Some podcast networks are the junkyard dogs of podcasting. Any podcast, no matter the subject -- from true crime to self-obsessed celebrities -- is a prime candidate for their network if it attracts listeners and advertisers.
Thankfully, Freakonomics is more selective in the podcasts it adds to its network. If I can define the Freakonomics universe -- podcasts, books, speeches, articles -- it is a thoughtful, discerning, often data-driven inspection of our world with a basic understanding that humans are crippled by their perceptual blind spots.
This week, Freakonomics added a new podcast and, if its four pilot episodes released early this year are any indication of its value, it is a winner and definitely ear worthy.
The podcast is called The Economics Of Everyday Things.
The Economics of Everyday Things recently piloted four episodes earlier this year, investigating things like the afterlife of used hotel soap and the economics of the hit song “My Sharona.”
The pilot episodes were downloaded nearly half a million times as the show reached the number-one spot on the Apple Podcasts Business chart.
Now, Freakonomics announced that, following a flood of emails and messages from fans requesting more, the show has made its official debut with an episode on professional sports mascots.
“Zachary is a great storyteller and, more importantly, a great reporter, with an eye for detail and a deep sense of humanity,” says Freakonomics Radio Network founder Stephen Dubner. “I think Everyday Things is going to be beloved for years.”
Host Crockett says, “As a longtime Freakonomics Radio listener, I’m thrilled to be joining the Freakonomics Radio Network team and extremely excited about the places this new show will take us.”
On the new podcast, host Crockett will examine the hidden side of the things that most people overlook each day. Crockett has reported
on business and technology for 10 years, with a longstanding interest in exploring the extraordinary in the ordinary.
In the first episode released earlier this year, Crockett examined the place consumers love to hate: Gas stations. Crockett poses key questions. When gas prices skyrocket, do station owners get a windfall? And where do their profits really come from? This episode was enlightening and counterintuitive in some of its conclusions.
Let me share just one key observation. Most gas station owners with a convenience store on the property make far more money by selling consumers ice than gasoline. So consumers, save your resentment for Big Ice.
The episode just released is about sports mascots. What do we really know about those people behind those ridiculous costumes?
The podcast host is Zachary Crockett, who was a staff writer at Vox.com and Priceonomics. His written work has appeared in The Atlantic, Time, Longreads, and elsewhere; I’ve also dabbled in radio (Marketplace, NPR, Slate) and video (The Discovery Channel, Vox).
Even with the small sample size of five episodes, it's safe to say that Crockett does a nice job with the episode, and I like his playfulness and incisiveness. Plus, for a smart guy, he does not talk down to his listeners.
You can find The Economics of Everyday Things on all podcast platforms, and new episodes will be released every Sunday evening at 8:00 PM E.T.
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