Claim OwnershipThe Grill Room
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Finally, a media podcast about what’s actually happening in the media—not the over-sanitized, legal-and-standards-approved version you read online. Every Tuesday and Friday, join Dylan Byers, Puck’s veteran media reporter, and Julia Alexander, a longtime media analyst, as they sit down with TV personalities, moguls, political pundits and industry executives for raw, honest, sometimes salacious conversations about the business of media and its biggest egos. “The Grill Room,” an homage to the exclusive dining room within The Four Seasons where a generation of media executives consummated deals and traded gossip, is produced in partnership with Audacy Podcasts. The Grill Room is an extension of In the Room, Dylan’s private email for Puck, where he chronicles the intrigue and inside stories behind what’s really going on in the media industry—from the board room to the newsroom to the green room and everything in between. Subscribe here: https://puck.news/dylanbyers
149 Episodes
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Sam Feist, the C.E.O. of C-SPAN and former 33-year veteran of CNN, joins Dylan to discuss the long-whispered possibility (now reality) of a marriage between CNN and CBS—a concept that has quietly floated around the industry for more than 40 years. Feist explains why the broadcast reach of CBS and CNN’s global reporting capabilities could be uniquely complementary, what the union might look like under the Ellisons, and why trusted journalism matters more than ever in today's hyper-misinformation era. He also shares the new initiatives he’s implementing at C-SPAN, in an effort to foster bipartisan dialogue.
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Dylan and Julia consider the fate of CNN under Ellison rule: the looming $6 billion in “synergies” menacing the newsroom, how cost cutting could impact staff, the stark realities of operating a pricey 24/7 network, and the mounting speculation surrounding whether Bari Weiss will turn the whole thing into CBS+.
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Dylan welcomes Puck superfriends Matt Belloni and Bill Cohan to discuss every angle of the Paramount-WBD leveraged buyout: the Ellisons’ exorbitant $79 billion debt, Zaslav’s true legacy, and whether Netflix dodged a bullet. Then they dig into the industry reactions to the deal and its dire implications for Hollywood.
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Julia and Dylan dive into the new partnership between Polymarket and Substack, and debate whether live markets actually make journalism better. Then they turn to the latest turbulence at The Washington Post after its recent town hall, and address the existential question: Is there anything Jeff Bezos can realistically do to steady the ship?
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Reed Duchscher, C.E.O. of Night Media, joins Dylan and Julia to discuss his management firm’s recent $70 million raise—and what it signals about the next phase of his company and the creator economy writ large. A former manager of MrBeast, Duchscher explains why we’re unlikely to see another YouTube star of that scale, weighs the tension between volume and scarcity, and weighs into the rise of platforms like TikTok and Roblox, the future of independent political commentary, and more.
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Julia and Dylan assess the state of CBS—and the media industry writ large—in the Trump II era, from the fallout over Stephen Colbert’s interview with James Talarico to Anderson Cooper’s stunning exit from 60 Minutes. They also assess the early numbers from Peacock’s “Legendary February,” the steep implications of Paramount’s renewed pursuit of WBD, what a WBD-PSKY merger could mean for CNN, and much, much more.
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John Ourand and Julia Alexander dive into the biggest sports media storylines of the moment, from the forthcoming NFL rights negotiations and their sweeping implications to NBCUniversal’s “Legendary February” and Peacock’s ongoing subscriber challenges. They also discuss the NFL’s growing international ambitions, the competitive drag of NBA tanking, the Olympics, and much more.
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Julia and Dylan to take stock of the week in media: Spotify’s rosy earnings report, NBC’s “Legendary February,” Peacock’s subscriber headaches, the enduring A.I.-media reckoning, and more. Plus, Dylan weighs in on what the future holds for the embattled Washington Post after a turbulent few weeks of layoffs and leadership upheaval.
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NBC Sports president Rick Cordella joins Dylan to discuss a pivotal month for the network, from the Super Bowl to the Winter Olympics and the NBA All-Star Game. Cordella explains how live sports fuel subscriber growth for Peacock, often driving audiences to other programming, and reflects on the enduring value of broadcast television, the challenges of media fragmentation, the strategic importance of retaining premium sports rights, and more.
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1The Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray joins Dylan for an exclusive, wide-ranging conversation about the sweeping layoffs that reduced the newsroom by 300 journalists and a third of the company overall. Murray defends the restructuring as necessary to meet changing audience behavior and address financial strain, while arguing that recent subscriber gains signal a viable path to growth in the paper’s next chapter.
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Julia and Dylan dig into the week’s most consequential media storylines: the mass layoffs at the Washington Post, Peacock’s pivotal month of sports programming, the ascension of Josh D’Amaro as Disney’s new C.E.O., and the growing question of whether ESPN will ultimately be spun off as Disney signals that its future lies beyond traditional television.
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Jason Zengerle joins Dylan for a deep dive into his new book, ‘Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind.’ Zengerle traces Carlson’s evolution from print journalist to cable news star—and eventually to media mogul—examining his strategic use of outrage, his close alignment with Trump, and how both have fueled his influence. They also explore the broader impact of conservative media on American political discourse and whether Carlson may ultimately pursue elected office.
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Julia and Dylan chew over the reports that Barry Diller is interested in buying CNN, and whether a new owner would solve the network’s digital dilemma (probably not). Then they assess the broader, largely self-inflicted crises facing Bari Weiss at CBS News, Will Lewis at The Washington Post, and Mark Thompson at CNN. They also break down Netflix’s latest Engagement Report and the streamer’s increasingly YouTube-esque programming.
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Former Barstool Sports C.E.O. and Food52 chief executive Erika Ayers Badan joins Dylan to reflect on navigating bankruptcy at Food52, a onetime $300 million company that ultimately collapsed under roughly $25 million in debt. She breaks down what went wrong, the dangers of undisciplined growth, and why diversified revenue streams matter now more than ever. She also discusses what kind of buyers might be circling, what industry peers can learn from Food52’s downturn, her take on the state of media writ large—and much more.
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Julia and Dylan break down the week’s biggest media storylines, from Netflix’s earnings and Ted Sarandos’s candid take on the state of television to Neal Mohan’s annual letter outlining YouTube’s present—and A.I.-shaped future. The duo weigh into the ever-growing challenge of capturing attention in an increasingly oversaturated and fragmented media ecosystem—and the curious case of Mediaite’s perplexing new newsletter about… newsletters.
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Semafor co-founders Justin Smith and Ben Smith join Dylan to discuss their recent $30 million financing at a staggering $330 million post-money valuation—and to address some industry player-hating. They justify the math behind the valuation, break down the economics of a media company with a significant events business (while rejecting the idea that Semafor is events-first), and walk through their broader ambition to build a global, intelligent, independent news brand in the mold of The Economist and the Financial Times.
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Dylan and Julia dig into the mess surrounding a potential corporate sponsorship of CBS News’ “Whiskey Fridays” with Tony Dokoupil, after an Evening News set featuring a Jack Daniel’s logo leaked online. The controversy also sparked a bigger debate about whether corporate sponsorships lack journalistic integrity—or actually offer a viable lifeline to a news industry in perpetual decline.
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Jim VandeHei, the co-founder and C.E.O. of Axios, is back with hot takes on the industry’s biggest challenges: the media’s trust deficit, the imperative to serve hyper-targeted audiences, and how A.I. is writing journalism’s next chapter. Jim predicts a potential golden age for quality reporting—provided publishers actually embrace A.I.—and delivers a characteristically blunt assessment of The Washington Post and CBS News.
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Julia and Dylan survey a volatile week in media: Tony Dokoupil’s rocky debut at CBS Evening News and the broader questions it raises about Bari Weiss’s leadership, Semafor’s eyebrow-raising $330 million valuation, the flood of A.I.-generated content overtaking Instagram and X, and plenty more.
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Matt Belloni joins Dylan and Julia to chart the latest updates surrounding the Warner Bros. Discovery bidding war between Netflix and Paramount—and what each side stands to gain or lose. Then they dive into Hollywood’s accelerating A.I. anxiety in light of Disney’s pact with Sora 2, the upcoming film slate for 2026, YouTube's rights deal with the Oscars, and more. Plus: Matt explains his choices for Hollywood’s heroes and villain of the year.
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oh the sweet sweet revenge 🫠🤣
dem media obsessing over dem.media yawn
colbert dem media are getting actually what they deserve
why can't billionaires who we despise. fund our democrat media machine forever. the party is coming to an end.
liberal media attacking tucker for bowing to the mob. oh the irony
after the russia hoax biden cover up etc. why don't you trust us🫠😄😅🤣
if its not pro democrat anti trump. its notbthe news
just another woke chick pushing dei
you mean she asked them to get replies from trump circle and generally be less hysterical
why this dumb woman still gets interviews is beyond me
Wolf Galloway swisher yuck
its hilarious they think fox terrible for the US. but new york times is a net benefit 🫠🫢🤭
its hilarious these clowns think they are conservatives
bari must laugh at all these bitter so called journalists seething
Have you ever tried Dyna glo grills: https://dynaglogrills.com/