Editor’s Note: Most Saturdays we will feature this “Editor’s Notebook” column. MinistryWatch President Warren Smith will offer his opinion on stories in the week’s news or, sometimes, offer a behind-the-scenes look at how and why we do what we do.
In April of last year, I wrote a column in which I said, “In media, as in other areas of life, a balanced menu is the best approach. So, from time to time, I am going to devote an ‘Editor’s Notebook’ column to some podcast recommendations that might help you get a more balanced audio diet.”
I did another such column in July 2024, and again in October, because – you see – I had planned to do this column quarterly. But…well…a year and a half has gone by, and I have not refreshed your media diet. There are too many other urgent things to write about, I guess.
So, I thought I would return to that theme and set a new meal for you. Below are podcasts that I have been listening to lately, podcasts which I recommend for your listening pleasure and spiritual edification. You can find all these podcasts on Apple or your favorite podcast purveyor.
David Bahnsen’s Capital Record. No one is doing finance and economics from a Christian perspective better than David Bahnsen. His “Capital Record” podcast is the only podcast to which I listen to every episode, even the ones I do not think I’m interested in. By the end of those episodes, I usually find out how wrong I was. It’s short. Some of the episodes are less than ten minutes long. Its approach is wholistic and helps me understand the Kuyperian idea that all of life belongs to God – including politics, business, and economics.
COMPELLED: Real Christians, Remarkable Stories. Paul Hastings curates the testimonies of people who have had radical, life-transforming encounters with Jesus. The thing I like about this podcast is the professionalism of it. It’s more than a Q&A. It’s carefully edited and includes sound-effects that draw you into the story.
ACQUIRED: Every Company Has a Story. I’m a sucker for management and leadership books, and when they combine great reporting and storytelling, I’m all-in. ACQUIRED, with hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, has all of that and a good bit of humor besides. This is a LONG podcast. The episode on Google is more than four hours long. Oh, wait, that was one of two episodes devoted to Google. The other episode was over three hours long. The show has also recently featured long-form interviews with Microsoft co-founder Steve Ballmer and JP Morgan Chase legend Jamie Dimon. The interview episodes are usually – though not always – a bit shorter.
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Song Exploder. This podcast is strictly for music nerds. Musician and producer Hrishikesh Hirway takes a classic song and breaks it down. You’ll hear individual instruments, vocals, harmonies, and other intricacies of the production. He also interviews the artist sharing their recollections of the writing and production process. I’ll admit that such a dissection is not for everyone. And Hirway’s taste in music is so eclectic that I find myself not caring about a lot of the songs he features. But when this podcast hits a song I know and love, I find it irresistible. Recent episodes include Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham exploding their song “Frozen Love.” The most interesting episode I’ve heard in a long while was a breakdown of the iconic 80s hit “Take on Me” by A-ha. If you do not like these songs, scroll through the back catalog of this podcast, which now has more than 350 episodes.
The Daily. This podcast from the New York Times has what you would expect from “Grey Lady” of mainstream journalism – a left-leaning bias but also deep reporting. If you are not a fan of the New York Times, then think of it as enemy surveillance. If you are a bit more open-minded, I recommend especially “The Interview” segments that they drop once a week or so. The guests are usually top tier, what in the journalism business we call “good gets.” And they do something special. About a week after the first interview, the host calls the interviewee again and asks something along these lines: “Was there something you thought of after we spoke that you really want to say?” These follow-up segments are often the best parts of the program.