NPR Announces New Podcast with Jay Williams

 At the IAB Upfront this week, NPR announced a forthcoming podcast with Jay Williams, sports personality, commentator and former basketball player. The first episode of the weekly interview show will drop in December.

 NPR, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year has continued to bolster its podcast network. 

New NPR podcast host Jay Williams

  Williams knows that the struggle really does make you stronger. After a career-ending, life-changing motorcycle accident knocked him off his game and took him out of the league, he had to get creative with his comeback. It took a full 180 -- sobriety, self-reinvention as an author, an NBA analyst, and one of ESPN’s biggest personalities -- to hustle his way out of the dark. 

 

According to NPR, "Today, the American Dream doesn’t look like it used to. Now, it’s all about betting on yourself -- taking your personal brand and making it work for you -- and nobody knows the stakes better than Williams does. Each week on the podcast, he’ll go deep with icons from the worlds of sports, entertainment, and pop culture to see if he can get at the strategies and mindsets people need to grow empires out of their personalities. From rappers-to-moguls, to talk show hosts-turned-CEOs, listeners will learn the ways that people play the game in order to win -- and stay winning -- in a world that asks you to fight."

 

“I’m thrilled to partner with NPR for this new podcast,” said Williams, who grew up listening to the network with his parents from a young age. “As someone who has had to reinvent himself, I look forward to exploring how the most successful thought leaders also challenge the status quo and win -- and what those winning playbooks look like. Our new show will lean in and share that incredible insight with our listeners.”

 

"We are so excited to partner with Jay on this podcast," said Anya Grundmann, senior vice president for programming and audience development. "His life story has so much to say about resilience and overcoming momentous challenges. His passion, enthusiasm and ability to spark meaningful conversations make him an incredible partner for NPR as we deepen our commitment to telling dynamic and diverse stories.”   

 

 The podcast will be executive produced by Jay Williams, Karen Kinney and Yolanda Sangweni. Senior supervising producer will be Rachel Neel.

This upcoming podcast is a bit of a departure for NPR, and not exactly in its wheelhouse. But the development of the show that seems to be more “Joe Rogan” or “Dax Shepard” than Audie Cornish or Terry Gross demonstrates that NPR is ready to expand its podcast audience beyond the “tote bag and tofu” crowd.