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Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

Semafor Podcasts
Mixed Signals from Semafor Media
Latest episode

108 episodes

  • Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

    David Droga on being “the last Don Draper,” AI’s impact on creativity, and why the boldest ads are the easiest sells

    19/06/2026 | 50 mins.
    David Droga is the vice chair of Accenture Song and the most decorated creative in Cannes Lions history. He joins Mixed Signals to talk about what it actually takes to sell a CMO on a bold idea (and why the boldest of ideas are sometimes the easiest to sell). Max and Ben ask David about how AI is changing the advertising business he's spent his life building, whether the creative visionary still has a place at the top of the industry, and what the New York Times' "Truth Is Worth It" campaign can teach struggling news brands about their own value. He also walks through some of his most famous ads.

    Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media 

    For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com.

    Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltani

    If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com
  • Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

    Eli Pariser on the end of the feed and how AI will change your morning routine

    12/06/2026 | 50 mins.
    New_Public co-director and coiner of the "filter bubble," Eli Pariser, joins Mixed Signals to walk through his new report on what news consumption looks like when AI takes over. Max and Ben ask Eli how soon your morning routine will change, which platforms are most exposed to AI disruption, and whether centralizing everyone's attention was actually a mistake.

    Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media 

    For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com.

    Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltani

    If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com
  • Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

    The “Popcast” hosts on interviewing Taylor Swift, killing the written review, and whether literacy is over

    05/06/2026 | 59 mins.
    The hosts of The New York Times’ Popcast show join Mixed Signals to talk about how a two-decade-old music podcast became one of the most coveted interview slots in music — landing Taylor Swift, A$AP Rocky, Olivia Rodrigo, and Bad Bunny — by offering something most celebrity press won't: no question approval, no topic restrictions, and critics who've actually been covering these artists for years.

    Image Credit: Lucia Bell-Epstein for The New York Times/Reuters

    Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media 

    For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com.

    Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltaniIf you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com
  • Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

    Bret Baier on golfing with Trump, his 2028 predictions, and making the case for civility

    29/05/2026 | 42 mins.
    Fox News' Special Report host Bret Baier joins Mixed Signals to talk about what it's like to sit at the center of American political media. Max and Ben ask Bret how he navigates tough questions while maintaining access to President Trump,  what he actually learned from the Fox News Dominion discovery process, and why he doesn't vote. They also get into his new book, his 2028 predictions, and whether CBS News has any shot at replicating what he's built.

    Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media 

    For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com.

    Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltani

    If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com
  • Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

    Audie Cornish & Ari Shapiro’s journey from radio to podcasts — and what amateurs can learn from pros

    22/05/2026 | 46 mins.
    Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro spent years together in the buttoned-up, professional audio journalism world of NPR co-hosting All Things Considered. Now, they’re reuniting at CNN for something very different — podcasting. The two join Max and Ben to talk about how their new show Engagement Party is really just a continuation of their off-mic dynamic from their NPR days, how they’ve both dealt with the pivots and shifts that come with a career in modern media, and whether the growing crop of amateur podcasters (us included…) can learn something from the audio pros that came before them.

    Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media 

    For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com.

    Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltaniIf you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com
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About Mixed Signals from Semafor Media
Every Friday media reporter Max Tani and Semafor Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith pull back the curtain on the most important stories about media, revealing why you see and hear what you see and hear. Mixed Signals from Semafor Media is supported by Think with Google.
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