Rob McGinley Myers
@robmcmyers.bsky.social
Previous: Anxious Machine and The Writer's Almanac
Current: Host (with Britta Greene) of Phonograph, a podcast about the art of audio storytelling.
https://pod.link/1438655330
Current: Host (with Britta Greene) of Phonograph, a podcast about the art of audio storytelling.
https://pod.link/1438655330
Pinned
If you haven't heard of this podcast I make with Britta Greene, imagine a video essay about all the techniques that went into a great film, illustrated with clips of that film. Now imagine that in audio, about audio. That's our show. Except we also talk about our feelings.
pod.link/1438655330
pod.link/1438655330
The most harrowing essay you will ever read about driving 500 miles to visit family for Thanksgiving just after being diagnosed with depression in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis and then listening to an episode of the @newyorker.com Fiction Podcast.
phonograph.beehiiv.com/p/this-is-it...
phonograph.beehiiv.com/p/this-is-it...
This Is It
For the first entry of this newsletter about audio narrative, a story about how an episode of The New Yorker Fiction podcast basically saved my life back in 2008
phonograph.beehiiv.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The most harrowing essay you will ever read about driving 500 miles to visit family for Thanksgiving just after being diagnosed with depression in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis and then listening to an episode of the @newyorker.com Fiction Podcast.
phonograph.beehiiv.com/p/this-is-it...
phonograph.beehiiv.com/p/this-is-it...
Rewatching The Shining for the first time in a while and I suddenly imagine it cold-starting with Shelly Duvall’s chilling speech about her son’s dislocated shoulder. Cut the foreboding helcopter shit.
November 26, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Rewatching The Shining for the first time in a while and I suddenly imagine it cold-starting with Shelly Duvall’s chilling speech about her son’s dislocated shoulder. Cut the foreboding helcopter shit.
For my first entry of my new newsletter about audio narrative, a story about how an episode of the New Yorker Fiction podcast sort of saved my life back in 2008.
phonograph.beehiiv.com/p/this-is-it...
Special thanks to @mnkatehopper.bsky.social and @katefreeborn.bsky.social for editing help.
phonograph.beehiiv.com/p/this-is-it...
Special thanks to @mnkatehopper.bsky.social and @katefreeborn.bsky.social for editing help.
This Is It
For the first entry of this newsletter about audio narrative, a story about how an episode of The New Yorker Fiction podcast basically saved my life back in 2008
phonograph.beehiiv.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:31 PM
For my first entry of my new newsletter about audio narrative, a story about how an episode of the New Yorker Fiction podcast sort of saved my life back in 2008.
phonograph.beehiiv.com/p/this-is-it...
Special thanks to @mnkatehopper.bsky.social and @katefreeborn.bsky.social for editing help.
phonograph.beehiiv.com/p/this-is-it...
Special thanks to @mnkatehopper.bsky.social and @katefreeborn.bsky.social for editing help.
Reposted by Rob McGinley Myers
A year of radio sneaking into physical forms… 📚
A joy to see audio makers push back against the last few years many losses with these beautiful, gently defiant objects 🔮
@resonance-archive.bsky.social @soundfieldsjournal.bsky.social @writteninair.bsky.social @swavecollective.bsky.social
A joy to see audio makers push back against the last few years many losses with these beautiful, gently defiant objects 🔮
@resonance-archive.bsky.social @soundfieldsjournal.bsky.social @writteninair.bsky.social @swavecollective.bsky.social
November 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
A year of radio sneaking into physical forms… 📚
A joy to see audio makers push back against the last few years many losses with these beautiful, gently defiant objects 🔮
@resonance-archive.bsky.social @soundfieldsjournal.bsky.social @writteninair.bsky.social @swavecollective.bsky.social
A joy to see audio makers push back against the last few years many losses with these beautiful, gently defiant objects 🔮
@resonance-archive.bsky.social @soundfieldsjournal.bsky.social @writteninair.bsky.social @swavecollective.bsky.social
Britta and I decided, on a bit of a lark, to do an episode of Phonograph about the phenomenon of podcast bonus feeds. And we were surprised and delighted by what we heard. So here's our pitch for the true value of narrative audio.
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
Weirdly Fun - What Podcast Bonus Feeds Are Offering — Phonograph
www.anxiousmachine.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Britta and I decided, on a bit of a lark, to do an episode of Phonograph about the phenomenon of podcast bonus feeds. And we were surprised and delighted by what we heard. So here's our pitch for the true value of narrative audio.
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
I keep thinking about Ira Glass listening to all his podcasts at 2x speed. It's like learning one of your favorite chefs consumes all his gourmet meals by grinding them up in a Vitamix. He just prefers the efficiency of smoothies.
November 19, 2025 at 4:10 AM
I keep thinking about Ira Glass listening to all his podcasts at 2x speed. It's like learning one of your favorite chefs consumes all his gourmet meals by grinding them up in a Vitamix. He just prefers the efficiency of smoothies.
I feel like people who create audio, print, and video stories of all kinds need to start labeling work that's organic. Not unlike food that's made without pesticides.
"Last week, NPR’s leadership proposed testing the use of artificial intelligence to produce digital versions of radio stories, to make the middle of the editorial process more efficient."
Please DM/email/signal me if you know something about this!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/b...
Please DM/email/signal me if you know something about this!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/b...
Who Wrote That Headline? Maybe a Robot.
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:26 PM
I feel like people who create audio, print, and video stories of all kinds need to start labeling work that's organic. Not unlike food that's made without pesticides.
Britta and I are planning an episode of Phonograph that touches on podcast bonus feeds like @slate.com's Plus (CultFest edition) @thisamericanlife.org's Partners, and @ifbookspod.bsky.social's Mile High Club. If you know of any other especially good or interesting podcast bonus feeds, let me know.
November 5, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Britta and I are planning an episode of Phonograph that touches on podcast bonus feeds like @slate.com's Plus (CultFest edition) @thisamericanlife.org's Partners, and @ifbookspod.bsky.social's Mile High Club. If you know of any other especially good or interesting podcast bonus feeds, let me know.
@connorratliff.bsky.social I host a podcast called Phonograph where we do deep dives on the best examples of audio storytelling. (Jonathan Goldstein, 99% Invisible, numerous stories from TAL). Gearing up to discuss Dead Eyes and I wondered if you'd be up for an interview.
phonograph.libsyn.com
phonograph.libsyn.com
Phonograph
A sound-rich audio zine about podcasts, hosted by former public radio producers Rob McGinley Myers (The Writer's Almanac, Anxious Machine) and Britta Greene (Minnesota Public Radio, The New Yorker Rad...
phonograph.libsyn.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:05 PM
@connorratliff.bsky.social I host a podcast called Phonograph where we do deep dives on the best examples of audio storytelling. (Jonathan Goldstein, 99% Invisible, numerous stories from TAL). Gearing up to discuss Dead Eyes and I wondered if you'd be up for an interview.
phonograph.libsyn.com
phonograph.libsyn.com
@asarahlarson.bsky.social I know you don’t really write about podcasts anymore; I just think you might enjoy this episode of my show Phonograph about Jonathan Goldstein. I had your profile of him in the back of my mind as I worked on it:
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
Hey Jackie - The Evolution of Jonathan Goldstein — Phonograph
Listen in any podcast app
www.anxiousmachine.com
October 31, 2025 at 11:24 PM
@asarahlarson.bsky.social I know you don’t really write about podcasts anymore; I just think you might enjoy this episode of my show Phonograph about Jonathan Goldstein. I had your profile of him in the back of my mind as I worked on it:
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
So nice to see Phonograph’s episode about Jonathan Goldstein featured among so many great podcasts in this week’s Podcast The Newsletter from @laurenpassell.bsky.social
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/p/10-podcast...
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/p/10-podcast...
🤳 10 podcasts I texted my friends (fits, Etsy witchcraft, a cemetery, Satanic Panic)
🍭 👂 Ghosts don’t vomit, you’re alive. Even though you shouldn’t be. 🌈 🤸♀️
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:25 PM
So nice to see Phonograph’s episode about Jonathan Goldstein featured among so many great podcasts in this week’s Podcast The Newsletter from @laurenpassell.bsky.social
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/p/10-podcast...
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/p/10-podcast...
Reposted by Rob McGinley Myers
A stat we don't talk about enough: Newspapers have lost 77% of their jobs over the last 20 year, more than any of the 532 other industries tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
October 27, 2025 at 11:54 PM
A stat we don't talk about enough: Newspapers have lost 77% of their jobs over the last 20 year, more than any of the 532 other industries tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Hearing Ira Glass talk about Heavyweight on the latest episode of @thisamericanlife.org made me think he might enjoy this episode of Phonograph about Jonathan Goldstein.
Feel free to tell him. Or anyone.
Feel free to tell him. Or anyone.
Britta and I are back with a new episode of Phonograph, which takes a deep dive into the career of Jonathan Goldstein, from his earliest stories from TAL and up through Wiretap, Heavyweight, and all those phone calls to Jackie Cohen:
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
Hey Jackie - Jonathan Goldstein — Phonograph
Listen in any podcast app
www.anxiousmachine.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Hearing Ira Glass talk about Heavyweight on the latest episode of @thisamericanlife.org made me think he might enjoy this episode of Phonograph about Jonathan Goldstein.
Feel free to tell him. Or anyone.
Feel free to tell him. Or anyone.
Reposted by Rob McGinley Myers
Britta and I are back with a new episode of Phonograph, which takes a deep dive into the career of Jonathan Goldstein, from his earliest stories from TAL and up through Wiretap, Heavyweight, and all those phone calls to Jackie Cohen:
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
Hey Jackie - Jonathan Goldstein — Phonograph
Listen in any podcast app
www.anxiousmachine.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Britta and I are back with a new episode of Phonograph, which takes a deep dive into the career of Jonathan Goldstein, from his earliest stories from TAL and up through Wiretap, Heavyweight, and all those phone calls to Jackie Cohen:
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
Britta and I are back with a new episode of Phonograph, which takes a deep dive into the career of Jonathan Goldstein, from his earliest stories from TAL and up through Wiretap, Heavyweight, and all those phone calls to Jackie Cohen:
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
Hey Jackie - Jonathan Goldstein — Phonograph
Listen in any podcast app
www.anxiousmachine.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Britta and I are back with a new episode of Phonograph, which takes a deep dive into the career of Jonathan Goldstein, from his earliest stories from TAL and up through Wiretap, Heavyweight, and all those phone calls to Jackie Cohen:
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
Reposted by Rob McGinley Myers
Oh hey guess what. The Audio Flux Podcast launches 10/22! ✨
- Hosted by the singular AMY PEARL
- Launching as a proud new member of @hubspokeaudio
- Season 01 features Circuit 01 fluxworks, one three minute burst of sound + story at a time
COME. FLUX(CAST). WITH. US!
In a week, that is. 😘
- Hosted by the singular AMY PEARL
- Launching as a proud new member of @hubspokeaudio
- Season 01 features Circuit 01 fluxworks, one three minute burst of sound + story at a time
COME. FLUX(CAST). WITH. US!
In a week, that is. 😘
October 15, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Oh hey guess what. The Audio Flux Podcast launches 10/22! ✨
- Hosted by the singular AMY PEARL
- Launching as a proud new member of @hubspokeaudio
- Season 01 features Circuit 01 fluxworks, one three minute burst of sound + story at a time
COME. FLUX(CAST). WITH. US!
In a week, that is. 😘
- Hosted by the singular AMY PEARL
- Launching as a proud new member of @hubspokeaudio
- Season 01 features Circuit 01 fluxworks, one three minute burst of sound + story at a time
COME. FLUX(CAST). WITH. US!
In a week, that is. 😘
Reposted by Rob McGinley Myers
Give Issac Chotiner subpoena power
September 24, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Give Issac Chotiner subpoena power
My co-host Britta and I did a two part re-evaluation of the podcast Startup a year ago (the 10th anniversary of the release of that podcast), and we found—especially in the second episode in our series “Suitcase Full of Cash”—that the show now comes across like a Greek tragedy.
tinyurl.com/5xbf589x
tinyurl.com/5xbf589x
September 6, 2025 at 5:23 PM
My co-host Britta and I did a two part re-evaluation of the podcast Startup a year ago (the 10th anniversary of the release of that podcast), and we found—especially in the second episode in our series “Suitcase Full of Cash”—that the show now comes across like a Greek tragedy.
tinyurl.com/5xbf589x
tinyurl.com/5xbf589x
I know it’s not a solution, but this is part of why my co-host Britta Greene and I launched our podcast Phonograph exactly a year ago. Someone needs to argue for the value of narrative podcasts. Why not us? Our episode about Signal Hill is a good example:
pod.link/1438655330/e...
pod.link/1438655330/e...
September 5, 2025 at 6:56 PM
I know it’s not a solution, but this is part of why my co-host Britta Greene and I launched our podcast Phonograph exactly a year ago. Someone needs to argue for the value of narrative podcasts. Why not us? Our episode about Signal Hill is a good example:
pod.link/1438655330/e...
pod.link/1438655330/e...
If the rock musicians of the 1960s had been hired to make music for the record companies of the era, and then after a decade they were all laid off, that might approximate what’s happened to narrative podcasters. Super depressing, but my hope is that folks might start making their own music again.
There have been a ton of 20th anniversary "best of" podcast lists lately, and it has started to feel a bit like an obituary for an industry.
[gift link] defector.com/the-future-o...
[gift link] defector.com/the-future-o...
The Future Of Podcasting Is Here, And It Sucks | Defector
This week, Left Of Dial published its Essential Listening Poll, a compilation of the 100 best podcasts of all time, according to industry creators, writers, and scholars (Disclosure: I was invited to ...
defector.com
August 27, 2025 at 12:44 PM
If the rock musicians of the 1960s had been hired to make music for the record companies of the era, and then after a decade they were all laid off, that might approximate what’s happened to narrative podcasters. Super depressing, but my hope is that folks might start making their own music again.
@thehighsign.bsky.social Your question about Napoleon reminded me of how much I enjoyed Tolstoy's portrayal of him in War and Peace, where right from the first page he looms Trump-like over dinner party conversation. And later Russian aristocrats have to try to stop speaking French in protest.
August 20, 2025 at 8:58 PM
@thehighsign.bsky.social Your question about Napoleon reminded me of how much I enjoyed Tolstoy's portrayal of him in War and Peace, where right from the first page he looms Trump-like over dinner party conversation. And later Russian aristocrats have to try to stop speaking French in protest.
So nice to see @laurenpassell.bsky.social texting the latest episode of Phonograph to friends (and writing such nice things):
"Like putting someone’s (sharper) ears over my own, someone who knows what’s going on layers beneath the surface."
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/p/dead-inter...
"Like putting someone’s (sharper) ears over my own, someone who knows what’s going on layers beneath the surface."
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/p/dead-inter...
☠️ dead internet theory🔪 waterphone 🇬🇧chompers 🦷 golden records🪐 we the people 📜
🍭 👂Heartbeat footsteps laughter 🌈 🤸♀️
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com
August 11, 2025 at 7:55 PM
So nice to see @laurenpassell.bsky.social texting the latest episode of Phonograph to friends (and writing such nice things):
"Like putting someone’s (sharper) ears over my own, someone who knows what’s going on layers beneath the surface."
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/p/dead-inter...
"Like putting someone’s (sharper) ears over my own, someone who knows what’s going on layers beneath the surface."
podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/p/dead-inter...
@agoldman.bsky.social You might’ve seen me posting about this, but I wanted to be sure I shared with you this episode of my podcast where we delved into four episodes from the early years of @99pi.org, ending on Heyoon, among my favorite episodes of all time.
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
What a Wonderful Thing - 99% Invisible — Phonograph
www.anxiousmachine.com
August 8, 2025 at 5:06 PM
@agoldman.bsky.social You might’ve seen me posting about this, but I wanted to be sure I shared with you this episode of my podcast where we delved into four episodes from the early years of @99pi.org, ending on Heyoon, among my favorite episodes of all time.
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
www.anxiousmachine.com/phonograph/2...
I've always thought @kottke.org and @99pi.org were kindred spirits of a sort. So it's super cool to see my podcast episode about the one on the website of the other. If you have any interest in @99pi.org, I really think you'll enjoy this show.
From the Phonograph podcast, a look at the early days of 99% Invisible (as that podcast’s 15th anniversary approaches). [phonograph.libsyn.com]
Phonograph: What a Wonderful Thing - 99% Invisible
As the 15th anniversary of 99% Invisible approaches, Rob and Britta dig into four very different episodes from the first four years of that show’s run (as well as the story of the time Rob met Roman Mars): Episode 6: “” Episode 29: “” (Produced with Katie Mingle) Episode 103: “” (Produced wit
phonograph.libsyn.com
August 7, 2025 at 11:05 PM
I've always thought @kottke.org and @99pi.org were kindred spirits of a sort. So it's super cool to see my podcast episode about the one on the website of the other. If you have any interest in @99pi.org, I really think you'll enjoy this show.
@myke.social I feel like there’s a chance you might enjoy this episode of my podcast where we dig into the early years of @99pi.org. Sort of like an Incomparable episode, but about a podcast. Or that episode you guys did about the iPhone launch with clips.
overcast.fm/+AAPC1ej4JvE
overcast.fm/+AAPC1ej4JvE
What a Wonderful Thing - 99% Invisible — Phonograph
As the 15th anniversary of 99% Invisible approaches, Rob and Britta dig into four very different episodes from the first four years of that show’s run (as well as the story of the time Rob met Roman M...
overcast.fm
August 5, 2025 at 1:27 AM
@myke.social I feel like there’s a chance you might enjoy this episode of my podcast where we dig into the early years of @99pi.org. Sort of like an Incomparable episode, but about a podcast. Or that episode you guys did about the iPhone launch with clips.
overcast.fm/+AAPC1ej4JvE
overcast.fm/+AAPC1ej4JvE