Find out what to listen to with personal tips from the BSR team.

We're lucky that content comes in so many forms these days. It feels sometimes like podcasting, as a medium, comes and goes in waves with subtrends constantly emerging. Today, our team shares a few of our 2025 podcast listens. Let's dive in.

From executive director Neil Bardhan:

I’m mostly out of my rotation on most of the podcasts I normally have listened to in the past few years but Handsome is one that has come up particularly as a solid listen for me every time: the format feels like a hybrid of "friends chatting about their lives" and "interview/advice/structured conversation." (Does anybody out there have a smarter categorization of podcast formats? Please reach out!) Comedians Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin come together to catch up and chat around a question-prompt submitted by a celebrity friend of theirs. The conversation freewheels and devolves into bits at times naturally but also has gotten me choked up with the hosts' vulnerability. My other go-to is Hyperfixed from Reply All alum Alex Goldman. Each episode is a dogged investigation into a single problem, often submitted by listeners. I urge you to go listen to the culinary history rollercoaster that is The Lord's Work featuring Claire Saffitz.

From editor-in-chief Alaina Johns:

The BSR Podcast
I have to say up front that BSR has a great podcast, now in its 10th season! Host Darnelle Radford, who recently took up the job of executive director at Theatre Philadelphia, makes every interview into an evergreen conversation. Even if the show that occasioned the episode has closed, these wide-ranging conversations with working artists of all backgrounds are so illuminating. And now the BSR Podcast is even easier to find: you can subscribe via the Apple Podcasts feed to get it in your ears, or you can watch the interviews on YouTube.

WHYY’s Studio 2
I recently became a devoted listener to this local news show from WHYY. The tagline is “Everything you need to know about what’s happening in the Delaware Valley,” and it’s hosted by Avi Wolfman-Arent and Cheri Gregg. I like the format (three local news items, and then a longer interview about a timely topic with local or national political relevance), and the conversation is usually substantive, alongside well-curated commentary from listeners. In a national media landscape of screaming daily crises, it can be hard to remember to engage with local media, but what’s happening in our own backyard ultimately affects us more than national politics, and we can have a bigger effect when we get involved. If you want to listen live or call in, it airs daily at noon and 10pm Monday through Friday.

Hot & Bothered
Now in its fifth season, Hot & Bothered, hosted by Vanessa Zoltan and a rotating cast of charismatic experts, is my window on the romance world, which I typically have trouble approaching (don’t ask me for relationship advice—I’m a big fan of divorce). I have listened to the third and fourth seasons (on Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, respectively) and am enjoying the fifth, which is currently examining the institution of marriage through the lens of popular movies like My Best Friend’s Wedding, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and Bridesmaids. This pod is just the right mix of pop culture and substantive feminist critique. (Bonus: I loved Zoltan’s book, Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice.)

Power User with Taylor Lorenz
In a sea of punditry, clickbait, and compromised corporate news outlets, I am always looking for expert voices who cut through with perspectives that challenge my existing knowledge. Taylor Lorenz, who is developing her own independent platform after an initial career in legacy media, is one of the journalists I turn to to make sense of Internet trends, legislation on Internet safety and privacy, the tech industry, the influencer world, and AI. Sometimes her podcast includes an interview; sometimes it’s more of a passionate audio essay. In addition to her rigorous reporting on right-wing media trends, Lorenz has also riled left-leaning political influencers by reporting on their undisclosed financial ties. As with any creator, I don’t agree with all of her takes, but I find them valuable. (Bonus: pick up Lorenz’s book, Extremely Online: The Untold History of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet. I expected a cultural history, but it’s more of an economic one. It gets pretty far into the weeds of online commerce and the digital creator economy, but it’s interesting.)

We hope you enjoyed our staff picks!

What did you add to your feeds?

We hope you enjoyed reading these! If you know someone who needs them, forward this email to friend and encourage them to subscribe to BSR. There’s never a paywall. And if you appreciate everything the BSR community brings to you, from our coverage to quality recommendations straight from your fellow art-lovers, have you considered supporting us? We can’t keep publishing in 2026 without your help. Huge thanks to everyone who has already given this year! And if you want to talk about these picks in person, come to our party in January!