The ''Slate Political Gabfest'' is an American political podcast by ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

'' magazine that covers topics on current politics and issues featuring

David Plotz David A. Plotz (born January 31, 1970) is an American journalist and former CEO of ''Atlas Obscura'', an online magazine devoted to discovery and exploration. A writer with ''Slate (magazine), Slate'' since its inception in 1996, Plotz was the o ...

, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson.

Podcast

The show is usually hosted by former ''Slate'' editor

with regular contributors Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson, likewise ''Slate'' alums. It covers three political topics in the week's news. Each topic is discussed from various viewpoints, and the podcast runs about 40 minutes to an hour. Ads are incorporated into the show between topics, with Plotz or one of the other contributors describing the product in a casual way, similar to the manner of early radio and television shows. The Slate Plus version of the program omits advertising spots and adds a shorter bonus section after the closing credits. The group typically treats Dickerson as their expert on Washington politics and presidential campaigns. Bazelon is turned to for her legal expertise as well as for her experience reporting on online bullying and child sexual abuse. Notable guests of the show have included

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

John Hickenlooper John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. ( ; born February 7, 1952) is an American politician, geologist, and businessman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A mem ...

, David French,

Jamelle Bouie Jamelle Antoine Bouie (; born April 12, 1987) is an American columnist for ''The New York Times''. He was formerly chief political correspondent for ''Slate''. In 2019, writing in the ''Columbia Journalism Review'', David Uberti called Bouie "o ...

and Farhad Manjoo. Plotz, Bazelon, and Dickerson reportedly do not discuss topics with each other before going live.

History

The ''Slate Political Gabfest'' was launched in December 2005. Andy Bowers, executive producer of the podcast, initially read articles from ''Slate'' for the podcast, but he said he was struck by how much he enjoyed the magazine's editorial meetings and thought that listeners would also enjoy the banter and analysis if he could capture it on audio. He provided Plotz, Bazelon and Dickerson with the basic structure of the gabfest and a small studio at ''Slate's'' Washington headquarters. From 2012 until 2014, an abridged version of the show was also broadcast on the radio alongside the Culture Gabfest. On November 10, 2009, the panel held its first live show at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C. That event was the first of what has become a key arm of Slate's podcasting business: live shows. According to Faith Smith, executive producer for Slate Live, live shows are profitable financially, inspire audience loyalty and encourage listeners to join Slate Plus, the website's paid membership program. This live ''Gabfest'' is also considered the earliest example in a growing trend of live events from podcast producers including

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

and Gimlet Media.

Reception

In 2012, it was reported to be ''Slate's'' most popular podcast. In October 2013, the show peaked at #4 on the US iTunes podcasts charts. , ''Political Gabfest'' has over 75,000 weekly listeners. Some fans have reportedly driven hours or flown from several states away to attend live shows. Chris Campling of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' (London) named it his podcast of the week for February 2, 2008. In 2011, the entire ''Slate'' series of podcasts received an ''

Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in ...

'' "Media Vanguard Award" for Digital Native/Best Podcast Series with a specific mention of the ''Political Gabfest''. In November 2012, the ''Slate Political Gabfest'' won iTunes informal Facebook poll for the best political podcast.

References

External links

* {{Graham 2005 podcast debuts American podcasts Audio podcasts Political podcasts Megaphone (podcasting) Graham Holdings

Podcast

History

Reception

See also

References

External links