Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro on Friendship, Feeds and Their New Podcast

Kara Swisher interviews former NPR hosts Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro about their careers and their new culture podcast, Engagement Party. They discuss their history of working together, from their early days at WBUR in Boston to co-hosting All Things Considered.

Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro discuss their transition from public radio to launching their new culture-focused podcast, Engagement Party. They share how their behind-the-scenes conversations at NPR inspired the show and address the initial fears of pivoting from hard news to pop culture analysis.

Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro discuss the unique chemistry of their partnership and the transition from public radio to hosting their own show. They reflect on the constraints of the traditional NPR host identity and the challenge of finding their authentic voices outside of established institutional legacies.

Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro discuss how their long-term professional friendship allows them to take risks and have constructive disagreements on their new show. They contrast this with the more rigid, "airless" environments of traditional news organizations like NPR and CNN.

Kara Swisher talks with Ari Shapiro and Audie Cornish about their new podcast, Engagement Party, and how they select pop culture stories to discuss. They explore the rise of horror movies as societal allegories and discuss the challenge of transcending algorithmic cultural silos.

Ari Shapiro and Audie Cornish discuss their frustrations with social media algorithms and the concept of 'feeds' that manipulate user attention. They explore how the traditional monoculture has fragmented, creating new opportunities to curate meaningful cultural conversations for their audience.

Ari Shapiro and Audie Cornish discuss the length of their new podcast and how they plan to navigate the modern attention economy. They address a question from former NPR colleague Steve Inskeep about maintaining coherent thought on digital devices by emphasizing the need to meet audiences where they are, including on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.

Ari Shapiro and Audie Cornish discuss the creative philosophy behind their new podcast, Engagement Party, contrasting its focus on enjoyment with their past work at NPR. Kara Swisher shares advice from her time running tech publications like All Things D and Recode, emphasizing the importance of creating unique content. They also explore how podcasting's longer format allows for deeper, relationship-driven conversations compared to traditional radio.

Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro discuss the unique intimacy of podcasting and radio, highlighting the parasocial relationships listeners form with hosts. They share anecdotes from their time at NPR, including stories about legendary hosts like Susan Stamberg, and discuss how these dynamics translate to their new podcast, Engagement Party, and Audie's previous show, The Assignment.

Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kara Swisher discuss the current state of the media industry, highlighting the challenges of corporate mergers and acquisitions. They reflect on how consolidation affects local news, public radio, and the public's growing awareness of media ownership.

Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro discuss the financial challenges and future evolution of NPR under CEO Katherine Maher. They also touch upon the role of wealthy philanthropists and the impact of AI on journalism.

Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro discuss the future of journalism in the age of AI, emphasizing the unique role of human journalists. The hosts then share their offline "touch grass" activities, including paint-by-numbers, geometry puzzle games, and gardening.

Kara Swisher, Ari Shapiro, and Audie Cornish discuss the launch of Ari and Audie's new podcast, Engagement Party. They joke about hot gardeners on social media and share advice on keeping podcast content hopeful and engaging. Kara also playfully challenges them ahead of the next Webby Awards.