New Podcast Celebrates U.S. Broadcast Journalism

A new company has debuted initially to bring podcast listeners vividly memorable stories from the history of American broadcasting.

The 12-episode podcast series We Interrupt This Broadcast — the first season of six seasons planned for release over the next three years —debuts February 2021.  It will feature first-hand accounts, little-told anecdotes and insights recorded over the course of decades with such icons of broadcast journalism as David Brinkley, Tom Brokaw, Walter Cronkite, Sam Donaldson, Don Hewitt, Dan Rather and Tim Russert, among many contemporary correspondents, and with numerous news directors and producers, as well as with guests connected to broadcast journalism’s rich history such as Casey Murrow, Edward R. Murrow’s son.

Chronologically spanning the 1937 Hindenburg disaster to the attacks of 9/11, each episode will unfold with the brisk pace and tone of a thriller, while presenting an in-depth look into the reporting of, and reaction to, the moments that have since become benchmarks of modern American broadcast history.   

The We Interrupt This Broadcast podcast series is the maiden project of newly launched i4 Media Ventures, and is based on the New York Times best-selling multimedia book of the same title by Joe Garner, co-founder of i4 Media Ventures and a successful audio producer. Legendary longtime CBS journalist and A&E and NPR host Bill Kurtis, the original narrator for the multimedia book, will reprise his role by introducing each episode. The narrator for the series will be announced in coming weeks.

Advertising sales and sponsorship for the series will be represented by New York and Los Angeles-based Crossover Media Group Sales.

“It’s our intention with this series to celebrate broadcast journalism’s crucial role in our society and in history,” Garner said.  “And while our inaugural podcast series will feature major news events throughout broadcast history, these stories — such as the Rodney King beating and the presidential-election dispute of 2000 — all have relevance, and offer lessons, today.”

“This 12-episode series format lends itself ideally to dynamic-ad-insertion,” said Sue Freund, managing member of Crossover Media Group Sales. “Marketers will have access to a prestigious and highly engaged audience.  We think We Interrupt This Broadcast holds the kind of promise for listener loyalty as some of the most high-profile and successful limited-run podcasts, and we expect that audience can build steadily over the course of the six seasons.”

Crossover Media Group Sales develops cross-platform advertising opportunities for brands, media personalities and content creators. The company is an extension of Crossover Media Group, a media and ad sales consulting firm serving all of North America, with expertise including TV, radio, podcasts, streaming, OTT networks and other platforms.