{"id":695041,"date":"2026-05-26T14:45:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/695041\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T14:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:45:09","slug":"newsnation-readies-podcast-push-sees-chance-to-expand-beyond-cable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/695041\/","title":{"rendered":"NewsNation Readies Podcast Push, Sees Chance to Expand Beyond Cable"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tNewsNation<\/a> is expanding its borders.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Nexstar<\/a>-backed cable-news outlet has quietly launched a suite of new podcasts, a maneuver that Michael Corn<\/a>, president of specials and programming, says is only the beginning of a foray into the format, which he believes will help NewsNation reach viewers who are looking for authoritative, non-partisan conversations about a range of different topics.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a remarkable new frontier,\u201d says the executive, during a recent interview. \u00a0\u201cThere is so much opportunity there and there\u2019s a vast, vast audience and it\u2019s completely complementary to what we are doing on TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNew podcasts include \u201cNewsNation\u2019s Unreported with Meagan Medick,\u201d which explores unconventional topics like AI, paranormal phenomena and ghost hunters. New episodes debut every Wednesday. \u201cProve It with Batya!\u201d is hosted by Batya Ungar-Sargon, who anchors a 7 p.m. program on NewsNation on Saturday evenings. Her hour-long show focuses on political and cultural debates and allows viewers to interact live with the host.\u00a0 The program streams live Monday through Thursday.<\/p>\n

\n\tJesse Weber, who anchors NewsNation\u2019s 11 p.m. hour<\/a>, hosts \u201cHot Take with Jesse Weber,\u201d which streams every Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube. The show views hot topics through the lens of entertainment. \u201cThe Scoop with Paula Froelich\u201d is a weekly entertainment podcast<\/a> hosted by the former New York Post gossip columnist.<\/p>\n

\n\tThese new programs join others that have already debuted, including \u201cReality Check with Ross Coulthart,\u201d \u201cBradley on the Border with Ali Bradley,\u201d \u201cMissing with Marni Hughes, \u201cand \u201cTruth of the Matter.\u201d The company considers \u201cReality Check\u201d a success, noting it was listed as 57th on YouTube\u2019s list of most popular podcasts for the period of May 11 to May 17. It has in some weeks, won more viewers than podcasts such as \u201cGood Hang with Amy Poehler\u201d and \u201cCall Her Daddy,\u201d among other popular selections.<\/p>\n

\n\tBy adding new podcasts, NewsNation hopes to tap a broader audience than the one that tunes in to cable news. While NewsNation\u2019s linear ratings have risen since the outlet launched in 2020 out of the property once known as WGN America, they remain relatively small compared to rivals like Fox News and MS NOW. But the audience for podcasts is younger than the typical cable-news viewer, says Corn, and is more interested in depth, nuance and longer-form discussion.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA lot of the audience really seems to be searching for deeper understanding and deeper explainers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tNewsNation digs into the podcast format as traditional purveyors of news are looking for ways to connect with modern audiences. Magid, one of the most durable media consultancies in the sector, has advised clients to start giving viewers more context, depth and emotional reassurance, rather than relying on breaking news and dozens of star anchors and correspondents<\/a>. A driving focus should be keeping viewers already acquired watching for longer periods of time, according to its advice, rather than trying to get as many people to watch as possible.<\/p>\n

\n\tMany of the nation\u2019s big news machines are developing more podcasts, a testament to the increasing popularity of the format and the relatively low production costs that it requires. Rather than hiring dozens of new staffers to helm these properties, the media companies are trying to find areas of expertise already mastered by current employees. At CNN, for example, Anderson Cooper leads a podcast devoted to grief, something he has explored for many years, including within his own family.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe idea is taking a little care to find out what it is the audience is craving right now and in what areas are our talent uniquely situated to provide real insight,\u201d says Corn.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe executive finds himself in a new area, too. Corn for many years at ABC News supervised top properties including \u201cGood Morning America\u201d and \u201cWorld News Tonight.\u201d <\/a>Video podcasts, he says, are \u201ctotally different.\u201d Big TV shows \u201care very structured and designed for lean-back viewing. People develop a habit over the years and a loyalty,\u201d he says. \u201cYouTube is vote-with-your-pointer-finger-right-away. Do you want to watch this or not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are still ways to link the programs back to NewsNation, says the executive. \u201cOur DNA and our mission are transparency, and accuracy and trust,\u201d says Corn. \u201cIt\u2019s really important to us that we are viewed as the least partisan and the most fair and honest about who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe podcasts can be used in several ways, says Corn, including being put on the linear schedule. NewsNation has already built new digital studios in Chicago that can be used for its podcast push, and Corn expects more titles to surface. \u201cThe turnaround from inception to new show is not that long,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you are standing up a new show on YouTube, it\u2019 s a few weeks to a few months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t(pictured, above: NewsNation executive Michael Corn)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NewsNation is expanding its borders. The Nexstar-backed cable-news outlet has quietly launched a suite of new podcasts, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[49,48,75,253649,150066,53008,1404,348],"class_list":["post-695041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-michael-corn","tag-newsnation","tag-nexstar","tag-podcast","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}