Rephonic
Artwork for Channels

Channels with Peter Kafka

Vox Media Podcast Network
Donald Trump
Openai
Youtube
Netflix
Media Industry
Trump Administration
Disney
Apple
Paramount
Meta
Artificial Intelligence
Social Media
Warner Bros. Discovery
Tiktok
ESPN
New York Times
Digital Media
CNN
Television
AI In Media

Media and tech aren’t just intersecting — they’re fully intertwined. And to understand how those worlds work, and what they mean for you, veteran journalist Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers - and gets them to spell it out in plain, BS-free English. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes603Founded11 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Business NewsNewsTechnology

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Channels

Latest Episodes

Larry Ellison bought his son a media empire. What does he want from it? Vanity Fair’s Tom Dotan joins me to talk about the billionaire behind Paramount and Warner Bros., his connection to TikTok, and his politics. Tom’s reporting suggests there may b... more

David Ellison has won Warner Bros. Discovery. Now he has to figure out what, exactly, to do with it.

LightShed analyst Rich Greenfield joins me to talk through the next version of the Paramount-Warner empire: Why Ellison wants to be Netflix; why CBS... more

I went to Meta’s Silicon Valley headquarters to try Mark Zuckerberg’s newest face computer: a $1,300 pair of virtual-reality glasses that are much lighter and cheaper than Apple’s Vision Pro, and still make you ask a very basic question: What am I su... more

AI companies have spent years telling us that we’ll be able to use them to go shopping for us, or book us airplane tickets, or get us awesome restaurant reservations. None of that ever materialized.

But in the last few weeks, services like Instinct a... 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.

Recent Guests

Tom Dotan
Vanity Fair writer, author of Inside Larry Ellison's Wide Web of Power, Money and Politics
Vanity Fair
Episode: Larry Ellison’s Media Ambitions & Kevin Roose on AI’s Biggest Gamble
Kevin Roose
New York Times tech columnist, author of The AGI Chronicles
The New York Times
Episode: Larry Ellison’s Media Ambitions & Kevin Roose on AI’s Biggest Gamble
Rich Greenfield
Analyst at LightShed Partners
LightShed Partners
Episode: David Ellison's Paramount-Warner Empire & The Fight That Comes Next
Jason Del Rey
Expert on e-commerce, author of The Aisle newsletter
The Aisle; former editor at Recode/Vox
Episode: AI Wants to Shop for You. What Could Go Wrong?
Nicholas Thompson
CEO of The Atlantic, former Editor-in-Chief of Wired
The Atlantic
Episode: The Atlantic’s CEO on AI, Billionaire Owners, and Moonlighting as a Creator
David Weigel
Semafor political reporter
Semafor
Episode: Data Centers, Elon Musk, and the New Politics of Tech, with David Weigel
Ali Albazaz
CEO of Inkitt, CandyJar, Iron Blood
Inkitt
Episode: The Weird, Big Business of Microdramas
Hernan Lopez
Founder of Owl & Co., former Wondery executive
Owl & Co.
Episode: The Weird, Big Business of Microdramas
John Ourand
Sports media maven, formerly at Sports Business Journal, now at Puck
Puck
Episode: The $12.5 Billion Lakers, the NFL’s TV Fight, and Sports Media’s Big Split

Host

Peter Kafka
Host of Channels with Peter Kafka; guides conversations with industry leaders in media and tech.

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 955 ratings
  • Still enjoying

    Highly enjoy! Keeps me informed and think abt different angles

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    LibbyAPierson
    United States4 months ago
  • shillout

    why did bankoff sell to murdoch? money. everything else is just corporate shilling at its worst. vox has an penchant for platforming that. … maybe ad kickbacks who knows.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    familieheinzbecker
    Germany5 months ago
  • 2 - down from 4-5

    Peter is going into becoming Tucker Carlson of media business

    Annoyingly long monologues and unproductive interruptions of guests are turnoffs for me.

    It used to be much better - podcasters tend to turn into TV talking heads , talking about themselves - little less me me me blabber, and a little more information is needed

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    igormax
    United States10 months ago
  • Don't talk over the guests!!

    Kafka's podcasts are always hit or miss for me but Channels has gone down to 20% hit 80% miss

    A recent example of why it's mostly miss is the October interview with the Guardian

    The difference between their model and typical US news models is intrinsically interesting, but Kafka just can't exercise enough discipline to shut up and let the guest talk without constant interruptions

    I can listen to aggressive mansplaining anytime, anywhere

    I don't want to hear it from a professional podcast... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Qwertiop8
    United Statesa year ago
  • He does talk a lot

    I agree he should let the guests talk more.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Journalistikit
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

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

Critiques frequently target pacing and host balance but recognize quality guests.
Many praise breadth of topics spanning media, AI, and creator economy.
Some listeners note the host's interruptions can detract from guest conversation.
Listeners praise deep industry knowledge and high-profile guests.
Overall sentiment highlights valuable insights and strong interviewing when guests are allowed to finish thoughts.

Chart Rankings

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

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Larry Ellison’s Media Ambitions & Kevin Roose on AI’s Biggest Gamble
Q: Why is AI described as the most important story in the world?
Roose explains that AI has progressed from early, unreliable systems to solutions that can tackle complex problems across math, science, coding, and beyond, making it a transformative force with broad social, economic, and political implications.
AI Wants to Shop for You. What Could Go Wrong?
Q: What exactly is agentic shopping, and how close are we to it becoming mainstream?
Agentic shopping refers to AI agents assisting or acting on your behalf in shopping tasks, from price comparisons to placing orders, but the first practical version is more about guidance and selection, with full autonomous purchasing still limited by data access and trust concerns. In the near term, the trend is about building smarter shopping interactions rather than fully automated checkout across all sites.
Data Centers, Elon Musk, and the New Politics of Tech, with David Weigel
Q: What role does on-the-ground reporting play versus online discourse in shaping opinions?
firsthand conversations and local observations often reveal mood and attitudes that polls miss, showing how voters react to real-world conditions beyond what appears online.
Data Centers, Elon Musk, and the New Politics of Tech, with David Weigel
Q: Do you think the data-center stance will decide elections this fall?
It could sway certain races where data center policy is a salient local issue, especially in competitive districts, but it will be just one of multiple factors in voter decision-making.
The $12.5 Billion Lakers, the NFL’s TV Fight, and Sports Media’s Big Split
Q: Is the NFL still the dominant driver of TV deals, or is its power waning?
The NFL remains central, but the dynamics are shifting as networks resist pre-committing large sums in a rapidly changing distribution landscape, potentially reducing the upside of future rights while maintaining demand for live sports.

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 Channels

What is Channels about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on media, technology, and business strategy, featuring conversations with editors, founders, and executives shaping how content is produced and distributed in a digital-first era. Episodes frequently examine media consolidation, platform dynamics, AI implications, creator economies, and the evolving role of traditional brands in a fragmented landscape. Notable strengths include access to high-profile guests across journalism, tech, and entertainment, plus a clear focus on practical implications for publishers, advertisers, and creators seeking to navigate disruption. The format tends to balance big-picture industry shifts with concrete examples and strategic takeaways, making it useful for listeners who want actionable ins... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Channels?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Channels. 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 Channels and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Channels get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Channels, 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 Channels?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Channels, 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 Channels have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Channels 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 Channels?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Channels:

1. The Grill Room
2. Decoder with Nilay Patel
3. The Powers That Be: Daily
4. Mixed Signals from Semafor Media
5. The Town with Matthew Belloni

How many episodes of Channels are there?

Channels launched 11 years ago and published 603 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 Channels?

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 Channels?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Channels 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 Channels?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Channels. 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 Channels?

Recent guests on Channels include:

1. Tom Dotan
2. Kevin Roose
3. Rich Greenfield
4. Jason Del Rey
5. Nicholas Thompson
6. David Weigel
7. Ali Albazaz
8. Hernan Lopez

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