is just some guy talking slowly into a mic about his feelings in a shed.
Nadia: That's a caricature! The sound design on some of these shows is incredible. They're creating a whole atmosphere. It's a different kind of entertainment—a lean-in experience, not lean-back.
Russ: So, what, I have to start listening to audiobooks pretending to be podcasts to be a 'good' listener now?
Nadia: No, it just means the menu's getting bigger. You don't have to order it, but if you want more than content fast-food, the options are growing.
Russ: I don't know. It feels like the audio version of a black-and-white foreign film. Critics will love it, and audiences will go download another comedy podcast.
Nadia: Okay, last up, let's head to YouTube. On 'Last Week Tonight,' John Oliver took aim at former 'Real World' star and Trump Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy.
Russ: Oh, I saw the clip. It was a masterclass. He called Duffy's YouTube show with his wife... what was the exact word?
Nadia: 'Godawful.' And, as Variety confirms, he was not wrong. The show is called 'From the Kitchen Table' and... wow.
Russ: It's an absolute trainwreck. Which, let's be honest, is why people watch. Oliver trashing it is the best advertising it could have ever gotten.
Nadia: That's the paradox, right? But from a media strategy perspective, it's fascinating. A former cabinet secretary tries to become a lifestyle influencer, and it just comes off as so amateur.
Russ: It's not just amateur, it's hilariously bad. The lighting, the stilted conversation... it's a public access show that thinks it's 'The Kardashians'.
Nadia: Oliver's main point was about the Dunning-Kruger effect—someone completely unaware of their own incompetence. He even dug up Duffy's old 'Real World' clips to prove it.
Russ: The man has been reality-TV-cringe for decades! It's his brand! Why would anyone expect his YouTube show to be anything other than that?
Nadia: Because you'd think a former cabinet secretary would want to project authority, not... this. It's a total miscalculation of how to use the platform.
Russ: Or it's a brilliant calculation. He's not trying to get votes, he's trying to get clicks. And what gets more clicks than a well-produced, serious show?
Nadia: A godawful one that a famous comedian makes fun of on national television.
Russ: Exactly! So the new playbook is, if you're a public figure, just lean into the cringe?
Nadia: I think it means the barrier to entry for being a 'creator' is officially on the floor. And sometimes, you get what you pay for.
Nadia: Alright, so to sum up: the podcast industry is looking surprisingly healthy, with power shifting back to creators.
Russ: The smart set is buzzing about 'slow, truthful' content, but we're not convinced you'll actually listen. And if you're a politician with a YouTube show, please make it 'godawful.' It's much more fun for us.
Nadia: Before we go, Russ, you had a... podcasting sighting today?
Russ: I did. I was walking through the park, and I saw a guy with a full professional podcast setup on a picnic table. Two mics, a mixer, the works.
Nadia: A podcast in the wild, I love it. What was the show?
Russ: He was interviewing a squirrel. Intensely. I am not joking.
Nadia: And there you have it. The power is with the creators. Even the squirrel-interviewing ones. That's our show for Monday, August 24th.
Russ: I'm off to find that Sean Duffy channel. For... research. And for 'What we're actually listening to,' Nadia's got a recommendation that is the polar opposite of that.
Nadia: It is. I'm recommending Fall of Civilizations. It's incredibly well-produced, deeply researched, and yes, it's that 'slow, truthful' content we were just talking about. But it is absolutely brilliant. We'll see you tomorrow.
This show is made with AI: the hosts’ voices are synthetic and the scripts are AI-assisted. Every story links to its original source.