Vox Reintroduces Vox Conversations Podcast With New Hosts Sean Illing And Jamil Smith

 

The new show will approach the interview-style podcast differently with honest discussions and special guests each week

Podcasts that feature "conversations" have always been knitted to podcasting.  The medium is perfectly suited for substantive conversation since audio is front and center, often compelling the host and guests to parse their words carefully and work harder to communicate effectively.

 

Of course, we have Joe Rogan, who "relaxes" his guests with either whiskey or weed, and we have celebrities that have wedged themselves into podcasting with conversations that mirror the vapidness of TV talk shows.

 

Vox Conversations with Ezra Klein was a different animal entirely.  The show didn't instigate Fox News decibel level "name-calling" threat-a-thons" or "gone Hollywood" shows where a guest's footwear choice can suck up an entire episode. 

 

 The show skillfully avoids the pretentious and pedantic and focuses on the thoughtful and reflective. It doesn't offer up easy answers to complex issues, and can wallow comfortably in ambiguity and contradiction.

 

This week, Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network launched the first episode of Vox Conversations with new hosts Sean Illing and Jamil Smith. Vox Conversations, is billed rightfully so as exploring big ideas, cultural shifts and the human condition with some of the brightest minds and the deepest thinkers in public discourse. Screamers and nut balls need not apply.

 

Hosts Sean Illiing (Vox interviews writer) and Jamil Smith (Vox senior correspondent for identity, culture, and civil rights) welcome guests for authentic, open conversations about everything from the relationship between democracy and fascism to the intersection of sports, politics, and culture.

 

The transition to new hosts with experience at Vox and in podcasting illustrates Vox's ongoing commitment to grooming homegrown talent. While other podcast networks seek out reality TV stars or social media celebs with an army of followers with little or no podcasting experience, Vox enables its on-air talent to fine-tune their skills and encourages its people to mature with a tool belt of ancillary skills, such as writing, production, and project management.

Vox Conversations asks listeners to question old assumptions and think about the world in a new light. “If people listening to this don’t talk about or think about what we’ve discussed in our conversations, then I think we haven’t accomplished our mission,” said Jamil Smith in the kickoff trailer with Sean Illing where they both discussed what makes a great conversation.

Upcoming guests include journalists, writers, and authors including  Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS and author; Kiese Laymon, novelist and writer; Adam Serwer, journalist;  Elizabeth Bruenig, opinions writer at The Atlantic; and Bill Maher, host of HBO’s Real Time. 

New episodes will be released every Monday, hosted by Sean Illing, and every Thursday, hosted by Jamil Smith every other week, and a guest host on alternate weeks.

The first episode was published, and you can listen here.