A pop culture podcaster, a poet and a Tony award-winning journalist sit down for a chat. No, this isn’t the lead up to a joke, it’s the premise of the podcast Vibe Check.

The weekly news and culture series is hosted by Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford as they make sense of what’s making headlines. Sanders is the host of Vulture’s Into It and the former host of NPR's It's Been a Minute, Jones is the author of the award-winning memoir How We Fight For Our Lives, and Stafford is not only a journalist but he picked up a Tony Award in 2022 for co-producing the musical, A Strange Loop.

Every episode captures the energy and spirit of a group chat: It’s a lively conversation among friends (who’ve done their research) as they go deep on the issues of the day and figure out in real time how they feel, what they understand and what questions remain.

The trio sits down with host Leah-Simone Bowen this week to share how they made sure they got the right vibe with the show. They also share their favourite podcasts – from a documentary storytelling podcast that dives deep into family history to a pop culture show that breaks down method acting.

Podcasts featured this week: Vibe Check, Decoder Ring, Death, Sex & Money, Family Ghosts

For links and more info on these shows, head to https://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist