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Rating

★★★★☆

3.9

from

58 reviews

Description

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, and Julia Alexander, a longtime media analyst, as they sit 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

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Check latest episodes from The Grill Room podcast

Matt Murray on the Washington Post’s Mass Layoffs

2026/02/06

The Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray joins Dylan for an exclusive, wide-ranging conversation about the sweeping layoffs that reduced the newsroom by 300 journalists and a third of the company overall. Murray defends the restructuring as necessary to meet changing audience behavior and address financial strain, while arguing that recent subscriber gains signal a viable path to growth in the paper’s next chapter. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WaPo’s Extinction Event & The Dawn of D’Amaro

2026/02/06

Julia and Dylan dig into the week’s most consequential media storylines: the mass layoffs at the Washington Post, Peacock’s pivotal month of sports programming, the ascension of Josh D’Amaro as Disney’s new C.E.O., and the growing question of whether ESPN will ultimately be spun off as Disney signals that its future lies beyond traditional television. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Making of Tucker Carlson

2026/02/03

Jason Zengerle joins Dylan for a deep dive into his new book, ‘Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind.’ Zengerle traces Carlson’s evolution from print journalist to cable news star—and eventually to media mogul—examining his strategic use of outrage, his close alignment with Trump, and how both have fueled his influence. They also explore the broader impact of conservative media on American political discourse and whether Carlson may ultimately pursue elected office. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Barry Diller Save CNN?

2026/01/30

Julia and Dylan chew over the reports that Barry Diller is interested in buying CNN, and whether a new owner would solve the network’s digital dilemma (probably not). Then they assess the broader, largely self-inflicted crises facing Bari Weiss at CBS News, Will Lewis at The Washington Post, and Mark Thompson at CNN. They also break down Netflix’s latest Engagement Report and the streamer’s increasingly YouTube-esque programming. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Food52’s Recipe for Bankruptcy

2026/01/27

Former Barstool Sports C.E.O. and Food52 chief executive Erika Ayers Badan joins Dylan to reflect on navigating bankruptcy at Food52, a onetime $300 million company that ultimately collapsed under roughly $25 million in debt. She breaks down what went wrong, the dangers of undisciplined growth, and why diversified revenue streams matter now more than ever. She also discusses what kind of buyers might be circling, what industry peers can learn from Food52’s downturn, her take on the state of media writ large—and much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Netflix vs. YouTube vs. Everybody

2026/01/23

Julia and Dylan break down the week’s biggest media storylines, from Netflix’s earnings and Ted Sarandos’s candid take on the state of television to Neal Mohan’s annual letter outlining YouTube’s present—and A.I.-shaped future. The duo weigh into the ever-growing challenge of capturing attention in an increasingly oversaturated and fragmented media ecosystem—and the curious case of Mediaite’s perplexing new newsletter about… newsletters. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben & Justin on Semafor’s $330M Valuation

2026/01/20

Semafor co-founders Justin Smith and Ben Smith join Dylan to discuss their recent $30 million financing at a staggering $330 million post-money valuation—and to address some industry player-hating. They justify the math behind the valuation, break down the economics of a media company with a significant events business (while rejecting the idea that Semafor is events-first), and walk through their broader ambition to build a global, intelligent, independent news brand in the mold of The Economist and the Financial Times. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CBS News on the Rocks

2026/01/16

Dylan and Julia dig into the mess surrounding a potential corporate sponsorship of CBS News’ “Whiskey Fridays” with Tony Dokoupil, after an Evening News set featuring a Jack Daniel’s logo leaked online. The controversy also sparked a bigger debate about whether corporate sponsorships lack journalistic integrity—or actually offer a viable lifeline to a news industry in perpetual decline. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gospel According to VandeHei

2026/01/13

Jim VandeHei, the co-founder and C.E.O. of Axios, is back with hot takes on the industry’s biggest challenges: the media’s trust deficit, the imperative to serve hyper-targeted audiences, and how A.I. is writing journalism’s next chapter. Jim predicts a potential golden age for quality reporting—provided publishers actually embrace A.I.—and delivers a characteristically blunt assessment of The Washington Post and CBS News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Dokoupil Debacle & Semafor’s $330M Question

2026/01/09

Julia and Dylan survey a volatile week in media: Tony Dokoupil’s rocky debut at CBS Evening News and the broader questions it raises about Bari Weiss’s leadership, Semafor’s eyebrow-raising $330 million valuation, the flood of A.I.-generated content overtaking Instagram and X, and plenty more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hollywood’s Future ’26 War Stories

2026/01/06

Matt Belloni joins Dylan and Julia to chart the latest updates surrounding the Warner Bros. Discovery bidding war between Netflix and Paramount—and what each side stands to gain or lose. Then they dive into Hollywood’s accelerating A.I. anxiety in light of Disney’s pact with Sora 2, the upcoming film slate for 2026, YouTube's rights deal with the Oscars, and more. Plus: Matt explains his choices for Hollywood’s heroes and villain of the year. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CNN Sale Chatter, Meta TV & Other 2026 Predictions

2026/01/02

Dylan and Julia forecast the media chaos to come, mapping out the storylines likely to dominate the year ahead—from the ongoing Warner Bros. Discovery drama to Disney’s Sora experiment, Instagram Reels invading connected TV, and the likely disruption of the ad market. They also predict CNN’s uncertain future, the waning influencer economy, the A.I. forces quietly rearranging everything, and much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are the Kids… All Right?

2025/12/30

Jim Steyer, the founder and C.E.O. of Common Sense Media, joins Dylan for a fascinating end-of-year conversation about which tech companies and social media platforms are getting it right (and wrong) when it comes to child safety. They also chat about his legendary class at Stanford and forthcoming podcast, his brother Tom’s gubernatorial bid in California, and much more. Learn more about Starbucks industry-leading benefits at ⁠starbucks.com/partners⁠⁠.⁠ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Media’s ’25 Crisis of Nerve

2025/12/26

Julia and Dylan reunite to survey the stories that defined media in 2025, starting with the recent uproar over Bari Weiss pulling a ’60 Minutes’ segment critical of the Trump administration. Then they dig into the impact of David Ellison’s bid for Warner Bros., Trump’s omnipresent influence on the media ecosystem, the mounting pressures on legacy outlets, and much more. Learn more about Starbucks industry-leading benefits at ⁠starbucks.com/partners⁠⁠.⁠ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katie Couric Goes Direct

2025/12/23

The one and only Katie Couric joins Dylan for a wide-ranging look back—and forward—at her career, from her stints at the Today show, CBS, and Yahoo to building her own media empire. She digs into the collapse of monoculture, the rise of a creator-driven media landscape, why authenticity matters now more than ever, maintaining journalistic integrity in an era of relentless political pressure—and much, much more.Learn more about Starbucks industry-leading benefits at ⁠starbucks.com/partners⁠⁠.⁠ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Podcast reviews

Read The Grill Room podcast reviews

3.9 out of 5

58 reviews

★★★☆☆

Talola 2024/12/11

Too much suffering of fools

Too often a vip is allowed to bloviate and make idiotic pronouncements way outside of their area of expertise, and sometimes within their area of expe...

★★★★★

Josh 6873 2025/11/20

Yes.

I get a lot out of this podcast. Hope Jon Kelly realizes that Julia Alexander is not just a sidekick, she is the reason many people tune in.

★★★★★

FrannyMV 2025/08/24

Such a great point of view

Dylan does such a wonderful job of bringing the audience to what feels like a chic off the record conversation.

★★★★★

lipstick315 2025/08/24

Love this show but Ruthless was ruthless

I love this show. Listen every week. But those Ruthless guys were a bunch of bro’y gaslighters. First Grill Room I didn’t listen to all the way thru.

★★★★★

CJMcMac 2025/08/13

Ruthless Guys Are a Bit Toothless

Dylan was brilliant to have the Ruthless guys on the pod. But I found it interesting that after all the bloviating about their unique and all-importan...

★★☆☆☆

CredibleReviews 2025/06/13

Leftwing centric

Like Puck, it’s a leftwing-centric universe of stories and reporting from that perspective. Broaden the scope out Dylan, why has the Free Beacon been ...

★★☆☆☆

nbwLANY 2025/05/02

60 Min ep

Seriously Dylan? The old 60 Min didn't do news relevant stories? Mike interviewing Ayotollah, Tim McVeigh interview investigations of big corps- suga...

★★★★★

Sblevi 2024/12/19

Barry Diller

Very insightful interview with Barry Diller. My impression was that Dylan may have been somewhat surprised by Barry’s response to some of his question...

★★★★★

Matt Rodbard 2024/12/12

New essential listen

Dylan has some real mic skills, drops great insider intel (as an extension of his terrific newsletter reporting), and has the Rolodex to book interest...

★☆☆☆☆

Kfifffter 2024/12/09

Gaze at that navel!

He's a media insider talking to media insiders! Just don't ask him to pronounce Ta-Nehesi correctly!

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