The Press Box

Latest Episodes:

Instant Reaction Pod: Adrian Wojnarowski's Retirement and the End of the Woj Bomb Sep 18, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David immediately react to Adrian Wojnarowski’s retirement from ESPN (0:30). They reflect on:

His commitment to bell-to-bell NBA coverage (2:40)
Being the first iPhone alert sports journalist (11:40)
How his NBA draft day tweets changed when he began at ESPN (14:45)
How the “Woj bomb” caught on (17:30)
The NBA media in the post-Woj era (22:39)

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s Next After the Trump-Harris Debate? Plus: Tom Brady Week 2 and Anchorman-Producer Meltdowns. Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David are back to discuss what’s next after the Donald Trump–Kamala Harris debate (4:00). They share their thoughts on the moderators (6:15), JD Vance’s responses to the "cats and dogs" comment (9:32), and Kamala Harris’s performance (17:26).

Later in the notebook dump they react to the following:

Linda Deutsch's legacy as a court reporter (32:10)
How iconic James Earl Jones’s voice was (35:00)
Plus a couple of TV host–TV producer meltdown clips (37:57)

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

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Instant Reactions to the Kamala Harris–Donald Trump Debate With Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin Sep 11, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan grabs his coffee and fires up the mic with Benjy Sarlin so they can provide you with the morning-after immediate reactions to the Kamala Harris–Donald Trump debate.

They discuss the following:

The biggest things everyone learned from the debate (1:10)
How close did we get to seeing Kamala Harris the prosecutor (8:51)
How Kamala Harris was prepared for the debate (12:24)
Things that connected with undecided voters (16:00)
Words that will be remembered out of this debate (22:58)
Their thoughts on the moderators (25:25)
Reactions to Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris (30:56)
Benjy shares insight from the spin room in Philadelphia (33:18)

Plus David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Benjy Sarlin

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom Brady’s Week 1 Report Card, the Harris-Trump Debate Is Here, and NFL TV Notes Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David kick off the show by previewing this Tuesday’s long-awaited debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump (00:36). Then they discuss Tom Brady’s first day on his new job (17:35).

Later, in the notebook, they react to the following:

Tenet Media got covert funding from Russian state media employees (35:33),

Joe Tessitore debuted on 'Raw' (38:54), and

Shannon Sharpe called out his producers (49:47)

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

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How We Talk About Football, Coach Tim Walz and the State of the Campaign, and the Art of Curious Podcasting with Pablo Torre Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan kicks off the show with a preview of his latest piece on the ringer dot com, How Fox Threw Tom Brady a Hail Mary and Won (0:45). Then he welcomes Pablo Torre and they discuss the following:

How the media talks football these days (7:05)
Tom Brady being recast as an announcer (18:13)
The democratic rollout of Tim Walz (31:29)
Pablo’s podcast, ‘Pablo Finds Out’ (43:43)

Plus David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Pablo Torre

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Football TV Mega-Preview, Tom Brady’s Debut, and Kamala Harris Speaks Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David kick off the show by recapping Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s interview with Dana Bash (0:32). Then, as they get ready for the return of football, they get into the following:

Football season starts with Tom Brady in a different seat (13:34)
Legendary head coaches Nick Saban and Bill Belichick make their television debuts (19:23)
ESPN takes over the SEC (24:16)
Deion Sanders vs. Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler (30:17)

Then, in the notebook, they discuss the following:

Having status by knowing a journalist on a first-name basis (36:58)
Things you call a story (38:25)
Journalists' overuse of the phrase “existential crisis” (41:00)

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

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Debate Chaos, Kamala Harris’s Big Interview, and Leaving CNN With Oliver Darcy of ‘Status’ Aug 29, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! On the Final Edition of 'The Press Box,' Bryan welcomes Oliver Darcy to the pod. They discuss the following:

The rules of the upcoming Harris-Trump debate (1:49)
Kamala Harris’s upcoming interview and what to expect (10:42)
Sarah Palin’s new trial against The New York Times (15:49)
Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to the House Judiciary Committee (17:33)

Then Oliver discusses why he left CNN to build his own platform, ‘Status’ (21:32).

Plus, David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Oliver Darcy

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Changing the Way NFL Games Are Called, the Debate Over the Debate, and the DNC Notebook Dump Aug 26, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David kick off the show by discussing the state of sports color commentary and whether or not analysts should be ex-players (0:30). Then Bryan recaps his four nights at the upper deck of the United Center in Chicago (10:30). They also discuss the following from the Democratic National Convention:

Their favorite moments that stuck out (19:26)
Some media grumbling (30:17)
The branded media place to hang out (36:00)

Then, in the notebook, they discuss the following:

Rece Davis introduces college football (42:17)
ESPN brings back 'The Sports Reporters' (44:41)

And then, in Only in Journalism, they discuss Deion Sanders’s reaction to an only-in-journalism word (0:00)

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

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Chicago: The Best and Worst of the Democratic Convention With Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin Aug 23, 2024

Show notes

Hello, media consumers! Bryan is live out of the United Center in Chicago along with Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin, and they recap the Democratic Convention. They assess Kamala Harris’s speech and then hit on 10 topics:

Defining Kamala Harris (8:08)
How the Democrats talk about Donald Trump (10:47)
The Democrats’ embrace of celebrity(15:34)
Thoughts on the rollout of Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’s running mate (17:55)
The return of the Obamas and Obama-isms to the Democratic Party (21:27)
The Democrats claim patriotism as their own with the USA chants (25:57)
Their favorite speeches (28:30)
Speeches that whiffed (32:11)
The vibes in the convention (35:25)
What they are looking for after this convention (37:31)

Plus, David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Benjy Sarlin

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Covering the Democratic Convention With CBS News’ Robert Costa and Ed O’Keefe Aug 21, 2024

Show notes

Hello media consumers! Bryan has a bonus mid-week episode with two special guests from CBS News. First he speaks with White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe, who discusses working the floors of the convention, staking out Joe Biden during his final days in the White House, and the early returns on Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (1:21)

Then he talks with the chief election and campaign correspondent, Robert Costa, to discuss his conversations with Donald Trump and Joe Biden, his thoughts on the convention so far, and leaving the theater after Biden announced that he is stepping down. (25:45)

Host: Bryan Curtis

Guest: Ed O’Keefe and Robert Costa

Producer: Brian H. Waters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected