With his cool rhymes and even cooler clothes, Basketball Hall of Famer Walt "Clyde" Frazier made a successful transition from NBA star to sports broadcaster on the MSG Network. Frazier sat down with Brooke back in 2012 for a live event to discuss basketball, broadcasting, and the art of being cool. We're re-airing it now because a) it was Mr. Frazier's birthday this week! and b) we're in a sporting mood — we have a big piece in the hopper for this week's show all about sports betting, reported by OTM producer Rebecca Clark-Callender.

Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel was hired and swiftly fired from NBC News following a newsroom revolt that drew attention to her participation in election denialism. But the hiring of former politicos in TV news is widely practiced. Take Diane Sawyer, George Stephanopoulos, and Jen Psaki — just to name a few. This week, Michael Socolow, a media historian at the University of Maine, talks to Micah Loewinger about the history of the revolving door; what should disqualify a political operative from working in journalism; and the contemporary hunger for partisan news. This is a segment from our March 29, 2024 show, Boeing Conspiracy Theories Take Flight. Plus, the Politics to TV News Pipeline.

It took all of a few hours for conspiracy theories to take off about the tragic bridge collapse in Baltimore. These theories followed similar themes—ones we've seen play out in rightwing media circles around troubles at Boeing, the airplane manufacturer. Boeing is once again facing scrutiny following several high-profile manufacturing errors over the past few months, including a door that flew off an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight in January. David Gilbert, a Wired reporter covering disinformation, traces the evolution of conspiracy theories about Boeing and why disasters are fertile ground for them to thrive. Micah speaks with Katya Schwenk, a reporter at The Lever, about what conspiracy theories obfuscate about the real quality control issues at Boeing that have been uncovered by reporters. This is a segment from our March 29, 2024 show, Boeing Conspiracy Theories Take Flight. Plus, the Politics to TV News Pipeline.

Writer Calvin Trillin joined The New Yorker in 1963, and he's still a contributor to this today. Trillin’s trademark humility and humor emerge in all of his writing, whether it’s a story about the invention of the buffalo chicken wing, the civil rights movement, or an old ditty about our political woes. Recently, Brooke sat down with him to discuss his career and his latest book, The Lede: Dispatches from a Life in the Press. This is a segment from our March 29, 2024 show, Boeing Conspiracy Theories Take Flight. Plus, the Politics to TV News Pipeline.

Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, conspiracy theories proliferated. On this week’s On the Media, hear how memes and misinformation obscure the real causes of tragedies, from bridges to planes. Plus, what Ronna McDaniel’s hiring and firing from NBC News tells us about the revolving door from politics to tv news. 1. David Gilbert [@daithaigilbert], reporter for Wired covering disinformation, and Katya Schwenk [@ktyschwnk], reporter at The Lever, on why disasters are fertile ground for conspiracy theories, which obfuscate real quality control issues. Listen. 2. Michael Socolow [@MichaelSocolow], media historian at the University of Maine, on the history of the revolving door between politics and news.Listen. 3. Calvin Trillin, contributor at The New Yorker, on his career and his latest book, The Lede: Dispatches from a Life in the Press. Listen.

Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter, comes out on Friday — and the record has already sparked plenty of conversation about race and the country music genre. This week, we're sharing an episode from our friends at the podcast Today, Explained from Vox media, on this very topic. Hear co-host Noel King take a journey through the history of black musicians making country music, and more.