July 8, 2026
The Future of Media | Leo Laporte, TWiT.tv
In Episode 672 of the New Media Show, host 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee welcomes Leo Laporte, founder and owner of the TWiT Podcast Network, longtime technology broadcaster, and 2015 Podcast Hall of Famer.
He launched TWiT in 2005 and built one of the earliest independent technology media networks around a simple idea: make strong shows, distribute them everywhere the audience wants to watch or listen, and build a real relationship with the people who return every week.
Leo has spent decades at the center of the shift from broadcast radio and cable television into online shows, podcasts, livestreams, video, and creator-led media.
The word “podcast” helped define an era of downloadable audio, RSS feeds, and iPods. Today, audiences find shows through YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Netflix, social platforms, livestreams, clips, newsletters, and communities.
Most viewers or listeners do not care how a show is technically delivered. They care whether it is easy to find, worth their attention, and made by people they trust.
Rob and Leo discuss why the technical barrier to starting a show has fallen so far, while the challenge of creating meaningful content has never gone away. Anyone can publish.
Building a show that earns repeat attention takes perspective, consistency, subject knowledge, and a genuine relationship with an audience.
Leo reflects on TWiT’s early video strategy, its experiments with live 24/7 programming, and the importance of creating a sense of place around a media brand.
Video can deepen audience connection, while audio remains one of the most personal forms of media because it travels with listeners through daily life.
The discussion also explores the growing complexity of distribution and measurement. Audio and video are increasingly becoming one media experience, yet advertisers still face fragmented metrics across RSS, YouTube, streaming platforms, and social video.
Rob and Leo talk about Apple HLS video, the gap between download metrics and actual consumption, the limitations of existing IAB measurement standards, and why advertiser confidence still often comes down to audience fit and trusted host-read relationships.
Leo also shares his view that AI is a major structural technology transition. TWiT has expanded its coverage through Intelligent Machines, looking at AI, robotics, and the impact these tools will have on work, media, and daily life.
Topic Chapter Time Stamp Markers:
00:00 — Welcome to The New Media Show Episode 672
Rob Greenlee introduces Leo Laporte
02:15 — Leo Laporte Joins the Conversation
02:45 — Is It Still New Media?
03:30 — Why Leo Wanted to Call Podcasts “Netcasts”
04:35 — Podcasting Beyond the Download
05:25 — Be Everywhere the Audience Wants You
06:10 — Discovery Is the New Challenge
07:35 — Why Starting Is Easy but Building a Show Is Hard
09:20 — Talent, Audience, and the Return of Media Gatekeeping
10:25 — Audience Size vs Real Business Value
11:05 — Radio, Podcasting, and the Early TWiT Model
12:05 — The Brick House Studio and Legitimacy
13:05 — Video Was Always Part of the Plan
13:40 — Audio Intimacy vs Video Presence
16:05 — TWiT as a Lean-Back Media Network
17:00 — 24/7 Streaming and Live Community
18:40 — Why Technology Was the Right Beat
20:35 — AI as the Next Major Technology Shift
22:20 — From This Week in Google to Intelligent Machines
23:15 — Can AI Create Real Media?
24:20 — AI Tools, Voice Cloning, and Advertising
25:25 — Why Human Spontaneity Still Matters
26:35 — Zune, Apple, Siri, and AI Adoption
27:45 — AI Backlash, Jobs, and Human Value
29:30 — Will the Word Podcast Survive?
30:40 — Shows, Creators, and Human Creation
33:05 — Apple HLS and the Audio-Video Merge
37:05 — Measurement Across Audio, Video, and Platforms
38:20 — Host-Read Ads, Video Ads, and Dynamic Insertion
39:10 — The Problem with Podcast Metrics
41:10 — Why Attribution Still Falls Short
43:15 — Trust as the Real Advertising Asset
45:00 — Podcasting 2.0 and Shared Economic Models
46:15 — Oxford Road, Dan Granger, and New Metrics
47:35 — Why Creator-Side Metrics Matter
49:15 — Subscriptions, Membership, and Reducing Ad Dependence
50:20 — The Art of the Host-Read Ad
52:45 — Where Media Consumption Is Heading
54:00 — Leo’s Son, TikTok, and the Next Generation of Media
55:35 — Long-Form Still Has a Future
56:45 — Community as the Core of Media
57:30 — The Risk of Doom Scrolling
58:35 — AI Slop and Synthetic Video
59:35 — Human Clones, AI Presence, and Authenticity
1:00:35 — Human-Made Media May Become More Important
1:01:20 — Remembering Todd Cochrane and Podcast Hall of Fame
1:03:10 — The Hall of Fame, Dave Winer, and Joe Rogan
1:04:45 — Closing Thoughts and Where to Find the Show
Guest Links: Leo Laporte, Founder and Owner, TWiT Podcast Network
TWiT Podcast Network: https://twit.tv/
Leo Laporte Website: https://leo.fm/
Rob Greenlee and New Media Show Links
Rob Greenlee Website: https://robgreenlee.com/
New Media Show: https://newmediashow.com/
He launched TWiT in 2005 and built one of the earliest independent technology media networks around a simple idea: make strong shows, distribute them everywhere the audience wants to watch or listen, and build a real relationship with the people who return every week.
Leo has spent decades at the center of the shift from broadcast radio and cable television into online shows, podcasts, livestreams, video, and creator-led media.
The word “podcast” helped define an era of downloadable audio, RSS feeds, and iPods. Today, audiences find shows through YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Netflix, social platforms, livestreams, clips, newsletters, and communities.
Most viewers or listeners do not care how a show is technically delivered. They care whether it is easy to find, worth their attention, and made by people they trust.
Rob and Leo discuss why the technical barrier to starting a show has fallen so far, while the challenge of creating meaningful content has never gone away. Anyone can publish.
Building a show that earns repeat attention takes perspective, consistency, subject knowledge, and a genuine relationship with an audience.
Leo reflects on TWiT’s early video strategy, its experiments with live 24/7 programming, and the importance of creating a sense of place around a media brand.
Video can deepen audience connection, while audio remains one of the most personal forms of media because it travels with listeners through daily life.
The discussion also explores the growing complexity of distribution and measurement. Audio and video are increasingly becoming one media experience, yet advertisers still face fragmented metrics across RSS, YouTube, streaming platforms, and social video.
Rob and Leo talk about Apple HLS video, the gap between download metrics and actual consumption, the limitations of existing IAB measurement standards, and why advertiser confidence still often comes down to audience fit and trusted host-read relationships.
Leo also shares his view that AI is a major structural technology transition. TWiT has expanded its coverage through Intelligent Machines, looking at AI, robotics, and the impact these tools will have on work, media, and daily life.
Topic Chapter Time Stamp Markers:
00:00 — Welcome to The New Media Show Episode 672
Rob Greenlee introduces Leo Laporte
02:15 — Leo Laporte Joins the Conversation
02:45 — Is It Still New Media?
03:30 — Why Leo Wanted to Call Podcasts “Netcasts”
04:35 — Podcasting Beyond the Download
05:25 — Be Everywhere the Audience Wants You
06:10 — Discovery Is the New Challenge
07:35 — Why Starting Is Easy but Building a Show Is Hard
09:20 — Talent, Audience, and the Return of Media Gatekeeping
10:25 — Audience Size vs Real Business Value
11:05 — Radio, Podcasting, and the Early TWiT Model
12:05 — The Brick House Studio and Legitimacy
13:05 — Video Was Always Part of the Plan
13:40 — Audio Intimacy vs Video Presence
16:05 — TWiT as a Lean-Back Media Network
17:00 — 24/7 Streaming and Live Community
18:40 — Why Technology Was the Right Beat
20:35 — AI as the Next Major Technology Shift
22:20 — From This Week in Google to Intelligent Machines
23:15 — Can AI Create Real Media?
24:20 — AI Tools, Voice Cloning, and Advertising
25:25 — Why Human Spontaneity Still Matters
26:35 — Zune, Apple, Siri, and AI Adoption
27:45 — AI Backlash, Jobs, and Human Value
29:30 — Will the Word Podcast Survive?
30:40 — Shows, Creators, and Human Creation
33:05 — Apple HLS and the Audio-Video Merge
37:05 — Measurement Across Audio, Video, and Platforms
38:20 — Host-Read Ads, Video Ads, and Dynamic Insertion
39:10 — The Problem with Podcast Metrics
41:10 — Why Attribution Still Falls Short
43:15 — Trust as the Real Advertising Asset
45:00 — Podcasting 2.0 and Shared Economic Models
46:15 — Oxford Road, Dan Granger, and New Metrics
47:35 — Why Creator-Side Metrics Matter
49:15 — Subscriptions, Membership, and Reducing Ad Dependence
50:20 — The Art of the Host-Read Ad
52:45 — Where Media Consumption Is Heading
54:00 — Leo’s Son, TikTok, and the Next Generation of Media
55:35 — Long-Form Still Has a Future
56:45 — Community as the Core of Media
57:30 — The Risk of Doom Scrolling
58:35 — AI Slop and Synthetic Video
59:35 — Human Clones, AI Presence, and Authenticity
1:00:35 — Human-Made Media May Become More Important
1:01:20 — Remembering Todd Cochrane and Podcast Hall of Fame
1:03:10 — The Hall of Fame, Dave Winer, and Joe Rogan
1:04:45 — Closing Thoughts and Where to Find the Show
Guest Links: Leo Laporte, Founder and Owner, TWiT Podcast Network
TWiT Podcast Network: https://twit.tv/
Leo Laporte Website: https://leo.fm/
Rob Greenlee and New Media Show Links
Rob Greenlee Website: https://robgreenlee.com/
New Media Show: https://newmediashow.com/