On the Media

Over the weekend, president-elect Donald Trump nominated a little-known, largely inexperienced civil servant to an enormous role in his upcoming administration – Kash Patel as FBI director. Firing current FBI director Christopher Wray, who has 2 years left in his 10 year term, would itself be an alarming break in norms. Atlantic staff writer Elaina Plott Calabro, profiled Kash Patel in August, chartint his rise to power, starting at the very beginning of his legal career. She explains how he came to loathe the media, and love Trump.Further reading:"The Man Who Will Do Anything For Trump," by Elaina Plott Calabro"What the FBI Has Done, and Kash Patel Could Do," by Jon Allsop On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

How did the right get their vice grip of the airwaves, all the while arguing that they were being censored? On this week’s On the Media, a look at the early history of American radio, and why, in the post-war era, the U.S. government encouraged more diverse viewpoints on the airwaves — until it didn’t. Plus, the technological and legal changes that led to the popularity of conservative talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh. [00:10] Reporter Katie Thornton explains how radio programming shifted from the 1930s to the 1960s, and how the FCC attempted to prevent propaganda on the airwaves. Plus, what legal challenges conservative radio faced during the Civil Rights Era. [10:07] Reporter Katie Thornton takes a deeper look at The 700 Club, a Christian television news show that helped give rise to a network of conservative Christian radio stations.[22:51] Reporter Katie Thornton describes how the introduction of high-quality FM radio led AM radio to focus on talk radio, and the factors that made way for Rush Limbaugh to become the breakout star of conservative talk shows.Further reading/listening/watching:Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics by Nicole HemmerNews For All The People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media, by Joseph Torres and Juan GonzálezShadow Network Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right, by Anne NelsonTalk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States, by Brian Rosenwald On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

Our latest episode featured Micah's interview with Hank Green, a very popular YouTuber and science communicator. We got a lot of nice feedback about the conversation, and there were some interesting exchanges that we couldn’t fit in the radio version. So we’re bringing you a longer edit here. Hank describes how content creators depend on legacy media; his inspiration for making videos in 2007; and how OTM can reach a bigger audience. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

A recent report from the Pew Research Center finds that 1 in 5 Americans get their news from influencers. On this week’s On the Media, YouTuber and science communicator Hank Green explains how he makes the truth go viral. Plus, hear how tech billionaires plan to escape the end of the world. [01:00] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Renée DiResta, researcher studying online manipulation and professor at Georgetown University, about what the data tells us about how news consumption is changing. Plus, how news influencers are rewriting the power dynamics of media.[17:04] Host Micah Loewinger interviews science communicator, YouTuber, and entrepreneur Hank Green about how he makes the truth go viral, how he connects with his audience of many millions, and how he chooses what topics to cover.[33:44] Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Douglas Rushkoff, whose many books  probe the practice and philosophy of digital technology, about whether the apocalypse survival fantasies of tech billionaires are actually viable. Further reading/listening/watching:Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, by Renée DiResta“Everyone Was Wrong About Avocados - Including Us,” by SciShow“Why do Cars Suddenly Look Like Putty??” by Hank GreenSurvival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, by Douglas Rushkoff On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].