NEW YORK CITY – Podcast network and listening platform Stitcher has signed a deal with journalist and best-selling author Stephen J. Dubner to co-produce his long-running and popular “Freakonomics Radio” podcast and to bring the show to the Stitcher network this summer.
Stitcher also will work with Dubner to expand the “Freakonomics Radio” brand through existing and new content.
“Stitcher has proven itself best-in-class in the podcasting world,” said Dubner. “And they are absolutely packed with talent, from the business side to the editorial side. I can’t wait to get to work with them.”
Through the new deal, Stitcher also will continue its content and advertising relationship with the “Freakonomics Radio” spinoff podcast, the live game show, “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know,” which debuted at No. 1 on Apple Podcasts. Stitcher will partner with Dubner and his team to launch new regular features and special projects like the recent “Secret Life of a CEO” series, which featured interviews with top names in business including Mark Zuckerberg, Indra Nooyi and Richard Branson.
With a loyal podcast audience driving over 12 million downloads per month, “Freakonomics Radio” also airs on public radio stations across the country and on SiriusXM.
The award-winning podcast explores the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature – from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. In each weekly episode, Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs.
“Freakonomics Radio” will release new episodes with Stitcher starting in July. In addition to free weekly episodes available to listeners on all podcast-listening platforms, the show’s archives will be available exclusively on the Stitcher app and on Freakonomics.com.
The show will be produced in New York by Dubner Productions and Stitcher, under the leadership of Chief Content Officer Chris Bannon.
“‘Freakonomics Radio’ is an iconic brand in the podcast industry and has a large and loyal following,” said Erik Diehn, CEO of Stitcher and its parent company, Midroll Media. “We see great opportunity for building on that legacy by introducing the brand to new audiences across platforms, and Stitcher is the right partner for that transformation. Our leadership and relationships across the podcast ecosystem will help elevate ‘Freakonomics’ to new levels.”
By partnering with Stitcher, Dubner joins fellow celebrity journalist Katie Couric, who launched her podcast with Stitcher in spring 2016. He also will be in good company alongside the network’s top-rated shows including “The Longest Shortest Time,” “The Sporkful” and “Heaven’s Gate.”
Midroll Media will exclusively represent the podcast for advertising. Midroll represents hundreds of the industry’s most successful podcasts, including “My Favorite Murder,” “Comedy Bang! Bang!”, “Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday Conversations” and more.
About Midroll Media
Stitcher is one of the world’s most popular podcast listening services, with a growing network of original content and a premium subscription service. Stitcher is part of Midroll Media, a leading podcast company that also is home to the Earwolf network and its top-ranked comedy podcasts and the Midroll advertising network, representing over 300 of the world’s largest podcasts. With offices in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco, Midroll was founded in 2010 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP).
About “Freakonomics Radio”
Discover the hidden side of everything with host Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the best-selling “Freakonomics” books. Each week, hear surprising conversations that explore the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature – from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs – and occasionally, his “Freakonomics” co-author Steve Levitt. After just a few episodes, this podcast will leave you, too, thinking like a Freak.
About Stephen J. Dubner
Stephen J. Dubner is an award-winning author, journalist and TV and radio personality. In addition to “Freakonomics,” “SuperFreakonomics,” “Think Like a Freak” and “When to Rob a Bank,” his books include “Turbulent Souls (Choosing My Religion),” “Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper” and the children’s book “The Boy With Two Belly Buttons.” His journalism has been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker and Time, and has been anthologized in “The Best American Sports Writing,” “The Best American Crime Writing” and elsewhere. He has taught English at Columbia University (while receiving an MFA there), played in a rock band (which started at Appalachian State University, where he was an undergrad, and was later signed to Arista Records), and, as a writer, was first published at the age of 11, in Highlights for Children. Dubner also is the host of the “Freakonomics Radio” podcast, which gets 12 million downloads a month. He lives in New York with his wife, the documentary photographer Ellen Binder, and their children.
Media contacts:
Kari Wethington, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3763, [email protected]
Ray Padgett, Freakonomics Radio/Shore Fire Media, [email protected]