02-04-2025
Dr. Phil to Tackle Breaking News, True Crime and DOGE in New Merit Street Podcasts
Fans of Dr. Phil have long heard him dispense advice on life and self-help. They will soon get to hear his take on breaking-news headlines and even the new Department of Government Efficiency in a series of new podcasts slated for launch by his Merit Street Media.
MeritTV, Dr. Phil's TV network, will have McGraw host four new programs. Merit will also this spring launch a new daily podcast from Chris Harrison, the former host of 'The Bachelor' and his wife, Lauren Zema. MeritTV will have exclusive rights to the content, which will also air on MeritTV weekday mornings.
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'We're thrilled to expand our programming offerings into the growing podcast space with these timely and unique shows,' McGraw said in a statement. 'There are more programs coming as MeritTV continues expanding into new content arenas.'
The first of McGraw's podcasts, 'The Real Story with Dr. Phil,' debuts April 2 and has the host offering a daily no-holds-barred take on the biggest news stories of the day, all in 15 minutes. New episodes arfe expected to appear Monday through Friday and some of the content will appear the next day in newscasts on MeritTV.
McGraw will also relaunch his 'Mystery & Murder: Analysis by Dr. Phil,' which analyzes true-crime incidents and stories. The podcast is expected to debut April 9, and the first three episodes will examine the murder Gabby Petito, the woman who was killed while traveling the country with her boyfriend. McGraw served as co-executive producer via his Stage 29 Productions on a recent Netflix documentary about the crime.
'The Daily Dose of DOGE' will have McGraw discussing activity by DOGE and Elon Musk, all in ten minutes. The program is also expected to debut April 9. 'The Dr. Phil Podcast' will offer interviews with newsmakers that McGraw often talks to on his MeritTV programs, and will serve as a way to continue the conversations he has there.
Merit's podcasts are produced in partnership with Red Seat Ventures, the company that works with several news personalities who host their own podcasts and streaming programs. Fox Corp. acquired Red Seat Ventures in February.
'We have the unique advantage to be able to multi-purpose the podcast content across linear broadcast, streaming and the MeritTV app,' said Joel Cheatwood, executive vice president and chief operating officer of MeritTV, in a statement. 'We have a mission to offer our great content whenever and wherever our dedicated audiences choose to consume it.'
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