Slate Political Gabfest
| Genre | Weekly political commentary |
|---|---|
| Running time | 40-60 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Hosted by | David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Bowers |
| Recording studio | Washington, D.C. |
| Original release | December 2005 – present |
| Audio format | Stereophonic/MP3 |
| Website | http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/gabfest.html |
The Slate Political Gabfest (established 2005) is an American political podcast by Slate magazine that covers topics on current politics and issues.
The shows are usually hosted by David Plotz. It is reportedly Slate's most popular podcast.
The show is usually hosted by former Slate editor David Plotz with regular contributors Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson, likewise Slate alums. It covers three political topics in the week's news. Each topic is discussed from various viewpoints, and the podcast runs about 40 minutes to an hour. Ads are incorporated into the show between topics, with Plotz or one of the other contributors describing the product in a casual way, similar to the manner of early radio and television shows.
The group typically treats Dickerson as their expert on Washington politics and presidential campaigns. Bazelon is turned to for her legal expertise and for her experience reporting on online bullying and child sexual abuse.
Plotz, Bazelon, and Dickerson reportedly do not discuss topics with each other before going live.
The Slate Political Gabfest was launched in December 2005. Andy Bowers, executive producer of the podcast, initially read articles from Slate for the podcast, but he said he was struck by how much he enjoyed the magazine's editorial meetings and thought that listeners would also enjoy the banter and analysis if he could capture it on audio. He provided Plotz, Bazelon and Dickerson with the basic structure of the gabfest and a small studio at Slate's Washington headquarters.
The podcast is Slate's most popular podcast. As of February 2012, Political Gabfest has over 75,000 weekly listeners. A few fans reportedly drove hours or flew from several states away to attend live shows.
Chris Campling of The Times (London) named it his podcast of the week for February 2, 2008. In 2011, the entire Slate series of podcasts received an Advertising Age "Media Vanguard Award" for Digital Native/Best Podcast Series with a specific mention of the Political Gabfest. In November 2012, the Slate Political Gabfest won iTunes informal Facebook poll for the best political podcast.
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