
The Business
by KCRW
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Audience Interest
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Est. Listeners
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- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
25,001 - 50,000 - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
75,001 - 150,000 - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
40,001 - 100,000
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On the show
From 10 epsHosts
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Kirk Jones and Robert Aramayo on the making of ‘I Swear’
May 1, 2026
30m 01s
Ben McKenzie’s Crypto Warning: ‘Everyone Is Lying to You for Money’
Apr 24, 2026
30m 02s
Riz Ahmed on bringing 'Hamlet' into the modern world
Apr 17, 2026
30m 02s
Drew Goddard shoots for the stars with ‘Project Hail Mary’
Apr 10, 2026
30m 02s
Oscar winners victory lap: Autumn Durald Arkapaw & Joachim Trier
Apr 3, 2026
30m 02s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1/26 | ![]() Kirk Jones and Robert Aramayo on the making of ‘I Swear’ | This week, Kim Masters speaks with director Kirk Jones and actor Robert Aramayo about I Swear, the BAFTA winning film about Tourette’s advocate John Davidson. Jones talks about using his own life savings to self-finance the project after potential backers pushed him to tone down the film’s language, and how that decision allowed him to cast Aramayo in the lead without studio oversight. Aramayo discusses the physical and emotional demands of portraying Davidson, a role that required extensive preparation and ultimately earned him a BAFTA. They also reflect on the widely publicized moment at the BAFTA ceremony that brought renewed attention to Tourette’s syndrome. Plus, in the aftermath of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Kim Masters and Matt Belloni unpack the FCC scrutiny facing The Walt Disney Company over a recent late-night jab from Jimmy Kimmel. The duo also explore the unexpected box office strength of a controversial Michael Jackson biopic and the delicate balancing act at Lionsgate as it weighs a potential sequel amid ongoing public backlash. | 30m 01s | ||||||
| 4/24/26 | ![]() Ben McKenzie’s Crypto Warning: ‘Everyone Is Lying to You for Money’✨ | cryptocurrencyfraud+4 | Ben McKenzie | CBS NewsKCRW+1 | — | Ben McKenziecryptocurrency+5 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 4/17/26 | ![]() Riz Ahmed on bringing 'Hamlet' into the modern world✨ | modern retellingHamlet+4 | Riz Ahmed | Focus FeaturesParamount+3 | — | Riz AhmedHamlet+5 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 4/10/26 | ![]() Drew Goddard shoots for the stars with ‘Project Hail Mary’✨ | film adaptationscreenwriting+4 | Drew Goddard | ParamountWriters Guild+6 | — | Drew GoddardProject Hail Mary+5 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 4/3/26 | ![]() Oscar winners victory lap: Autumn Durald Arkapaw & Joachim Trier✨ | Academy AwardsOscar winners+4 | Joachim TrierAutumn Durald Arkapaw | Sentimental ValueSinners+2 | — | Oscar winnersJoachim Trier+5 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 3/27/26 | ![]() A demanding first week for Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro✨ | DisneyCEO challenges+5 | Daryl Hannah | The Walt Disney CompanyCoastal | — | DisneyJosh D’Amaro+8 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 3/20/26 | ![]() A human conversation with the producers of ‘The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist’✨ | AIdocumentary production+4 | Diane BeckerTed Tremper | OpenAIAnthropic+3 | — | AI DocDiane Becker+7 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 3/13/26 | ![]() Tilly Norwood creator defends her controversial synthetic character✨ | synthetic charactersgenerative AI in entertainment+3 | Eline Van der Velden | Particle6 ProductionsCAA+3 | — | Tilly NorwoodEline Van der Velden+6 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 3/6/26 | ![]() A check-in with SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin✨ | SAG-AFTRAHollywood+5 | Sean Astin | SAG-AFTRAOpenAI+2 | — | SAG-AFTRASean Astin+8 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 2/27/26 | ![]() Kleber Mendonça Filho on ‘The Secret Agent’ and taking a stand✨ | political thrillerfilm criticism+4 | Kleber Mendonça Filho | NetflixWarner Bros.+4 | — | Kleber Mendonça FilhoThe Secret Agent+6 | — | 30m 02s | |
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| 2/20/26 | ![]() Oscar-nominated cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw on ‘Sinners’✨ | cinematographyfilm production+3 | Autumn Durald Arkapaw | ParamountCBS+3 | — | cinematographerOscar+5 | — | 30m 02s | |
| 2/13/26 | ![]() Palme d’Or winner Jafar Panahi on ‘It Was Just an Accident’ and returning to Iran under legal threat | This week, Kim Masters sits down with Academy Award nominated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi to discuss his Palme d’Or winning film It Was Just an Accident. Panahi explains why he self finances his films, bringing in partners only after he decides the work is worthy of his signature, and how he has continued to shoot in secret despite years of arrests, censorship, and government bans. He also reflects on his decision to return to Iran after the awards season, even as he faces the possibility of another prison sentence. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni dig into the latest twists in the Warner Bros. sale, including Paramount’s new concessions aimed at winning over regulators and shareholders. They weigh the limits of President Trump’s influence over the deal, and how a major investor group’s shifting position could reshape the bidding landscape and spark further legal battles. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 2/6/26 | ![]() Steamrollers, record breakers, and late surges: Inside the 2026 Oscar nominees | This week, Kim Masters is joined by Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter’s Executive Editor of Awards, for a deep dive into the 2026 Oscar nominees. Feinberg unpacks the debut of the new Best Casting category and explains the strategy behind Warner Bros.' support for its Best Picture frontrunners One Battle After Another and Sinners. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni dig into the power shifts at Disney, including Josh D’Amaro’s appointment as CEO and Dana Walden’s elevation to president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Company. They also unpack Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos’s trip to Capitol Hill for a Senate antitrust hearing, and why Paramount’s David Ellison chose to sit this one out during his own trip to Washington. | 30m 01s | ||||||
| 1/30/26 | ![]() Alexandria Stapleton on chronicling the rise and reckoning of Sean Combs | This week, Kim speaks with Alexandria Stapleton, the DGA Award nominated director of Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a Netflix docuseries that examines the rise and fall of the hip hop mogul. Stapleton discusses partnering with executive producer 50 Cent, her approach to telling the story without turning it into a hit piece, and the care required when working with the alleged victims of Combs. She also explains how Netflix’s legal team vetted controversial pre arrest footage that Combs had commissioned himself. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni break down the final Sundance Film Festival hosted in Park City, and try to make sense of the $40 million+ Melania Trump documentary, including a reported $35 million marketing spend. The banter partners also dig into newly unsealed messages in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni dispute, including Ryan Reynolds’ not-so-subtle emails to Sony executives. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 1/23/26 | ![]() Tom Freston on building MTV during cable’s wild west years | This week, Kim sits down with former Viacom CEO and MTV co-founder Tom Freston to discuss his memoir, Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu. From his vagabond youth to the birth of MTV and his years working under billionaire mogul Sumner Redstone, Freston reflects on a career spent shaping modern media, and weighs in on the Warner Bros. succession fight, arguing that Netflix may be the legacy studio’s best-fit suitor. Speaking of the streamer, Masters and Matt Belloni break down Netflix’s stock stumble despite reported subscriber growth, as Co-CEO Ted Sarandos reiterates the company’s commitment to honoring theatrical windows for Warners. To wrap things up, the banter partners dig into CNN’s potential spin-off value within Warner Bros. Discovery’s cable portfolio, pushing back on claims that the asset is worthless amid intensifying merger scrutiny. | 31m 48s | ||||||
| 1/16/26 | ![]() ‘Sentimental Value’ director Joachim Trier is begging Netflix to embrace movie theaters | This week, Kim Masters sits down with writer-director Joachim Trier to discuss his Cannes Grand Prix–winning film Sentimental Value. Trier explains how he structures his financing to preserve creative control while allowing for longer shooting schedules — and still delivering returns for his investors. He also reveals why he broke his own “no-begging the talent” rule when he persuaded newly minted Golden Globe winner Stellan Skarsgård to join the project. And the filmmaker shares why Sentimental Value takes a playful jab at a certain streamer’s reluctance to embrace theatrical exhibition. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni take aim at the Golden Globes’ awkward corporate promos — from online betting to a tone-deaf UFC cameo. The pair then break down the latest in Paramount CEO David Ellison’s showdown with Warner Bros. as Netflix weighs an all-cash bid to cut through the drama. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 1/14/26 | ![]() SPECIAL PREVIEW: Joachim Trier on 'Sentimental Value' | Listen to a special preview of Kim Masters’ conversation with Joachim Trier about his film Sentimental Value. | 4m 35s | ||||||
| 1/9/26 | ![]() Tim Blake Nelson on balancing acting, directing, writing, and his novel ‘Superhero’ | Kim Masters talks with Tim Blake Nelson about his wide-ranging career in entertainment. Best known for his breakout role in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Nelson is also a director, screenwriter, and playwright, and he’s now out with a second novel, Superhero—a black comedy about the making of a big-budget comic-book film that follows executives, cast, and crew caught in the pressure cooker of a chaotic production. He also shares his perspective on the Warner Bros. sale and explains how his fascination with the entertainment business informed the book. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. has once again formally rejected Paramount’s latest offer, favoring a deal with Netflix. As the streamer moves closer to acquiring the legacy studio, theatrical exhibitors have taken their protest to Congress, warning the sale would have a “direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.” Masters and Matt Belloni break down the latest developments in the battle for Warner Bros. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 1/2/26 | ![]() Hollywood in 2026: Disney’s next CEO, industry tariffs, and Netflix vs. YouTube | Kim Masters rings in the new year with Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw to forecast what 2026 could hold for Hollywood. The trio debates Disney’s long-simmering succession question, the impact of Trump administration tariffs on the industry, and YouTube’s growing ambitions in original programming. Plus, we revisit a conversation between Masters and Jesse Eisenberg about his award winning film, A Real Pain. The writer, director, and actor talks about the challenges of capturing the complicated feelings of the descendents of holocaust survivors while still including humor. They also talk about the special relevance that Majdanek–the concentration camp the two cousins visit in the film–has for Masters. | 30m 03s | ||||||
| 12/26/25 | ![]() Megabanter 2025: Hollywood’s unraveling year of crises, consolidation, and AI | This week, Kim Masters is joined by Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw for a year-end Megabanter, looking back at a messy 2025. From the devastating Los Angeles fires to the shadow cast by the Trump administration over Hollywood, the trio digs into the Skydance-Paramount deal, a surprise Warners-Netflix upset, and Disney’s move to partner with OpenAI. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 12/19/25 | ![]() Vince Gilligan wants the audience to decide what ‘Pluribus’ is about | This week, Eric Deggans speaks with Vince Gilligan about his new series, Pluribus. The creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul explains how he felt being at the center of his first-ever bidding war, and how a long-standing partnership with Sony ultimately brought the project to Apple. Gilligan also reflects on why the days of writing episodic television on The X-Files shaped his love of serialized storytelling. And after years of explaining his work to fans and critics alike, Gilligan shares why he’s learning to let audiences decide what his shows mean for themselves. Plus, with the Academy set to bring the Oscars to YouTube in 2029, Hollywood’s biggest night is moving to a very different kind of stage. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni unpack why the Academy made the deal—and what it reveals about how the industry is rethinking where, and how, audiences show up. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 12/12/25 | ![]() Everything you need to know about the Warner Bros. sale (so far) | With Netflix’s bombshell move to acquire Warner Bros. still reverberating through the town, Paramount has gone fully hostile–bypassing Warner leadership and taking its case straight to shareholders. Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw break down the latest maneuvering in a saga that seems to sprout new twists by the day. Also, with Kim Masters sidelined by a bug this week, Belloni presents a few bonus stories from Masters's recent conversations: Wake Up Dead Man writer-director Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman talk about the green room they devised for the first Knives Out–a space that became so essential to the ensemble’s chemistry that trailers sat mostly empty. And Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy explains why, despite the runaway success of Deadpool & Wolverine, he’s not sprinting toward a sequel just yet. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 12/5/25 | ![]() Celine Song on confronting the cost of love in ‘Materialists’ | Producer’s note: This week’s banter segment was recorded before news broke of Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. This week, Kim Masters sits down with writer-director Celine Song to talk about Materialists, her rom-com that became a surprise commercial hit worldwide. Song explains how a stint as a New York matchmaker schooled her in the economics of modern dating—and how those real-world dynamics shaped the film’s story. She also reflects on the privilege of a robust theatrical release through her fruitful partnership with A24, which also backed her Oscar-nominated debut Past Lives. And she gets into why certain elements of Materialists trace back to 19th-century novels, whether audiences realize it or not. Plus, the lingering question of what a Netflix-owned Warner Bros. would mean for theatrical may be coming into focus. As the bidding war between Paramount and Netflix heats up, Netflix insists its WB films would still hit theaters, though a two-week run instead of the traditional 45 days raises concerns. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni break down the latest in the Warners race. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 11/28/25 | ![]() Digging into ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ with Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman | This week, Kim Masters talks to writer-director Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman about their latest Knives Out installment, Wake Up Dead Man. Johnson opens up about leaning on his producer when he panics during the writing process—and why, oddly enough, he never hit that wall on The Last Jedi. Bergman explains why he and Johnson prefer to bankroll early development themselves rather than put up with studio input. And they dive into the Netflix of it all: a global megaphone for Benoit Blanc mysteries, but not much of a run in theaters. Plus, in a truly baffling twist, Paramount is set to distribute Rush Hour 4—with the once-canceled Brett Ratner back in the director’s chair. Even stranger, reporting from Semafor suggests President Donald Trump pushed Larry Ellison to revive the Jackie Chan–Chris Tucker franchise. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni attempt to make sense of the latest happenings at Paramount. | 30m 02s | ||||||
| 11/21/25 | ![]() Shawn Levy talks ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Star Wars,’ & studio shakeups | This week, Kim Masters talks to filmmaker Shawn Levy, who takes a short break from the London shoot of his Star Wars film to talk about the final season of Stranger Things, including Netflix's surprising decision to give the finale a limited theatrical release. He also weighs in on his work from Night at The Museum through Deadpool & Wolverine, and he shares his bittersweet feelings about an industry that’s undergoing very painful contraction. Meanwhile, the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery offers no especially comforting scenario: Paramount’s deep-pocketed Ellisons, a studio-and-streamer play from Netflix, or a cautious Comcast—each facing the hurdle of FCC approval. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dive into what each bidder’s move could mean for the town. | 30m 02s | ||||||
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Chart Positions
3 placements across 3 markets.
Chart Positions
3 placements across 3 markets.
