Rephonic
Artwork for The Big Story
Canada
United States
Donald Trump
World Cup
Artificial Intelligence
Mark Carney
Ottawa
Toronto
Calgary
Alberta
Canada–united States Relations
Strait Of Hormuz
Venezuela
Toronto, Canada
British Columbia
Parti Québécois
Danielle Smith
Ontario
Stelco
Statistics Canada

An in-depth look at the issues, culture and personalities shaping Canada today.

PublishesDailyEpisodes2000Founded8 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Daily NewsNewsNews Commentary

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Big Story

Latest Episodes

Few things are spookier than an interest rate hike. Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"

The Bank of Canada opted to hike interest rates for the first time in three years in an effort to help runaway inflation because... more

Plus: Canada is still reviewing its F-35 purchase even after receiving its first two fighter jets. Federal ministers won't say much about environment and climate change Canada abandoning its work to end thermal coal exports. Businesses are embracing ... more

Now that Question 10 has been put to rest, what about the other 9?

Albertans were asked a range of questions regarding the future of the economy, immigration system, and Canada's constitution. Official results released on Thursday found that voters... more

Plus: Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is not yet in a position to reach a trade deal with the U.S., even with the congressional midterms just days away. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says Ottawa is consulting its lawyers about remarks by the ... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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 Decibel
The DecibelThe Globe and Mail
CANADALAND
CANADALANDCANADALAND

Recent Guests

Jared Wesley
Political science professor at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
Episode: The Nine: Did Danielle Smith get her mandate?
Aurel Braun
Professor of international relations at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
Episode: The election that left Israel in limbo
Arne Kislenko
History professor at Toronto Metropolitan University
Toronto Metropolitan University
Episode: What's Ukraine's future without the US?
Paris Marx
Host of Tech Won't Save Us and author of Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech's Data Empires
Tech Won't Save Us
Episode: Why Musk is spending big on the US Midterms
Andrew MacLeod
British Columbia legislative bureau chief for The Tyee
The Tyee
Episode: How BC Conservatives went from chaos to a majority
Kent Willmore
Founder and CEO of Crescero Natural Capital and a farmer
Crescero Natural Capital
Episode: Weekend Listen: Do institutional investors have a future in Canadian farmland?
Cathrin Bradbury
Toronto Star columnist
Toronto Star
Episode: The death of the dinner party
Paul Waldie
European correspondent for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
Episode: Why is Gen Z protesting around the world?
Zain Velji
Political strategist and partner at Northwether
Northwether
Episode: Danielle Smith's post-referendum problem

Hosts

Virjesh Dave
Host of The Big Headlines; frequently appears across major segment leadership and headline recaps.
Maria Kestane
Host of The Big Story; contributes investigative and policy analysis.

Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars from 2.9k ratings
  • Left Leaning Journalism

    Their political segment is biased. Left leaning and Pro-Liberal. I am a long time listener but sinced then, I noticed they have started taking sides and prop-up the Liberals instead of holding them into account. Disappointing. That's not journalism. I will unfollow after their last segment re Martel's appointment to the senate. Don't waste your time listening. The only good segments they have now are those from Mike Eppel who is fair and objective. Others are a waste of time.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Mike Heavens
    Canada4 months ago
  • Jordan and the team gone

    This was one of my favourite podcasts. However, Rogers let a lot of the team go. This has resulted in very low quality. The topics aren’t as unique, the guests don’t have any new insights and the questions are not inspired.

    At least I can follow Jordan on LinkedIn and keep an eye on what he does next. But all I keep thinking about is how Jordan would advertise the UofT continuing education program is a way to safeguard against layoffs. Now, here we are.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    leagleahleah
    Canada6 months ago
  • Unfortunate

    Really used to love this show. Have tried to give it a chance with the random hosts now but it’s just not good.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    readyjess
    Canada7 months ago
  • Epstein file cover up

    Could hardly listen to their guest today try to minimize the gravity of the Epstein files

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    LarjSarj
    Canada8 months ago
  • Episodes under the past host were pretty good. Now the episodes are tacky at best. The Alberta separatism episode with Barry Cooper was disgusting. Why would you platform someone who says something as divisive as "nobody cares what happens in the Maritimes"? That interview was full of misinformation and should not have made it to publication.

    Podcast Addict
    2
    Aurorespera
    9 months ago

Listeners Say

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

Listeners sometimes feel quality declined after host changes and guest variety issues.
Some episodes are criticized for overemphasis on politics at the expense of depth.
Overall, the show is seen as a staple for Canadian policy discourse, with mixed reception.
Praise for certain reporters and guests who provide fair, data-driven analysis.
Biased viewpoints noted by some listeners, with calls for more balanced discussion.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#230
United States/News/Daily News
Apple Podcasts
#248
Canada/Top Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
#8
Canada/News/Daily News
Apple Podcasts
#50
Canada/News
Apple Podcasts
#95
South Korea/News/Daily News
Apple Podcasts
#103
Hong Kong/News/Daily News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What Avi Lewis thinks Ottawa got wrong with Bill C-39
Q: So how would you propose then to get the projects you want to see built, built faster?
Lewis points to home energy retrofits, renewable energy, and large-scale non-market housing as projects that could create jobs and meet public needs without bypassing existing protections.
What Avi Lewis thinks Ottawa got wrong with Bill C-39
Q: So where that part of the legislation is concerned, what's the government getting wrong then?
Lewis says the bill prioritizes speed and large corporate interests over environmental safeguards, Indigenous consultation, workers' rights, and public benefit.
Big Headlines: Investigators identify the Canadians onboard an air ambulance that crashed in the Atlantic and Parti Quebecois secures a minority
Q: Why is reducing labour disruptions through early engagement a bad thing?
Avi Lewis says early engagement would be beneficial, but argues the government's rushed consultation ignored labour's concerns about using Labour Code section 107 to order workers in legal strikes back to work. He says the provision has been used repeatedly to force major sectors into binding arbitration.
When AI causes harm, who's responsible?
Q: How do you think Canada is doing right now in terms of educating the public and AI literacy infrastructure?
Small says funding for AI literacy is being dedicated to Canadians, but programs should teach critical thinking, privacy protection, and how to recognize misinformation, not just how to use AI tools.
When AI causes harm, who's responsible?
Q: What sort of regulation would you think would be most helpful for AI?
Small says rules should clarify who is responsible for AI systems and their outcomes, who oversees them, and what companies must do before deploying them.

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 The Big Story

What is The Big Story about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A brisk, Canada-focused news and policy program that threads together breaking national headlines with deeper policy analysis and governance discussions. Episodes frequently explore labor and labor relations, healthcare policy (including debates over private delivery and MAID safeguards), AI in government, public safety, and the societal impact of cultural trends and online subcultures. The show often features academics, policy researchers, industry experts, and public advocates, providing a mix of skeptical scrutiny and practical context for Canadian audiences. A notable strength is its ability to pair tight, five-minute briefs with longer, issue-driven conversations that connect policy, politics, and real-world consequences for cities and... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Big Story?

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

How many listeners does The Big Story get?

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

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Big Story, 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 The Big Story have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Big Story 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 The Big Story?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Big Story:

1. The Decibel
2. Front Burner
3. The Current
4. CANADALAND
5. At Issue

How many episodes of The Big Story are there?

The Big Story launched 8 years ago and published 2000 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 The Big Story?

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 The Big Story?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Big Story 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 The Big Story?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Big Story. 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 The Big Story?

Recent guests on The Big Story include:

1. Jared Wesley
2. Aurel Braun
3. Arne Kislenko
4. Paris Marx
5. Andrew MacLeod
6. Kent Willmore
7. Cathrin Bradbury
8. Paul Waldie

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