The Onion is a comedy institution — and like everything else in media, it went on a pure nightmare hell ride in the 2010s. We could do an entire episode on the G/O Media calamity, but the short version is: A bunch of friends just managed to buy The Onion, and they're busy relaunching the website, going back to print, and, clearly, having a blast doing it. CE ... Show More
Feb 26
Inside Xbox's executive shakeup
Today, we’re talking about the future of Xbox. Phil Spencer, a two-time Decoder guest who’s led Xbox for more than a decade, is stepping down. But in a shocking twist, his deputy long-assumed successor Sarah Bond is also out too, and the Xbox division is now in the hands of an As ... Show More
43m 8s
Feb 23
Hank Green lets loose on YouTube, billionaires, and algorithms
Today, I’m talking with Hank Green, a longtime friend of Decoder and the co-founder and now former owner of Complexly, an online education company he started with his brother John in 2012. I say former owner because Hank and John have just converted Complexly into a nonprofit and ... Show More
1h 11m
Nov 2024
Fox News is Back at the White House. Plus, No Joke, The Onion Buys Infowars.
<p>Many of Donald J. Trump’s cabinet picks have something in common: a very close relationship with Fox News. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the revolving door from the conservative network to the White House. Plus, election conspiracy theories from Kamala Harris support ... Show More
50m 14s
Jun 2024
The Onion Knight Ft. Ben Collins
In April, The Onion was acquired by a new entity called Global Tetrahedron, revealed shortly thereafter to be a joint venture between billionaire Jeff Lawson and former NBC disinformation reporter Ben Collins, now its CEO. Ben joins Ed to talk about buying The Onion, keeping its ... Show More
49 m
Aug 2024
The Secret Succession Fight That Will Determine the Future of Fox News
<p>For years, Rupert Murdoch seemed content to let his children battle it out for control of his conservative media empire once he’s gone.<br /><br />Jim Rutenberg, who writes about media and politics for The Times, discusses how a secret change to that plan by Mr. Murdoch touche ... Show More
27m 12s
Feb 2025
When Traditional Advertising Is Dead
It’s no secret the media business, which has long relied on advertising revenue, is in crisis. It’s not a stretch to imagine that few if any of the major TV networks, newspapers and magazines - the old guard bedrocks of U.S. media - will survive into the next decade. BCG’s Neal Z ... Show More
33m 20s
<p>My guest today is Max Meyer, the proprietor of <em>Arena Magazine</em>, a new quarterly publication exploring technology, capitalism and civilization.</p> <p>Arena's aim? To "<em>make it okay to dream in public again."</em></p> <p>Max and I discuss why he launched a print maga ... Show More
