The Grill Room

The Grill Room

Finally, a media podcast about what’s actually happening in the media—not the over-sanitized, legal-and-standards-approved version you read online. Every Tuesday and Friday, join Dylan Byers, Puck’s veteran media reporter, as he sits down with TV personalities, moguls, political pundits and industry executives for raw, honest, sometimes salacious conversations about the business of media and its biggest egos. “The Grill Room,” an homage to the exclusive dining room within The Four Seasons where a generation of media executives consummated deals and traded gossip, is produced in partnership with Audacy Podcasts. The Grill Room is an extension of In the Room, Dylan’s private email for Puck, where he chronicles the intrigue and inside stories behind what’s really going on in the media industry—from the board room to the newsroom to the green room and everything in between. Subscribe here: https://puck.news/dylanbyers

Episodes

The MAGA Creator Industrial Complex

October 7, 2025 • 44 mins
Chris Balfe, C.E.O. of Red Seat Ventures, joins Dylan for a deep dive into the booming independent creator economy—what creators need, how they can scale, the smartest ways to unlock new revenue streams, and more. Balfe also breaks down Red Seat’s growing portfolio of conservative voices, from Tucker Carlson to Megyn Kelly, and its recent acquisition by Fox, which has emerged as the most aggressive legacy player chasing creator tal...
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Hollywood’s Sora 2 Panic & Zuck’s Vibes Play

October 3, 2025 • 61 mins
Julia and Dylan dive into the launch of OpenAI’s new video-generation app, Sora 2, and Mark Zuckerberg’s A.I. social media platform, Vibes. They explain why these releases have sent Hollywood into a state of not-so-mild panic, and how these A.I. platforms might reshape the media industry writ large. Then, they turn to the YouTube TV–NBCU carriage dispute, and what it portends for similar industry battles going forward. To learn m...
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The $25M Bloomberg of Travel

September 30, 2025 • 58 mins
Rafat Ali, founder of Skift, joins Dylan to chart the rise of his B2B media empire—which he’s dubbed “the Bloomberg of travel.” Ali breaks down how Skift has evolved to generate upwards of $25 million in revenue with 20 percent profit margins, the secret sauce of hyper-targeted B2B media, the broader challenges and opportunities within a media industry still chasing scale at all costs, and much more. The Grill Room Podcast is pres...
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Introducing Simpsons Declassified with Nancy Cartwright

September 27, 2025 • 2 mins
Simpsons fans —THE VAULT IS OPEN!  I’m Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson for 35+ years, and I’m finally taking you inside Springfield. Simpsons Declassified is your all-access pass to the world’s most iconic, animated  series.   Each week, we crack open wild predictions, eerie coincidences and fan conspiracies and stories  from 36 seasons (that’s 800+ episodes!) behind-the-scenes with writers, directors, the cast and  c...
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Trump’s Free Speech Paradox

September 26, 2025 • 63 mins
Julia Alexander and Dylan Byers dive into the week’s media maelstrom, courtesy of the Disney-Kimmel-F.C.C.-Trump kerfuffle. They explore the paradox of an administration trying to strong-arm broadcast TV—which is on its way out—and speculate on how Trump and Co. might attempt to flex on independent creators on YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms. They also weigh the stakes for Disney and Bob Iger’s enduring legacy. The Grill Ro...
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Disney’s Kimmel Pivot & Ellison’s WBD Lasso

September 23, 2025 • 33 mins
Kim Masters joins Dylan to address the existential questions surrounding Jimmy Kimmel’s return to ABC: Will Nexstar and Sinclair actually air the show? How does the creative community in Hollywood feel about this? Is the pressure from the F.C.C. going to subside? Are people going to forgive Bob Iger? Plus, Kim shares the latest updates regarding David Ellison’s WBD fantasy. The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the wa...
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Disney’s F.C.C. Fear Factor

September 19, 2025 • 55 mins
Julia and Dylan scrutinize Disney’s perplexing decision to sideline Jimmy Kimmel under pressure from the F.C.C.—a move that raises thorny questions about media freedom, corporate backbone, and whether Disney actually just created more headaches for itself. They also dig into The New York Times’ evolving strategy and why the paper has emerged as one of the last news institutions standing up to Trump’s media crackdown. The Grill Roo...
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Meredith Kopit Levien’s New New York Times

September 16, 2025 • 88 mins
Meredith Kopit Levien, C.E.O. of The New York Times, joins Dylan and Julia for a deep dive into the paper’s metamorphosis from a traditional news company to a full-spectrum lifestyle brand. Levien breaks down how they’re harnessing A.I. tools, tinkering with audio and video, and sharpening its advertising playbook—all while building a diverse revenue stream anchored in subscriptions. She also weighs in on The Athletic’s success, th...
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Rupert’s Last Rodeo & CNN’s Zombie Era

September 12, 2025 • 53 mins
Julia and Dylan chew over the latest machinations along media's waterfront: Rupert Murdoch’s succession denouement and the future of Fox and News Corp, how ‘The Atlantic’ is faring in the new media landscape, the latest angst percolating through Hudson Yards, and  much more. The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica To learn more about listener d...
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Lachlan’s Coup & The Murdoch Legacy

September 10, 2025 • 25 mins
On this special crossover episode, Peter Hamby and Dylan chronicle the closing act of the Murdoch succession drama, as Rupert’s massive media empire lands squarely in the hands of his staunchly conservative son, Lachlan, while the other three siblings walk away with a hefty payout. They explore what this means for Fox’s future—and just how long the 94-year-old Rupert will continue to wield his power behind the scenes. The Grill Ro...
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The R.F.K. Media Antidote

September 9, 2025 • 49 mins
Rick Berke, former Politico executive editor and founder of STAT News, joins Dylan to reflect on his 10-year journey from startup to building one of the most authoritative voices in the life sciences industry. Berke explains how he turned STAT into a profitable media venture, the hurdles facing subscription-based models, and why it’s so difficult for legacy giants like the Washington Post or LA Times to pull off the same trick. Th...
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The Weissification of CBS News

September 5, 2025 • 56 mins
Julia and Dylan break down David Ellison’s imminent acquisition of Bari Weiss’s The Free Press—and how her anti-establishment worldview could reverberate through the editorial D.N.A. of CBS News. They also explore how the likely nine-figure deal could spark a fresh cycle of digital media M&A, and what it augurs for the Substack economy and creator economy writ large. Then Dylan and Julia decode the landmark Google antitrust ruling ...
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Should ESPN Copy The New York Times?

September 2, 2025 • 76 mins
Andrew Rosen, the former Paramount executive and founder of PARQOR, joins Dylan to break down the divergent digital strategies of The New York Times and ESPN. While the Times is precise and leans into product design tailored to specific consumer habits, ESPN continues to chase mass scale and broad reach. Rosen argues that ESPN’s model risks leaving engagement on the table—and makes the case for a more personalized, fan-first approa...
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The New A.I. Times & Portnoy vs. McAfee

August 29, 2025 • 78 mins
Julia Alexander and Dylan reunite to hash out the week’s biggest media stories: The New York Times’ increasing investment in A.I.; how technology is undermining Disney magic—and what this portends for Bob Iger’s media strategy; the spectacle of the U.S. Open; the brewing Portnoy-McAfee rivalry, and much, much more.  The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: ⁠https://www.bp.com/Investin...
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Can MSNBC Survive Without NBC?

August 26, 2025 • 40 mins
Andy Lack, former chairman of NBC News and MSNBC, joins Dylan to pore over the myriad existential crises rattling television news, from CBS’s messy Trump settlement to the Versant spin that leaves MSNBC in the wilderness—and more. He also discusses his new act as a purveyor of local news startups across the Deep South, and his bid to build sustainable outlets at a time when local journalism is facing significant headwinds. The Gri...
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The Sports Super App Era

August 22, 2025 • 63 mins
Julia Alexander reunites with Dylan to break down ESPN’s long-awaited “super app,” which launched yesterday as the network’s boldest bid yet to remain the central hub for sports fans in an increasingly crowded rights landscape. They also touch on Fox’s new streaming gambit, Fox One—a leaner, no-frills play for cord-cutters—and what these parallel moves reveal about the shifting future of sports media. The Grill Room Podcast is p...
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Mo News, Less Problems

August 19, 2025 • 51 mins
Mosheh Oinounou joins Dylan to discuss his leap from legacy media to independent journalism with the founding of Mo News, which, despite early challenges, has grown to more than 12,000 paid subscribers and expanded into podcasts and newsletters. Oinounou also digs into the importance of A.I. in news customization, the potential for future collaborations between independent creators and legacy media, and the challenges at CBS News f...
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Media’s Free Agency Era

August 15, 2025 • 63 mins
Julia Alexander swings by the pod to dig into the recent slew of licensing deals, à la ESPN-McAfee and Fox-Portnoy, which allow creators to maintain their independence while benefiting from additional exposure and revenue. This leads to a broader conversation about the challenges and opportunities for legacy media companies in adapting to the creator economy writ large. The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways...
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Fox Gets Ruthless

August 12, 2025 • 56 mins
On this special episode, the Ruthless Podcast co-hosts, Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook, and Shashank Tripathi, join Dylan to discuss the origins of their podcast—and more intriguingly, their new licensing deal with Fox News. They also dig into their unique approach to politics, the lack of conservative humor in the media landscape, the challenges faced by legacy media, and much more. The Grill Room Podcast is present...
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Iger’s Endgame & Ellison’s Next Target

August 8, 2025 • 60 mins
Dylan and Julia chew over the most pressing media news of the week: Disney’s dynamic NFL deal, the finalized Paramount-Skydance merger, the chatter surrounding David Ellison’s interest in Warner Bros., and much more. The Grill Room Podcast is presented by bp. See all the ways we’re investing in America: https://www.bp.com/InvestingInAmerica To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc....
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