WNYC and Slate Team Up to Launch Gabfest Radio, An Hour-Long Radio Show Based on Two of Slate’s Most Popular Podcasts

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Slate and WNYC, America’s flagship public radio station, are teaming up to bring Slate’s acclaimed podcasts to the radio airwaves for the first time.

“Because the content is so smart, honest and engaging, Gabfest Radio will have a strong appeal for WNYC listeners”

Launching Saturday, August 25, GABFEST RADIO combines Slate’s most popular and acclaimed podcasts – The Culture Gabfest and The Political Gabfest – into a one-hour weekly program on WNYC AM820 and www.wnyc.org. The show will offer listeners a half-hour of intelligent political analysis before pivoting to another half-hour take on the week’s most intriguing cultural news topics, all delivered with Slate’s signature wit and brutal honesty.

Gabfest Radio will air Saturdays at 7am and Sundays at 6pm on WNYC AM820, www.wnyc.org, and via the WNYC mobile app.

“WNYC is the perfect radio home for Slate,” said Andy Bowers, Executive Producer of Slate podcasts. “WNYC already produces some of the most innovative programs in public radio, and several of the Slate Gabfest hosts appear regularly on its shows. Bringing our most popular podcasts to WNYC’s airwaves is a natural fit. We’re excited to welcome WNYC’s listeners into the Slate Gabfest family.”

“Because the content is so smart, honest and engaging, Gabfest Radio will have a strong appeal for WNYC listeners,” said Chris Bannon, Vice President, Content Development and Production, WNYC. “They depend on us for intelligent analysis of current events and personalities, whether it’s about the election campaign or what everyone seems to be reading on the subway this week. Many of the Gabfest panelists have already appeared on our signature local and national shows, so this just seemed like a natural step for WNYC.”

The Slate Political Gabfest, launched in 2005, is hosted by Slate editor David Plotz, Slate’s chief political correspondent and CBS News Political Director John Dickerson and Slate senior editor and legal correspondent Emily Bazelon. The Slate Culture Gabfest, launched in 2008, is hosted by Slate deputy editor Julia Turner, Slate movie critic Dana Stevens and Slate culture critic at large, Stephen Metcalf.

Since its founding in 1996, Slate Magazine has been committed to smart, counterintuitive analysis of politics and culture, and Slate’s Political and Culture Gabfests have brought these values to millions of podcast listeners over the past seven years. The Slate Gabfests consistently rank among iTunes’ top podcasts, and are some of the most successful podcasts on the Web. Unlike typical panel shows where the guests simply bicker from fixed ideological positions, the Gabfest hosts love to debate, question conventional wisdom, and change their minds in the face of compelling arguments. They work to win each other over, and they’re happy to admit when they’ve been bested. This technique provides listeners with a multifaceted form of commentary that’s more like a great discussion with friends than a radio show.

WNYC is a leading producer of top-rated podcasts and personality-driven programming, including the Peabody Award winning show Radiolab, which ranks in iTunes’ Top 3 podcasts, as well as Freakonomics Radio, Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin, and On The Media. All WNYC podcasts are available on-demand at www.wnyc.org and via WNYC’s mobile app.

New York Public Radio is New York’s premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC, WQXR, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, and New Jersey Public Radio, as well as www.wnyc.org, www.wqxr.org, www.thegreenespace.org and www.njpublicradio.org. As America's most listened-to AM/FM news and talk public radio stations, reaching 1.1 million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City's cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WQXR is New York City's sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city's rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC and WQXR produce content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station's street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. New Jersey Public Radio extends WNYC reach and service more deeply into New Jersey. For more information about New York Public Radio, visit www.nypublicradio.org.

Slate is a daily magazine on the Web that offers analysis and commentary about news, politics, culture, business, law, and technology. Slate's strong editorial voice and witty take on current events have been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online and the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism. Reaching eight million unique visitors per month, Slate is the centerpiece of the Slate Group, an online publishing subsidiary of the Washington Post Co. For more information about Slate, visit www.slate.com. (NYSE:WPO)