The Press Box

By The Ringer

What's The Press Box about?

The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker catch you up on the biggest media stories, from sports to politics and everything in between.

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A Report From the GOP Debat...

09.28.2023

Bryan is on the ground for the second Republican debate and discusses which Fox representatives he spotted at the event, where journalists watched it, and the aftermath in the spin room (0:31). Later, New York Times journalist Adam Nagourney joins ...

The Press Box episodes:

09.28.2023 A Report From the GOP Debate. Plus: Adam Nagourney on Triumphs and Disasters at The New York Times. Bryan is on the ground for the second Republican debate and discusses which Fox representatives he spotted at the event, where journalists watched it, and the aftermath in the spin room (0:31). Later, New York Times journalist Adam Nagourney joins ...
09.25.2023 Streaming Is Coming for Sports, a Debate Preview, and Football Weekend Audio Bryan and David preview the second Republican debate and discuss what we can expect with only six participating candidates (0:37). Then, they are back with another round of Football Weekend Audio, where they highlight their favorite moments from the weekend, ...
09.21.2023 Emergency Podcast: Rupert Murdoch Retires Bryan and David react to the news that Rupert Murdoch will be stepping down as chairman of both Fox and News Corporation. They talk about the Murdoch era of journalism, how he went from kingmaker to answering to Donald Trump, ...
09.18.2023 An NFL Media Lawsuit, Jann Wenner’s Meltdown, and ABC for Sale! Bryan and David discuss Jann Wenner’s meltdown involving his promo tour interview with the New York Times for his new book (0:35). They touch on the news about former NFL reporter Jim Trotter's lawsuit that accuses the league of racial ...
09.15.2023 The Tim Scott Story and Musk-ageddon, Plus Mike Valenti on Lions Happiness and Detroit Sports Bryan talks Weekend Headlines and starts with a Washington Post story about Senator Tim Scott’s love life. He also details his favorite call from Joe Buck during the Bills-Jets game on ‘Monday Night Football’ and talks about some negative reviews ...
09.11.2023 Week 1 NFL Season Audio, the Howard Stern-ing of Cable News, and the Iowa Football Primary Bryan and David discuss Jen Psaki taking over Chris Hayes’s Monday night primetime slot at MSNBC (00:48). Then, they listen to some announcer clips from the NFL and college football (07:03) and talk about the GOP candidates at the Iowa–Iowa ...
09.05.2023 The Coach Prime Content Machine. Plus: The "What Do We Cover Now?" Campaign and a Musk Mega-book. Bryan and David begin this week with Deion Sanders’s coaching debut at Colorado and how the team has already become a content machine and then look into the lack of horse race coverage so far in this election cycle (13:54). ...
09.01.2023 An AI-Journalist Truce and The Athletic’s Big Spending. Plus: Richard Deitsch on Tony Romo and ESPN. Bryan talks Weekend Headlines and begins with news of The Athletic’s acquisition of sportswriter Diana Russini. Then he discusses how news outlets are utilizing code to protect their content against AI and touches on college football’s epidemic of depth-chart withholding ...
08.28.2023 How Not to Moderate a Debate. Plus: Hollywood’s Starless Profiles and the Death of a Lousy Sportswriter. Bryan and David discuss takeaways from the first GOP political debate, from the moderator’s performance to Ron DeSantis’s approach to Chris Christie’s role in the race (8:56). Later, they touch on the news that the Texas Tribune has made layoffs, ...
08.24.2023 A Campaign "Misquote," the Sports Doc Crisis, and Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin on the GOP Debate Bryan is back with Weekend Headlines to review a misquote from Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, then discuss sports docs' equivalence to memoir and Tucker Carlson’s biography (0:48). Later, Bryan is joined by Semafor's Washington bureau chief, Benjy Sarlin, to react ...
08.21.2023 GOP Debate Preview. Plus, the 'Blind Side' Situation and NFL Aggregators. Bryan and David begin the week by reviewing the new cast of 'Monday Night Countdown' (0:43) before discussing what to expect from the first GOP debate airing on Wednesday night without former president Donald Trump (8:22). Later, they talk through ...
08.14.2023 ESPN’s Big Gamble With James Andrew Miller, Plus a Raid in Kansas, and a New ‘Countdown’ Cast Bryan and David hit on the newly announced NBA ‘Countdown’ lineup and discuss its new potential format, before author James Andrew Miller joins the show to unpack the state of ESPN and how things could unfold after the Penn Entertainment ...
08.10.2023 ESPN Bets on Itself and the Orioles’ Massive Blunder. Plus: The New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro on Two Decades of Column-Writing Bryan hits on headlines from the week from ESPN’s new billion-dollar deal with Penn Entertainment to the Orioles’ miscalculation with announcer Kevin Brown. Then, The New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro joins to discuss his career as a sports columnist for ...
08.07.2023 The Wooing of Donald Trump, USWNT Takery, and in Defense of Mark Jackson Bryan and David begin this week by discussing the U.S. women’s national team’s loss to Sweden this weekend and how both current and former players responded to their elimination (0:41). Then, they weigh Fox News’ approach at encouraging Donald Trump ...
08.04.2023 The Trump Trials and the Starless GOP Debate. Plus, Matt Belloni on Disney and the Strikes. Bryan is back with a new segment, Weekend Headlines, where he shares three stories that will get you through the weekend. Then, Matt Belloni joins to talk through Bob Iger's linear media strategy, and weigh the effects of the strikes ...
07.31.2023 Variety vs. Puck and The Atlantic. Plus, ESPN’s New NBA Team, and Twitter Becomes X. Bryan and David preview the new NBA announcing team at ESPN (0:30) before they unpack the media face-off between 'Variety' and both 'The Atlantic' and 'Puck' (9:10). Then, they touch on Twitter rebranding to X (18:28), discuss Sean Payton’s recent ...
07.27.2023 ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi on 'SportsCenter' in 2023, Making It at ESPN, Philly Fandom, and Watching Games With His Dad. Bryan’s East Coast media tour stops off in Connecticut to sit down with ‘SportsCenter’ host Kevin Negandhi. They discuss show production and rundown (1:00), becoming a news anchor in an Indian American family (11:40), and his career path at ESPN ...
07.24.2023 What It’s Like to Work at The Athletic With Lindsay Jones. Plus, ESPN and Newsroom AI. Bryan and David are joined by colleague Lindsay Jones to discuss her experience working at The Athletic. They review Bob Kravitz’s piece on Substack, touch on Jones’s experience at the site, and discuss how things are progressing after the merger ...
07.21.2023 Astead Herndon on Campaign 2024, Midwest Diners, Podcasting vs. Writing, and The New York Times. Bryan is joined by New York Times reporter and podcaster Astead Herndon from ‘The Run-Up’ to discuss life on the campaign trail. They talk through the transition from print stories to podcasting, dive into the inner workings behind the stories ...
07.17.2023 What Should The New York Times Do With The Athletic? Plus: No More Hollywood Profiles. Bryan and David brainstorm how The New York Times and The Athletic could restructure heading into the new phase of coverage (3:40). Then, amid the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, they discuss a few more media side effects, including the loss ...
07.14.2023 The We’re-Back Show: RIP New York Times Sports, ESPN Layoffs, GQ, and More Bryan and David discuss The New York Times replacing its sports section with The Athletic and what that means for their sports writers (2:10). Then, they talk about GQ’s column about Warner Bros. Discovery president David Zaslav (32:06). Later, they ...
07.10.2023 Jake Tapper on Writing Novels, the '70s, Print Days, Rupert Murdoch, and the New CNN Bryan is joined by CNN’s Jake Tapper to discuss his upcoming thriller novel, ‘All the Demons Are Here.’ They begin talking through the writing process whilst being a lead anchor, discuss why Tapper chose to write a novel based in ...
07.03.2023 One Perfect Story: Chris Jones on "The Things That Carried Him" Bryan is joined by journalist Chris Jones to remember his 2010 piece in Esquire, "The Things That Carried Him," a true story about Sgt. Joe Montgomery’s last trip home. They discuss how Jones knew he was ready to write this ...
06.26.2023 The 20th Anniversary of 'Shattered Glass' with Writer-Director Billy Ray Bryan is joined by Billy Ray, writer and director of ‘Shattered Glass,’ a movie that covers the Stephen Glass New Republic scandal, for the 20th anniversary of its release. They discuss Ray’s experience transitioning from writer to director, how he ...
06.21.2023 Tim Mak on Reporting From Ukraine, Going Solo for Substack, and the Life of a War Correspondent Bryan is joined by journalist Tim Mak in Kyiv to discuss his time reporting from Ukraine. They talk through his time in the country when the invasion began, why he decided to return to Kyiv to continue war coverage, and ...
06.20.2023 Did We Ever Decide How to Cover Trump? Plus: The Athletic Pivots and the End of the Draft-Night Woj Bomb Ahead of the NBA draft, Bryan and David talk through the announcement from Woj that he will not tip the picks on Twitter before they’re made (0:25). Then, they discuss Trump’s outing in Miami and the media’s uncertain coverage of ...
06.14.2023 Live From the U.S. Open With Kevin Van Valkenburg and NBC's John Wood Bryan is live from the U.S. Open and dives into news of the LIV Golf–PGA Tour merger with Kevin Van Valkenburg (2:07). They discuss how the story broke, what the relationship is like between both entities, and what it’s like ...
06.12.2023 Flushing Out the Trump Indictment, LIV-PGA, and CNN’s Cloudy Future Bryan and David talk through CNN’s future and possible restructure (0:40), before jumping into the news of yet another indictment for former president Donald Trump (13:34). Later, they discuss the LIV Golf and PGA Tour merger and how it all ...
06.09.2023 Ryen Russillo on Covering the NBA Finals, Explaining Jokic’s Greatness, and Getting the Sports TV We Want Bryan is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss Jokic’s impressive performance in the Finals and the media’s response to the Denver Nuggets. Then, they talk through Russillo’s theory on how we all get what we want from the media and ...
06.05.2023 Shannon Sharpe, Chuck Todd, and the CNN Meltdown for Dummies Bryan and David talk through the pronunciation of presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’s last name (0:41) before jumping into media news involving Chuck Todd leaving ‘Meet the Press’ (9:48) and Shannon Sharpe leaving FS1’s ‘Undisputed’ (21:02). Then, they dive into Tim ...
06.02.2023 Game 1 Garbage Time, the Cult of Kevin Harlan, and Other Media Takes With Tyler Parker Bryan is joined by The Ringer’s Tyler Parker to discuss Game 1 of the NBA Finals, how ABC’s commentary crew handled Denver’s blowout win and their praise of Nikola Jokic (02:43). Then, they discuss the media’s lack of coverage towards ...
05.30.2023 Ron DeSantis’s False Start, Game 7 Audio, and NBA Take Whiplash Bryan and David start the pod talking about why discussing the NBA Finals TV ratings doesn’t matter (00:39). Then, they discuss Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign launch on Twitter, its technical difficulties, and why the approach backfired on him (05:42). ...
05.25.2023 Politico’s Burgess Everett on Covering Congress During a Wild Week of Negotiations Bryan is joined by Politico’s congressional bureau chief, Burgess Everett, to discuss what it’s like to cover Congress in the midst of the debt ceiling negotiations and what’s at the heart of the discussions (01:19). Then, they discuss Everett’s experience ...
05.22.2023 Pat McAfee’s ESPN Deal, the Kevin Harlan Playoff Experience, and This Week in 2024 Bryan and David discuss Pat McAfee’s huge contract signing with ESPN, his fit with the sports media conglomerate, and the company’s shift to signing top-level talent (00:32). Then, they’re back with another segment of NBA2Day to talk about Kevin Harlan’s ...
05.16.2023 ESPN's Marc J. Spears on Melo's Arrival, a Practice Boycott, and Other Tales from the Nuggets' Locker Room Bryan is joined by ESPN’s Marc J. Spears ahead of the Western Conference finals to discuss his time as a Denver Nuggets beat writer starting back in 1999. They reflect on past moments, from players boycotting team practice to covering ...
05.15.2023 CNN’s Trump Town Hall, Stephen A. and Concussions, and How 'Succession' Got Election Night Right Bryan and David are back with another segment of NBA2Day to discuss one of the biggest stories in the NBA that focuses on Anthony Davis's recent injury (0:40). Then, they begin by breaking down the CNN town hall with former ...
05.12.2023 Lakers Announcer John Ireland on the Warriors Series, Anthony Davis’s Injury, and Memories of Shaq and Kobe Bryan is joined by Lakers radio announcer John Ireland to discuss the team’s turnaround after the trade deadline, their style of play, and Anthony Davis’s injury (01:26). They talk about Ireland’s career path from local news to talk radio to ...
05.08.2023 Profiling Elizabeth Holmes, the NBA’s Fake Injuries, and Trump Returns to CNN Bryan and David discuss what went wrong with the New York Times profile about Elizabeth Holmes (9:48). Later, they discuss Donald Trump’s town hall being broadcast on CNN and more Tucker Carlson news (35:18). Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of ...
05.03.2023 Writer Chris Heath on Tom Hanks, Adventures in the Magazine Trade, and the Art of the Celebrity Profile Bryan is joined by Chris Heath to discuss his new Tom Hanks profile for The Atlantic. They dive into Heath’s experience profiling Hanks (3:30), talk through Heath’s career working for magazines such as Smash Hits and GQ (11:52), and then ...
05.01.2023 Biden’s Media Cheat Sheet, “Gotcha” Questions for Giannis, and Farewell to Jerry Springer Bryan and David break down Biden’s reelection announcement and press conference cheat sheet and weigh in on the type of “Rose Garden” campaign he could be running (13:10). Then, they highlight some key takeaways from the White House Correspondents' Association ...
04.28.2023 Brian Stelter on Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon, and a Crazy Week in Cable News Bryan is joined by Brian Stelter to talk about Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News, what may have caused it, and what's next for Carlson. They also discuss the Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems settlement and how the network ...
04.24.2023 Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon Out, the ESPN Layoffs, and RIP BuzzFeed News Bryan and David dive into recent news that Tucker Carlson and Fox News, as well as Don Lemon and CNN, have parted ways (0:42), and discuss what this means for all parties involved. Then, they providing more details behind ESPN’s ...
04.20.2023 Jemele Hill on the ESPN Layoffs, Life After the Worldwide Leader, Tweeting in the Musk Era, and More Bryan is joined by Jemele Hill to discuss the news reported by CNBC that ESPN will be making layoffs beginning next week. Jemele reflects on the layoffs back in 2018 while she was still at the company, then discusses the ...
04.17.2023 NBA Announcing’s Golden Age and Other TV Notes. Plus, a 2024 Campaign Update and Fox Trial Cheat Sheet. Bryan and David break down all the media notes from the first weekend of the NBA playoffs. They highlight LeBron and the Lakers' win, touch on Sunday’s injury reports, and discuss whether we’re in announcing’s golden age with individuals such ...
04.13.2023 NPR’s David Folkenflik on Rupert Murdoch and the Fox News–Dominion Case Bryan is joined by NPR’s David Folkenflik to discuss NPR’s decision to quit Twitter (1:30) before he then provides an expert briefing on the Fox News defamation lawsuit (6:19). They begin by breaking down what happened back in 2020 that ...
04.10.2023 The 2016 Election Is Back. Plus: Masters TV Notes and How Everything Became a “Cult Classic.” Bryan and David start the pod by reacting to the media’s coverage of last night’s episode of ‘Succession’ (00:31). After, they discuss whether the 2024 presidential election is mirroring the election in 2016 and Al Roker asking President Joe Biden ...
04.06.2023 How Trump’s Indictment Was Covered. Plus, Rethinking: “Embrace Debate” and a Reporter in a Russian Prison. Bryan and David discuss former president Donald Trump’s arrest, and dive into how reporters are covering the indictment (3:13). Later, they weigh in on the conversation between Stephen A. Smith and Dan Le Batard, on 'The Dan Le Batard Show' ...
03.30.2023 Writing (and Covering) Pro Wrestling with WWE’s Bruce Prichard and David Shoemaker Bryan and David are back ahead of ‘WrestleMania’ 39 to discuss what it’s like to cover WWE as both a fan and a journalist (0:38). Then, Bryan is joined by executive director of WWE’s creative writing team, Bruce Prichard, to ...
03.27.2023 Doubts About DeSantis, Mean Magazine Stories, and RIP Texas Observer Bryan and David touch on a few obits, starting with the Texas Observer, which may or may not be shutting down (0:43). Then they discuss the presidential campaign’s first walk-back of the season, featuring Ron DeSantis and his stance on ...
03.23.2023 Announcer Don Orsillo on Baseball With a Pitch Clock, the Padres’ Golden Age, and His Years with the Red Sox Bryan is joined by Padres announcer Don Orsillo to discuss the adjustment both broadcasters and players are experiencing due to the recent rule change introducing a pitch clock (1:41). Then, they reflect on Orsillo’s start as a broadcaster and his ...

Older episodes

The Press Box

What's The Press Box about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Press Box episodes:

A Report From the GOP Debate. Plus: Adam Nagourney on Triumphs and Disasters at The New York Times.

Streaming Is Coming for Sports, a Debate Preview, and Football Weekend Audio

Emergency Podcast: Rupert Murdoch Retires

An NFL Media Lawsuit, Jann Wenner’s Meltdown, and ABC for Sale!

The Tim Scott Story and Musk-ageddon, Plus Mike Valenti on Lions Happiness and Detroit Sports

Week 1 NFL Season Audio, the Howard Stern-ing of Cable News, and the Iowa Football Primary

The Coach Prime Content Machine. Plus: The "What Do We Cover Now?" Campaign and a Musk Mega-book.

An AI-Journalist Truce and The Athletic’s Big Spending. Plus: Richard Deitsch on Tony Romo and ESPN.

How Not to Moderate a Debate. Plus: Hollywood’s Starless Profiles and the Death of a Lousy Sportswriter.

A Campaign "Misquote," the Sports Doc Crisis, and Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin on the GOP Debate

GOP Debate Preview. Plus, the 'Blind Side' Situation and NFL Aggregators.

ESPN’s Big Gamble With James Andrew Miller, Plus a Raid in Kansas, and a New ‘Countdown’ Cast

ESPN Bets on Itself and the Orioles’ Massive Blunder. Plus: The New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro on Two Decades of Column-Writing

The Wooing of Donald Trump, USWNT Takery, and in Defense of Mark Jackson

The Trump Trials and the Starless GOP Debate. Plus, Matt Belloni on Disney and the Strikes.

Variety vs. Puck and The Atlantic. Plus, ESPN’s New NBA Team, and Twitter Becomes X.

ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi on 'SportsCenter' in 2023, Making It at ESPN, Philly Fandom, and Watching Games With His Dad.

What It’s Like to Work at The Athletic With Lindsay Jones. Plus, ESPN and Newsroom AI.

Astead Herndon on Campaign 2024, Midwest Diners, Podcasting vs. Writing, and The New York Times.

What Should The New York Times Do With The Athletic? Plus: No More Hollywood Profiles.

The We’re-Back Show: RIP New York Times Sports, ESPN Layoffs, GQ, and More

Jake Tapper on Writing Novels, the '70s, Print Days, Rupert Murdoch, and the New CNN

One Perfect Story: Chris Jones on "The Things That Carried Him"

The 20th Anniversary of 'Shattered Glass' with Writer-Director Billy Ray

Tim Mak on Reporting From Ukraine, Going Solo for Substack, and the Life of a War Correspondent

Did We Ever Decide How to Cover Trump? Plus: The Athletic Pivots and the End of the Draft-Night Woj Bomb

Live From the U.S. Open With Kevin Van Valkenburg and NBC's John Wood

Flushing Out the Trump Indictment, LIV-PGA, and CNN’s Cloudy Future

Ryen Russillo on Covering the NBA Finals, Explaining Jokic’s Greatness, and Getting the Sports TV We Want

Shannon Sharpe, Chuck Todd, and the CNN Meltdown for Dummies

Game 1 Garbage Time, the Cult of Kevin Harlan, and Other Media Takes With Tyler Parker

Ron DeSantis’s False Start, Game 7 Audio, and NBA Take Whiplash

Politico’s Burgess Everett on Covering Congress During a Wild Week of Negotiations

Pat McAfee’s ESPN Deal, the Kevin Harlan Playoff Experience, and This Week in 2024

ESPN's Marc J. Spears on Melo's Arrival, a Practice Boycott, and Other Tales from the Nuggets' Locker Room

CNN’s Trump Town Hall, Stephen A. and Concussions, and How 'Succession' Got Election Night Right

Lakers Announcer John Ireland on the Warriors Series, Anthony Davis’s Injury, and Memories of Shaq and Kobe

Profiling Elizabeth Holmes, the NBA’s Fake Injuries, and Trump Returns to CNN

Writer Chris Heath on Tom Hanks, Adventures in the Magazine Trade, and the Art of the Celebrity Profile

Biden’s Media Cheat Sheet, “Gotcha” Questions for Giannis, and Farewell to Jerry Springer

Brian Stelter on Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon, and a Crazy Week in Cable News

Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon Out, the ESPN Layoffs, and RIP BuzzFeed News

Jemele Hill on the ESPN Layoffs, Life After the Worldwide Leader, Tweeting in the Musk Era, and More

NBA Announcing’s Golden Age and Other TV Notes. Plus, a 2024 Campaign Update and Fox Trial Cheat Sheet.

NPR’s David Folkenflik on Rupert Murdoch and the Fox News–Dominion Case

The 2016 Election Is Back. Plus: Masters TV Notes and How Everything Became a “Cult Classic.”

How Trump’s Indictment Was Covered. Plus, Rethinking: “Embrace Debate” and a Reporter in a Russian Prison.

Writing (and Covering) Pro Wrestling with WWE’s Bruce Prichard and David Shoemaker

Doubts About DeSantis, Mean Magazine Stories, and RIP Texas Observer

Announcer Don Orsillo on Baseball With a Pitch Clock, the Padres’ Golden Age, and His Years with the Red Sox