Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

Semafor Podcasts
  • 4.6 (175)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
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.

  1. How Technology Will Shape Media in 2025, with Jessica Lessin

    5 DAYS AGO

    How Technology Will Shape Media in 2025, with Jessica Lessin

    This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) showcased an array of new gadgets, screens, and robots – but will any of them impact how and what we consume? Or will the real changes come from Washington, where the big tech companies from Meta to Amazon seem to be targeting their attention? To discuss all the ways that tech and tech leaders will impact the media industry this year and beyond, Ben and Max talk to Jessica Lessin, founder and CEO of The Information. And Max hits the ground running with his first episode as co-host, as Taniacs rejoice. Nayeema Nation: Be sure to follow Nayeema’s new show, Smart Girl Dumb Questions, on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your content! Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltani If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    43 min
  2. How Dating Apps Survive in the Age of Digital Exhaustion, with Tinder’s Melissa Hobley

    JAN 3

    How Dating Apps Survive in the Age of Digital Exhaustion, with Tinder’s Melissa Hobley

    We’re kicking off 2025 with a foray into dating apps — and an announcement of Nayeema’s next venture (not a dating app but a new show called Smart Girl Dumb Questions). But first: Today’s episode of Mixed Signals merges Ben and Nayeema’s interests in CMO podcasts and dating apps, respectively. Tinder CMO Melissa Hobley joins us to talk about digital exhaustion, the reality of rebranding and the political license that comes with a GenZ audience. Max Tani joins to debrief, and next week, he’ll take the baton as co-host for the next era of Mixed Signals! Be sure to hit follow on Nayeema’s new show on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your content! Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema, @maxwelltani or on instagram.com/nayeemaraza If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    47 min
  3. Ozy Founder Gets Prison Time: What Digital Media’s Most Notorious Scandal Says About the Business

    12/20/2024

    Ozy Founder Gets Prison Time: What Digital Media’s Most Notorious Scandal Says About the Business

    On Monday, Carlos Watson, the founder of Ozy Media, was sentenced to nearly 10 years – 116 months – in prison for fraud. Today, in Ben’s first extensive conversation about it since Watson’s arrest, he and Nayeema discuss Ozy, the scandal, and what it reveals about the broader digital media and advertising business. They bring on Madison and Wall analyst and former GroupM Global President for Business Intelligence, Brian Wieser, to talk about why marketers and investors were duped by Watson, what changed in the aftermath, and what the next digital media scam might be. After the conversation, Max Tani joins them to debrief. If you want more on the Ozy story, check out the three-part series, “The Unraveling of Ozy Media” from CJR’s The Kicker. And for more from Brian Wieser, check out Madison and Wall’s podcast and newsletter. NOTE: We’ll be off next week – but stay tuned for our next episode (and some exciting news) on January 3rd, 2025. If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema, @maxwelltani or on instagram.com/nayeemaraza Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    54 min
  4. How YouTube Became TV – with Colin and Samir

    12/13/2024

    How YouTube Became TV – with Colin and Samir

    YouTube and podcasts have come fully of age as dominant forms of media, and legacy media companies are frantic to buy their way in. Ben and Nayeema tackle this with Colin and Samir, two veteran YouTubers and media thinkers who have spent years helping their peers figure out digital media. They talk about this latest rise of YouTube, the reality of revenue-backed creative, and what legacy media gets wrong about digital creators. It’s a conversation so compelling that… Nayeema reveals she might try to jump ship into that world herself…?! After the conversation, Max Tani joins to debrief and offer his fact-check for the lacrosse scene in LA. Oh, and Colin and Samir also share their many GoDaddy accounts for their endless business ideas. For more from Colin and Samir check out their podcast, The Colin and Samir Show, and their newsletter, The Publish Press. If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema, @maxwelltani or on instagram.com/nayeemaraza Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    56 min
  5. Elon Musk Is Today’s Ted Turner, and Legacy Media Is “Scared”

    12/06/2024

    Elon Musk Is Today’s Ted Turner, and Legacy Media Is “Scared”

    Mixed Signals is back for Season 2, and this season we’re following the money in the changing media business. What happens now, after the clear win by podcasts and YouTubers in the election? Is it the end of legacy media, for real this time? And can advertisers keep up with audiences’ evolving media diet? To kick off this conversation, Ben and Nayeema bring on author, New Yorker writer, and media savant, Ken Auletta, who’s been examining the industry since the 90s. They talk about if and how this moment feels different from previous disruptions, how Elon Musk is reshaping media, and Ken shares his, uh, colorful recollections of flying with Ted Turner, his girlfriend, and the couple’s bed. If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema, @maxwelltani or on instagram.com/nayeemaraza Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    47 min
  6. Post-Election: Escapism, Resistance, and Cheeseburgers

    11/08/2024

    Post-Election: Escapism, Resistance, and Cheeseburgers

    The 2024 election cycle is finally over – so, what’s coming to your screens next? Today, Ben and Nayeema dissect what the media learned from 2024 and where we go from here. They first chat to Max Tani about the news media, and then sit down with Ankler Media’s Janice Min – who has been reporting on (and embedded in) Hollywood culture for decades. The conversation tackles whether politics and art stay linked or divorce, if Donald Trump will wake up “wokeism” again or if Americans will turn to escapism … and why TV is chasing the “gourmet cheeseburger.” Importantly: This is our last episode of season 1 and we want your feedback! Please email us with what you’ve liked, not liked and want more of for season 2. We’re at bsmith@semafor.com and nayeema@semafor.com. Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema, @maxwelltani or on instagram.com/nayeemaraza Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    1h 4m
  7. Election 2024: What You’re NOT Seeing

    11/01/2024

    Election 2024: What You’re NOT Seeing

    In a noisy election cycle it’s hard to find signals — even of the mixed variety. Today, Ben and Nayeema sit down with reporters David Weigel and Max Tani to parse what you’re not seeing, from the “insane” tv ads at a Pittsburgh Steelers game and the print ads in an Arizona nail salon, to an unpublished Washington Post endorsement that was quashed by Jeff Bezos. One of these things may decide the election, and another could shape the blamegame that follows. If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema @maxwelltani or on Instagram @nayeemaraza  Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    1h 2m
  8. Is Fox News Winning the Election? Inside the Network with Nate Fredman

    10/25/2024

    Is Fox News Winning the Election? Inside the Network with Nate Fredman

    With recent appearances from Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, JD Vance and Tim Walz, it looks like Fox is dominating this election. Ben and Nayeema investigate the channel’s durability despite massive lawsuits, MeToo scandals, and star exits from Tucker Carlson, Bill O’Reilly and Megyn Kelly. To go inside the machine, they talk to former “O’Reilly Factor” and “The Five” producer Nate Fredman (who spent nearly 20 years at the network) about what makes Fox tick — and stick. Stick around for Ben and Nayeema’s debrief with Max Tani, who wrote about Fox this week. Fox News insiders, send your tips to Max!  If you have a tip or a comment, email us mixedsignals@semafor.com Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema @maxwelltani or on Instagram @nayeemaraza  Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media

    50 min
See All (27)

Trailer

Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
175 Ratings

About

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.

Information

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada