The Grill Room
Audacy | Puck
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
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 26, 2024 • 53min
Punchbowl’s Big Fish
Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer, co-founders of Punchbowl News and former Politico stars, share their journey from top journalists to media innovators. They discuss the inception of Punchbowl and its laser focus on Capitol Hill news. The duo dives into the challenges of navigating the ever-changing media landscape, the revolutionary data integration tool for Capitol Hill professionals, and the potential of niche subscription markets. They reflect on the importance of audience engagement and the competitive spirit needed to thrive in today's journalism.
Nov 22, 2024 • 31min
MSNBC in Exile
Jon Kelly joins Dylan to discuss the cascading effects of Brian Roberts’ monumental decision to spin off NBCUniversal’s declining cable assets. Then they get into Rachel Maddow’s $125 million contract renegotiation and how MSNBC survives without the NBC mothership. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 19, 2024 • 1h 5min
Alison Roman Chops It Up
It’s a food media-themed doubleheader in The Grill Room! First, Dylan convenes with The Infatuation C.E.O. Paul Needham, who discusses the economics of his restaurant recommendation empire. Then acclaimed food writer and entrepreneur Alison Roman stops by to discuss her journey from legacy media to entrepreneurship and why her defenestration from The New York Times turned out to be a blessing in disguise. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 15, 2024 • 48min
Disney Succession Tea Leaves
CNBC's Alex Sherman joins Dylan for the ultimate dish-fest across a series of juicy and mission-critical topics--Disney succession tea leaves, Dana Walden versus the outsiders, John Malone's Maffei moves, NBC's "Roundball Rock" deal blockers, Comcast's cable trial balloon, and much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 12, 2024 • 53min
Legacy Media's Last Stand
Jim VandeHei, co-founder and CEO of Axios, shares insights on the shifting media landscape post-Trump victory. He discusses Elon Musk's influence on conservation media through X, and how traditional outlets like CNN struggle to retain relevance. VandeHei emphasizes the need for legacy media to adapt and maintain journalistic integrity amidst fragmentation. The conversation also touches on the changing dynamics of political coverage, highlighting the challenges in nurturing passionate journalists and the call for objective reporting in today's climate.
Nov 8, 2024 • 45min
The Reverse Trump Bump
Dylan is joined by veteran Republican strategist and never-Trump media darling Tim Miller for an incisive post-election postmortem. Together, they dissect how the election unfolded, examine the failures of Democrats and the media to anticipate this new reality, and discuss what lies ahead for the political-media landscape. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 5, 2024 • 55min
When Life Gives You Lemon…
Ex-CNN host Don Lemon joins Dylan in The Grill Room to reveal what he’s learned about the electorate from his tour of America’s battleground states. Then they trade war stories about Don’s meteoric rise during the Trump years, his dramatic defenestration from CNN, and his second-act hustle in the post-cable era. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 1, 2024 • 1h 4min
New York Media's State of Mind
Media reporter Charlotte Klein joins Dylan for a candid conversation about her recently published Power Issue, New York's annual edition highlighting the under-the-radar people shaping the media capital of the world. Then they trade notes on the recurring themes underlying the industry: CNN’s subscription-based business model, CBS News’ D.E.I. shortcomings, WaPo’s reneged Kamala endorsement, whether local news can survive, and much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 29, 2024 • 59min
Brian Williams: One Night Only!
Legendary newsman Brian Williams and his longtime executive producer Jonathan Wald join Dylan to dish about their new election night special for Amazon, the glory days of TV news, its current belt-tightened economics, his own time in the wilderness, why he didn’t take the CBS job, and why he decided to get the band back together for one evening—and what it might portend. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 22, 2024 • 3min
Introducing: The Grill Room, with Dylan Byers
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, as he sits down with television 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, launching October 29. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
