Chuck Todd Joins Journalist-Creator Platform Noosphere, Will Host Interview Show
Former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd is getting back into the Sunday interview show game — albeit on a nontraditional platform.
Todd is set to launch a show called Sunday Night With Chuck Todd on Noosphere, a platform that showcases individual journalists' work. The show will be the first regular series for Noosphere, available to stream through its app when the show premieres in June.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Chuck Todd Wants to Reinvent Local News In a Big Way
Kristen Welker Named New Moderator of NBC's 'Meet the Press' as Chuck Todd Set to Exit the Program
The Midterms Will Be Streamed: Behind NBC's Election Night Plans
Sunday Night With Chuck Todd will also break with the usual interview-show format by conducting its chats in restaurants, bars and other 'social spots' in and around Washington, D.C.
'I could not be more excited about launching a new show with real conversations, in person, that cut through so much noise and loud opinion at a moment when it's needed the most,' said Todd in a statement. 'The show offers us a chance to break out of both network studios and home-based Zoom calls, to where we can see people face to face in normal environments, and come to learn from one another what's really happening in Washington, D.C. at this crucial time.'
Yvette Vega, a multiple Emmy winner for PBS' Charlie Rose, will executive produce Todd's show.
Todd left NBC News in January and has dove headfirst into the creator economy, streaming his podcast on YouTube and other platforms and now joining Noosphere. 'I've been trying to figure out where can I go to sort of get into this space of trying to build a better [news] ecosystem, whether it's rebuilding it or building it from scratch,' he told The Hollywood Reporter in April. 'So for the last year and a half, I've been looking at different avenues.'
Todd also told THR that he's looking for a way to stem the 'evisceration' of local news outlets, with sports as an entry point: 'My thesis is I think that youth sports and high school sports are community glue, and I think there is a way to use that community glue to create a revenue stream that can pay for the journalism.'
Noosphere launched last year, founded by veteran journalists Jane Ferguson and Sebastian Walker. The subscription-based platform is designed to showcase the work of individual journalists and lets users follow their favorite contributors and gain access to their reporting.
'We are thrilled to welcome Todd to the platform,' said Ferguson. 'This reflects our commitment to the best political reporting and content from some of the most respected and beloved journalists and experts out there.'
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started
Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023
Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lorne Michaels Speaks From the Heart, Investigative Reporters Sound the Alarm on Trump Upheaval at Peabody Awards
Peabody Award winners sounded the alarm on the threats to democratic norms, criminal justice reform and forward progress in diversity and inclusion goals as the 85th annual kudos were handed out Sunday in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, 'Saturday Night Live' chief Lorne Michaels spoke from the heart as he accepted the Peabody's Institutional Award for his enduring NBC sketch comedy series. It's the sixth Peabody in total collected by the storied late-night show that bowed in 1975. More from Variety Andrea Mitchell on Rebuilding Faith in the News Media: 'Trust Is the Coin of the Realm, and We Have to Be the Gold Standard' Jeffrey P. Jones on Why the Peabody Awards Are America's Archive of TV Excellence Lorne Michaels Banned Chris Farley From 'SNL' for 'Weeks at a Time' to Help Him Get Off 'the Drinking and the Drugs': He 'Clearly Had Addiction Issues' Referring to the 'SNL50' specials that aired in February, Michaels said, 'All those people coming back from the first season on, all being in one room performing and applauding was one of the most moving experiences of my life.' Michaels, 84, also made what seemed to be an oblique nod to the endless churn of speculation about the long-term plan for the show. 'I'm not planning a sixtieth,' he said after referencing 'SNL50.' 'Getting to do what I get to do is sort of everything that makes me happy. Also makes me angry,' he said. Michaels closed with a shout-out to the Peabody Awards, which are administered by the University of Georgia's George Foster Peabody School of Communications. 'When you come to the Peabodys, unlike other awards shows, you know you're in the right room. It's really an honor to be here, so thank you,' he said. There were also numerous calls for support of public media and opposition to Trump administration efforts to gut federal funding for PBS, NPR and other public media and arts program. The larger subject of the administration's effort to slash federal spending in general was also decried by numerous winners as a violation of cherished democratic norms. Dave Biscobing, chief investigative reporter for the ABC affiliate in Phoenix, was hailed for his years-long dedication to producing a 32-part series that uncovered systemic police brutality and racism in local policing. Just a few days ago, Trump's Justice Department has 'retracted' an earlier report that documented Biscobing's work. 'They can retract the report, they can erase their words but they'll never erase what we did,' Biscobing told the crowd. 'Not as long as all of us are here. Not as long as there are people like us to tell stories that matter.' Matthew Hashiguchi, the journalist behind the in-depth report 'The Only Doctor' for the Reel South public media station, referenced the growing crisis in rural health care as he took in the kudo for his deep-dive report on the woman is the only physician around in a wide swath of rural Georgia's Clay County. Dr. Karen Kinsell was on hand with Hashiguichi and received the first standing ovation of the night. Hashiguchi emphasized that she has no choice but to treat anyone in need regardless of their ability to pay. 'If Medicaid is cut, we're going to need more people like her,' he warned. The power of TV to affect change around the world was also highlighted with the kudo presented to 'Mr. Bates Vs. the Post Office.' The British narrative drama was an expose of the scandal that engulfed the nation's Post Office system in the early aughts, and law enforcement's ruthless pursuit of everyday people despite evidence of their innocence. Public reaction to 'Mr. Bates' was so strong that there was retroactive efforts to bring justice to those wrongly accused even 20 years later. Producers James Strong and Patrick Spence 'Such is the power of television. Such is the power of a nation brought to rage by such a naked abuse of power,' said producer Patrick Spence, who accepted with James Strong. 'May that be an inspiration to all of us.' More to come (Pictured: Dave Biscobing, investigative reporter in Phoenix, accepts his Peabody for his 32-part series 'Policing Phoenix') Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Amazon's NASCAR broadcasts are already putting Fox's efforts to shame
Amazon Prime is already setting the standard for NASCAR broadcasts. Hopefully Fox is taking notes. Sunday's Cup Series race at Nashville — won by Ryan Blaney — was the second Amazon race of the season after the internet behemoth made its NASCAR broadcasting debut at the Coca-Cola 600. So far, its two telecasts have been sharp, professional, devoid of nonsense and informative. Simply put, it's the type of coverage that NASCAR fans deserve. Advertisement Look, complaining about TV coverage is rote at this point. Fans of every sport can easily nitpick broadcasts and there are significant subsets of every fanbase that thinks broadcasters are biased against their favorite team. But NASCAR fans have been dealt a tough hand in recent years. As Fox is in its third decade of covering NASCAR, it's felt all too often like the network is mailing it in. Nearly 25 years ago, Fox was in the same position Amazon is in. The network's first NASCAR Cup Series race was the fateful 2001 Daytona 500. Fox's entry into the NASCAR world was a pivot point for the sanctioning body. It had officially gone mainstream. The early Fox years were glorious. Especially compared to other broadcasts. Fox set the standard for what NASCAR coverage should be, even if you weren't a fan of 'Digger' and the embedded camera on the apron in the corners of racetracks across the country. Advertisement But something has changed in recent years. We're not the only ones who have noticed, either. NBC's coverage has put Fox's to shame since the network took over the second half of the season from ESPN and Fox hasn't upped its game. Kevin Harvick is an insightful analyst. But he can't overcome the hokeyness that permeates Fox's broadcasts. To be fair, Amazon isn't starting from scratch. Like Fox, the streamer acquired NFL rights before it jumped into NASCAR. And its booth of Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte have plenty of experience calling races. Alexander has been a main Xfinity Series play-by-play voice for years, and Junior and Letarte form the best analyst pairing in NASCAR from their years at NBC. The two worked together as driver and crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports and their chemistry is apparent on screen. Advertisement But Amazon is nailing the production details that Fox isn't. The broadcast is all about the race and doesn't feature myriad cutaways to children watching in the grandstands. The camera shots follow what the booth is talking about. The graphics and picture quality are markedly better. There are no full-screen commercial breaks during green flag racing. And Amazon hasn't gone to commercial with less than 10 laps to go. It's been a breath of fresh air for the NASCAR fans who have been able to watch. It's no secret that NASCAR's audience skews older than most other professional sports and the viewership gains that NASCAR saw in the 18-49 demographic during the 600 came at the vast expense of those 50 and over. But it's also no secret that streaming is the new cable and how we'll consume most of our sports content in the near future. NASCAR was smart to add Amazon to the mix with its new media rights deal. Trading fewer younger viewers for more older viewers is the right play, especially as Formula 1 is the trendy motorsport among those not eligible for Medicare. Ideally, Amazon will continue to build off how good its first two race broadcasts were and Fox, NBC and TNT — back in the NASCAR game this year — will aspire to meet Amazon's standard. But we won't blame you if you're pessimistic about that ideal world ever happening. We're all worn down by the past decade of Fox's NASCAR broadcasts.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Squid Game' Teases a Final Showdown in Full Season 3 Trailer
The Squid Games are just getting started. In the full trailer for the third and final season of Netflix's hit series, protagonist Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is back in the games after the failed rebellion that ended season two. This time, the stakes are raised and the competition in the very deadly games is even more deadly. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Squid Game' Star Lee Jung-jae Is Happy With How Series Ends But Is "Very Nervous" For Fan Reaction Netflix's 'Wednesday' Releases First Six Minutes of Season 2, Officially Confirms Lady Gaga Guest Role 'Stranger Things' Premiere Dates Revealed for "Blockbuster" Final Season The season three trailer, released Saturday at Netflix's Tudum fan event, shows Gi-hun questioning the game's powers: 'Why didn't you kill me? Why did you keep me alive? Why did you let me live?' he screams. It also shows players making their way through a disorienting maze and playing a deadly game of jump rope before Gi-hun comes face to face with the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun). Watch it below. Squid Game season three marks the final season of Netflix's global sensation created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Viewers go back into the games with Gi-hun, Player 456, on June 27 when all episodes drop on Netflix. An episode count has not yet been announced, though six has been reported. Season two had ended on the devastating cliffhanger of the games being incomplete and Gi-hun and his subordinates once again being held captive. After winning the Squid Games in season one, Gi-hun was determined to dismantle them from the inside. The seven-episode second season explored Gi-hun's effort to do so, culminating in a finale where he found himself thwarted by Front Man, the enigmatic game leader played by Lee Byung-hun who was revealed to the audience — but not yet to Gi-hun — to be Player 001. Front Man executed Gi-hun's best friend, Player 290 Park Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan), as a warning about the consequences of his rebellion. New imagery around season three had previously revealed two new games — a massive gumball machine dispensing red and blue balls (representing the Xs and Os vote that will determine their fates) and the other, a new twist on the iconic Red Light-Green-Light game. The hope for the final season may lies in the ongoing outside mission to infiltrate the headquarters. Familiar faces return for season three: The Front Man, detective Hwang Jun-ho, and players Myung-gi (Player 333), Dae-ho (Player 388), Hyun-ju (Player 120), Yong-sik (Player 007), Geum-ja (Player 149), Jun-hee (Player 222), Min-su (Player 125), Nam-gyu (Player 124) and the pink guard No-eul. The third season concludes the story from Hwang, though the creator has shared several ideas about where he could spin off the franchise, which has already spawned reality series Squid Game: The Challenge and Squid Game: The Experience, a touring activation where fans can play games like the multiplayer video game Squid Game: Unleashed. Produced by Firstman Studio, executive producers include Hwang and Kim Ji-yeon. Head here for more on what to expect from season three. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
