Marketplace
When I was younger, I used to dread being stuck on the infamous Capital Beltway at 6PM (pundits, say what you will, being on the beltway is a far greater hell than being on either side of it). This meant that Marketplace was on the air, and rather than informing myself about the important news of the day via All Things Considered, the all-mighty dollar was now forcing it's way into my mind in place of the myriad of human plights certainly more deserving of my attention. I would listen for about 30 seconds, catching some clip about "the fed" or "the numbers," sigh dramatically, and switch the radio off rather than be drowned in meaningless financial speak. I was young, idealistic, and at a pretty gigantic loss to understand anything related to money than extended beyond my own personal finance. There's not a finite moment to which I can trace back my conversion, but to this day I credit my emotional anchoring to the show to the dulcet tones of the show's host.
Many people have radio voices, but there is often some kind of unstated openness to that compliment whenever it is bestowed upon a person. Is it smooth? Commanding? More reminiscent of a shock-jock in tone? Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal seems to avoid being pigeon-holed into any of these categories, landing somewhere between a sensible televangelist and the crooning keen of an NPR host. Ryssdal's voice alone could propel me to loyal listener land, and I think he may be the first producer I'd follow regardless of chosen subject matter or adeptness in creating a fulfilling product. Much as I respect and enjoy the work of Molly Wood and David Brancaccio et al., it is always a bummer whenever Ryssdal isn't hosting. All the correspondents on the show are right at home among the upper echelons of the NPR bullpen of quality journalists, but something about Kai's easy familiarity coupled with an assured humility makes it appear that he is just like me - a regular person trying to make sense of a complex world.
All sonorous and interpersonal connectivity aside, I'm glad to report that this show animates a topic that could easily be dry or downright sleep-inducing. The relevance of market forces to the lives of ordinary people is probably best summarized in the famed clip from The Devil Wears Prada, wherein Meryl Streep berates Anne Hathaway for inferring that individuals can exempt themselves from a system. I can sympathize with the foibles of Ms. Hathaway - why does the price of the 10-year T note matter to me? In fact, why should I care about the economy writ large? Without agency to affect change or even the slightest idea of what change would be worth pursuing, I felt utter disregard for this realm of the news.
What I somehow failed to realize, however, is that Marketplace sets out each and every day to contextualize the confusion around the way money moves around the world. The very humanity I sought is irrefutably intertwined with the economy, and this program does a fine job connecting the dots for a layman like me. That said, there is a wonkish element to the show - inherent to any sort of media that traffics in numbers - and I admit that my ears glaze over whenever I hear the NASDAQ or DOW reports.
I'd be remiss not to mention the incredible selection of music that appears on this podcast. The team compiles a list of songs used in each episode on their website, which is a constant blessing whenever one of the chosen earworms wriggles inside my brain and the only antidote is to name the culprit. Sometimes it is a highly popular jam, while other times it is a completely foreign song from some electronic indie artist well removed from mass consumption. But each button is instrumental and helps draw attention to the structure of songs without words.
This is not Planet Money (excellent in it's own right), and so if you fancy yourself a total rube when it comes to the intersection of news and money I would recommend first starting with that very fine and more narrative-driven podcast. More economically inclined listeners may find that Marketplace is a perfect way to integrate snapshots of the market into their routines, as it reflects the news cycle to some degree. What makes the show most worthwhile for me, however, is the granularity of the stories featuring people affected in various ways by each new policy or business decision.
Subscribe to Marketplace in your podcatcher of choice, or stream episodes here:
https://www.marketplace.org/
Many people have radio voices, but there is often some kind of unstated openness to that compliment whenever it is bestowed upon a person. Is it smooth? Commanding? More reminiscent of a shock-jock in tone? Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal seems to avoid being pigeon-holed into any of these categories, landing somewhere between a sensible televangelist and the crooning keen of an NPR host. Ryssdal's voice alone could propel me to loyal listener land, and I think he may be the first producer I'd follow regardless of chosen subject matter or adeptness in creating a fulfilling product. Much as I respect and enjoy the work of Molly Wood and David Brancaccio et al., it is always a bummer whenever Ryssdal isn't hosting. All the correspondents on the show are right at home among the upper echelons of the NPR bullpen of quality journalists, but something about Kai's easy familiarity coupled with an assured humility makes it appear that he is just like me - a regular person trying to make sense of a complex world.
All sonorous and interpersonal connectivity aside, I'm glad to report that this show animates a topic that could easily be dry or downright sleep-inducing. The relevance of market forces to the lives of ordinary people is probably best summarized in the famed clip from The Devil Wears Prada, wherein Meryl Streep berates Anne Hathaway for inferring that individuals can exempt themselves from a system. I can sympathize with the foibles of Ms. Hathaway - why does the price of the 10-year T note matter to me? In fact, why should I care about the economy writ large? Without agency to affect change or even the slightest idea of what change would be worth pursuing, I felt utter disregard for this realm of the news.
What I somehow failed to realize, however, is that Marketplace sets out each and every day to contextualize the confusion around the way money moves around the world. The very humanity I sought is irrefutably intertwined with the economy, and this program does a fine job connecting the dots for a layman like me. That said, there is a wonkish element to the show - inherent to any sort of media that traffics in numbers - and I admit that my ears glaze over whenever I hear the NASDAQ or DOW reports.
I'd be remiss not to mention the incredible selection of music that appears on this podcast. The team compiles a list of songs used in each episode on their website, which is a constant blessing whenever one of the chosen earworms wriggles inside my brain and the only antidote is to name the culprit. Sometimes it is a highly popular jam, while other times it is a completely foreign song from some electronic indie artist well removed from mass consumption. But each button is instrumental and helps draw attention to the structure of songs without words.
This is not Planet Money (excellent in it's own right), and so if you fancy yourself a total rube when it comes to the intersection of news and money I would recommend first starting with that very fine and more narrative-driven podcast. More economically inclined listeners may find that Marketplace is a perfect way to integrate snapshots of the market into their routines, as it reflects the news cycle to some degree. What makes the show most worthwhile for me, however, is the granularity of the stories featuring people affected in various ways by each new policy or business decision.
Subscribe to Marketplace in your podcatcher of choice, or stream episodes here:
https://www.marketplace.org/
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