Slate Culture Feed Culture Gabfest - Is Hamnet this Year’s Oscar Villain? Edition
Jan 28, 2026
Claire Malone, New Yorker profile writer known for incisive reporting, joins to discuss her profile of Bari Weiss and reporting surprises. The conversation covers Weiss’s rise, management style, and the limits of courting heterodox audiences. Hosts also debate Chloé Zhao’s film Hamnet, its emotional reach, and whether Jessie Buckley’s performance and awards buzz land. Plus takes on Netflix’s The Rip and industry pressures.
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Weiss Is Remaking CBS In A Substack Image
- Malone and the hosts note Bari Weiss is reshaping CBS in a Substack-like model, hiring talent acquisition from Substack and recruiting lifestyle and health influencers as contributors.
- This signals a move toward personality-driven, platform-style programming rather than traditional newsroom norms.
Startup Habits Clash With Running Legacy Newsrooms
- Weiss's management missteps at CBS reflect running a large, complex news operation like a small startup; sending company-wide memos asking for 1,200 job memos felt tone-deaf.
- Hosts link that miscalculation to her experience running smaller ventures like the Free Press and University of Austin.
TV Audiences Are Fixed So Strategy Can't Flip Overnight
- The hosts argue CBS's audience is structurally fixed (older, linear TV viewers), so Weiss's attempt to court new streaming audiences via personality contributors is unlikely to quickly change viewer demographics.
- They caution that ownership and political calculations (Ellison interests) also shape editorial choices.
