The Press Box

Latest Episodes:

Trump-Musk Fallout and ESPN's Finals Coverage. Plus: Alan Siegel on 'The Simpsons.' Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David parse through the very public Donald Trump–Elon Musk breakup (0:41) before sharing some notes on Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals; Warner Bros. Discovery, which is splitting into two companies; ABC's Terry Moran's suspension; and a hefty edition of "sliding doors" metaphors (15:28). Finally, The Ringer's Alan Siegel joins to discuss his new book, 'Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of "The Simpsons" Changed Television—and America—Forever' (43:53).

Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline!

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker
Guest: Alan Siegel
Producer: Kyle Crichton

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25 for 25: Noah Eagle. Plus, NBA Finals Notes, and WaPo Becomes HuffPo. Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel discuss some NBA Finals thoughts, Oklahoma City as a host city, reports of Doris Burke's uncertain future in ESPN's broadcast booth, Cam'ron the journalist, and more (2:47). Then they discuss The Washington Post's puzzling new strategy and Pablo Torre's Bill Belichick–Jordon Hudson investigation (30:05). Then they are joined by NBC's Noah Eagle to talk about the Finals, the NBA on NBC 2.0, and the future of play-by-play (48:22). Finally, Bryan and Joel close the show with some weekend book recommendations and a solemn addition to the Hall of Departed Journalists (1:22:37).

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson
Guest: Noah Eagle
Producers: Kyle Crichton and Bobby Wagner

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Farewell to the NBA On TNT. Plus: Mark Kriegel on Mike Tyson and the Future of Sports Biographies. Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Hello media consumers! This week, Bryan and David discuss a bevy of “now they tell us” stories, some from the NBA and some from Washington (1:00), before coining a new segment called the “Pulled Punch Effect” (26:00). Then, they share a few more listener-submitted “sliding doors” metaphors (30:00), before Bryan is joined by Mark Kriegel to discuss 'Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson,' the state of the sports biography, and the present and future status of Mike Tyson in the sports and wider world (45:00).

Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week, the Media Piss Test, and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The Democrats Are (Still) Looking for the Left’s Joe Rogan. Plus: Texas Barbecue Rankings! May 29, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel return on this Thursday edition of the podcast to discuss the Democrats’ deliberate investment in building a liberal infrastructure of influencers, podcasters, and new media (23:00). Then, they discuss the state of podcast interviews and whether or not listeners are making distinctions between the kinds of shows that are journalistic vs. focused on entertainment (39:00). Finally, they react to the release of the Texas Monthly BBQ Top 50 (47:00).

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel D. Anderson

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The Reign of the Three-Man Booth, Why ‘Mission: Impossible’ Is Getting a Pass, and More Sliding Doors Metaphors May 27, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David come to you on this Press Box Monday (Tuesday) edition with some thoughts on the NBA’s gradual acceptance of the three-man announcer booth (1:30), Elon Musk’s media blitz (13:00), the coverage and criticism of the latest installment in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise (24:00), more sliding doors metaphors in journalism (35:00), and more.

Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week, the Media Piss Test, and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Tyrese Haliburton Goes Full Reggie Miller. Plus: A Final Farewell to ‘Around the Horn.’ May 22, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel are back on this Press Box Thursday Edition to discuss peak sports media beef (2:00), Reggie Miller’s unique perspective on the Eastern Conference finals and Tyrese Haliburton’s choke sign (17:00), and Draymond Green being added to ‘Inside the NBA’ for the ECF (23:00). Then, they discuss another wave of pieces chronicling the end of ESPN’s ‘Around the Horn’ and what it says about ESPN’s strategy (28:00). Finally, they discuss the latest in AI nightmares trickling into the journalism and media world (44:00).

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel D. Anderson

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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How Sports Ate TV. Plus: Journalism’s Triumphant Return! May 19, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! On this Press Box Monday edition, Bryan and David discuss Journalism, the official horse of The Press Box, winning the Preakness (1:00) before discussing the end of TNT’s era of broadcasting the NBA and what they’ll miss most about it (6:00). Then, they discuss the career of legendary WWE announcer Jim Ross after learning about his colon cancer diagnosis (18:00) before digging into some recently published data about TV ratings and the ways in which sports have completely consumed them (23:00).

Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week, Media Piss Test, and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The Tell-All Book Haunting Washington. Plus: Can Podcasts Become the New Magazines? May 15, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! This week, Bryan and Joel go to J-School to discuss the reactions to and coverage of the Jayson Tatum injury (1:00). Then, they digest the various news ripples that have come from excerpts of ‘Original Sin,’ Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s book about Joe Biden’s decision to run for reelection (10:00). Next, they react to a recent report on Pablo Torre Finds Out about Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson, and they assess whether or not this kind of reporting is replacing magazine journalism of old (35:00). Finally, they talk about the evolution of newsroom etiquette (53:00) and how the media reacted to the news of Pete Rose’s baseball ban being posthumously lifted (1:02:00).

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel D. Anderson

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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An American Pope Media Frenzy, Jayson Tatum Take-a-Palooza, and the Reemergence of Joe Biden May 12, 2025

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David are back on this Monday edition to talk about the election of a new Pope and the media frenzy it spawned (1:00), the week of Jayson Tatum takes (8:00), NBC’s plans for the future of its basketball coverage, including Michael Jordan (17:00), and new media ventures being unable to come up with compelling names for their products (24:00). Then, they’re joined by Politico’s Adam Wren to talk about the reemergence of Joe Biden in the media ahead of a book that’s about to be released about him (38:00). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week, and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Guest: Adam Wren

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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25 for 25: Brian Windhorst on the Future of NBA Reporting May 08, 2025

Show notes

Hello media consumers! This week, please enjoy a little J-School (1:00) before Bryan and Joel are joined by ESPN basketball reporter Brian Windhorst to talk about his path to ESPN and whether it’s replicable, the place good reporting has in our modern media ecosystem, the dreaded aggregators, Gregg Popovich stories, and what direction he sees the future of basketball reporting heading in (26:00).

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel D. Anderson

Guest: Brian Windhorst

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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