Marketplace Launches “Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly”

Media Contact: Mark Larson, mark.larson@fleishman.comNew podcast features Marketplace hosts Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood who use their expertise to connect the dots on topics they know best, and get help from listeners and experts about the ones they want to know better.LOS ANGELES — January 23, 2017 — Today Marketplace announced “Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly,” a new podcast featuring hosts Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood, dedicated to getting smart about the economy, tech, culture, and how those things affect each other and our everyday lives.“Our ultimate goal at Marketplace is to raise the economic intelligence of the country,” said Ryssdal. “Right now it’s especially important that we work together to identify and understand what’s truly newsworthy. This is exactly what Make Me Smart does.”The goal of the podcast is to focus on analyzing and understanding, not on headlines and talking points. It’s meant to be an ongoing conversation with other experts and the combined expertise of the listening audience.“Make Me Smart is really a passion project for both of us,” said Wood. “It’s taking what Kai and I already do at Marketplace and putting it into a new format that allows us to go beyond what we can do on air. This podcast will let us press pause on what’s newsworthy and dive even deeper into the topics that people not only want, but need to hear about.”The format of the podcast will allow the hosts to combine their expertise with insights from influential leaders, big thinkers and everyday doers in the economy. Together, they’ll dig deeper and combine facts and experts with experiences and discussion to transform information into insight.The first podcast episode will be available January 24, 2017, followed by new episodes released every Tuesday. Listeners are encouraged to participate actively by contributing to topics and sharing their own experiences through video conversations and additional digital elements throughout the week.  Ryssdal and Wood will kick off Make Me Smart with a Facebook Live chat on Monday, January 23, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. PT, via the main Marketplace page, and will make these a regular weekly occurrence on Monday mornings.Listeners can subscribe on iTunes or their favorite podcast app and explore more content and submit suggestions at marketplace.org/makemesmart.About MarketplaceThe Marketplace® portfolio of programs are produced and distributed by American Public Media®, one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world.  Marketplace®, Marketplace Weekend®, Marketplace Morning Report® and Marketplace Tech® are currently broadcast by nearly 800 public radio stations nationwide and heard by more than 13 million weekly listeners.  Marketplace® has the largest broadcast audience of any business news program, on radio or television, in the country.  Marketplace® programs also have a robust digital audience, with more than 4 million podcast downloads and stream requests every month, on apps like iTunes, Slacker and TuneIn.  Marketplace® programs are noted for their timely, relevant and accessible coverage of business, economics and finance, focusing on the latest national and international business news, the global economy and wider events linked to the financial markets.  For more information on Marketplace® programs, visit marketplace.org.  For more information on American Public Media, visit americanpublicmedia.org.Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio and StreamGuys. Data are estimates only.