Rephonic
Artwork for On the Media

On the Media

WNYC Studios
Donald Trump
Trump Administration
Artificial Intelligence
Elon Musk
Harvard University
Social Media
World War II
Shortwave Radio
Democratic Party
Climate Change
Public Broadcasting
Conspiracy Theories
Silicon Valley
Bob Menendez
Iran
Doge
Voice Of America
Democracy
Media Coverage
Misinformation

On the Media is a weekly show that uses the media as a lens to understand our world. On the Media listeners say the show is an essential companion, helping them survive the firehose of media coming at them 24/7. Hosted by Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger, the show does not do ‘hot takes’, instead offering listeners context, historical parallels, media analysis and often a much appreciated deep... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes1919Founded21 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsNewsSociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for On the Media

Latest Episodes

During an I.C.E. operation in New York City, officers shot a man in a car while a child sat in the back seat. On this week’s On the Media, coverage of I.C.E. has decreased since the spring, while the agency’s operations have quietly surged. Plus, rig... more

In 2023, Evan Gershkovich was working as a young reporter in Moscow for the Wall Street Journal, when he was arrested by Russian authorities. He was eventually convicted on blatantly false charges of espionage and spent nearly five hundred days in im... more

The Supreme Court has denied a bid by the Trump administration to restrict mail-in voting. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the attempts, successful and not, to turn election conspiracies into policy. Plus, the case for literary gatekeepers. more

American journalist Austin Tice vanished in Syria 14 years ago. A secret lead suggests he may still be alive. This week we're sharing the first episode of Where Is Austin Tice? NPR's documentary podcast, Embedded, partners with BBC Radio 4 to follow ... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The New Yorker Radio Hour
The New Yorker Radio HourWNYC Studios and The New Yorker
Reveal
RevealThe Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

Recent Guests

José Olivares
Immigration reporter
The Guardian
Episode: Polarization Is Not Our Biggest Problem
Lilliana Mason
SNF Agora Institute Professor of Political Science
Johns Hopkins University
Episode: Polarization Is Not Our Biggest Problem
David Remnick
Host of The New Yorker Radio Hour, former Moscow correspondent
The New Yorker
Episode: Locked Up In Russia
Evan Gershkovich
Journalist, Wall Street Journal, imprisoned in Russia
Wall Street Journal
Episode: Locked Up In Russia
Rick Hasen
Law professor and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project
University of California, Los Angeles
Episode: Trump's Guide to Stealing an Election
Mark Krotov
Publisher and co-editor of the literary magazine N Plus One
N Plus One
Episode: Trump's Guide to Stealing an Election
Laura McGrath
Assistant Professor of English at Temple University; author on literary agents
Temple University; author of Middlemen, Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction
Episode: Trump's Guide to Stealing an Election
Deborah Tice
Austin Tice's mother and leading advocate for his return
Family of Austin Tice
Episode: Where Is Austin Tice?
Theodore Boutrous
First Amendment litigator, CNN's attorney in several cases
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (attorney for media outlets)
Episode: The White House on Mute

Hosts

Brooke Gladstone
Host of On the Media; long-standing journalist with extensive experience in media criticism and analysis.
Micah Loewinger
Co-host with a focus on investigative reporting, media systems, and storytelling.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 11.1k ratings
  • Even the hosts sound bored

    Listened to parts of a few shows after at least a dozen years away, my god they’re tedious. They’d probably save money if they’d just replay audio on how evil, dumb, corrupt Trump is each week and lose nothing in freshness. I don’t like him either but surely this horse has been beaten to death.

    But I suppose if the only audience you have left is people who are fixated on Trump, it’s a living; a sad one though.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Samson38$
    United Statesa month ago
  • Well Running Dry

    I’ve listened to OTM for decades at this point, and while they have always rerun segments when timely it felt like each week was fresh and topical. Over the last year it seems they’ve either lost a lot of funding or staff, or both. I have listened to this shortwave radio segment so many times now…makes me wonder if they spent all their budget on it. Having this podcast in my feed seems unnecessary at this point when every week I hear the host once again say ahead of the majority of segments “We ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Pioneersky
    United Statesa month ago
  • Only one complaint

    I’ve been listening to and enjoying this program for many years. My one complaint is that when they repeat an old segment, they don’t disclose that fact until the very end. Especially when listening in the app, it would be kind for them to tell us that at the beginning, and in the printed summary!

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    jmt dc
    United States2 months ago
  • july 24, 2026

    Excellent discussion Gil Duran, thank you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    midwestBlue
    United States2 months ago
  • Brooke spoke to the devil this week

    On the media is hard to listen to. Not the hosts, but this week Brooke spoke to Daniel Suhr and I’m pretty sure based on what he said that he is the actual devil.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Not into fish I guess
    United States3 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Often praised for investigative framing and credible sourcing.
Occasional criticism about pacing or guest balance depending on episode.
Insightful, rigorous media analysis with deep context.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#37
United States/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#109
United States/News
Apple Podcasts
#63
Canada/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#177
United Kingdom/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#214
Canada/News
Apple Podcasts
#134
Australia/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Polarization Is Not Our Biggest Problem
Q: Can you break down how the 287G program functions and why it matters today?
The program deputizes local law enforcement to carry out immigration enforcement, creating a financial incentive for jurisdictions to cooperate with ICE, which expands deportation capabilities and complicates accountability.
The White House on Mute
Q: Why is the White House press pool important for constitutional protections of the press?
The panel explains that once the government creates a space for press access, like the Brady briefing room, it cannot discriminate based on viewpoint, and due process must be observed; this underpins the legitimacy of press access as a constitutional concern rather than a courtesy.
How Extinction Entered the AI Debate
Q: What do studies say about AI's persuasiveness compared to humans?
AI messages can be as persuasive as human messages and, in some cases, surpass them, particularly when presented with rapid, abundant factual content; however, limiting the speed or content can reduce this edge.
The New Rules Of War Are There Are No Rules
Q: Tell me about the recklessness that you witnessed, what the rest of us might be oblivious to, aside from the school, which we all know about.
Bryant describes a pattern of targeting practices that allowed mass-casualty strikes, notes the lack of transparency around civilian harm, and points to a culture that prioritized rapid aggression over careful verification, including doubts about whether key strikes were properly vetted and whether leadership fully understood the civilian impact.
Finance Bros Are Coming for the Public Airwaves
Q: What is the conflict over shortwave frequencies about today?
It's a clash between groups who want to preserve shortwave as a public resource for global communication and those (primarily Wall Street-backed entities) who want to privatize or monetize unused segments of the spectrum, especially for high-speed trading. They seek regulatory changes to allow private use.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About On the Media

What is On the Media about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, context-driven newsletter for media consumers and professionals, with deep dives into how news is produced, distributed, and consumed. Episodes frequently explore journalism ethics, media ownership, policy implications, and the intersection of technology, government, and society. Noteworthy traits include long-form interviews, cross-domain guests, and a habit of placing current events in historical or systemic context, rather than delivering hot takes. The show often features investigative reporters, policy experts, and seasoned editors, offering listeners analytical takes on how narratives are shaped and how to navigate the information landscape. Potential listeners include media professionals, PR/communications teams, policy... more

Where can I find podcast stats for On the Media?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for On the Media. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to On the Media and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does On the Media get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for On the Media, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for On the Media?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for On the Media, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does On the Media have?

To see how many followers or subscribers On the Media has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to On the Media?

These podcasts share a similar audience with On the Media:

1. The New Yorker Radio Hour
2. Fresh Air
3. Reveal
4. Throughline
5. The Political Scene | The New Yorker

How many episodes of On the Media are there?

On the Media launched 21 years ago and published 1919 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact On the Media?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for On the Media?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for On the Media from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for On the Media?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of On the Media. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on On the Media?

Recent guests on On the Media include:

1. José Olivares
2. Lilliana Mason
3. David Remnick
4. Evan Gershkovich
5. Rick Hasen
6. Mark Krotov
7. Laura McGrath
8. Deborah Tice

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days