Episode 189: Jeremy Hobson is Bringing Live Radio to the Digital Era, Plus Google's Big Win in Court

What the episode covered

Jeremy Hobson said The Middle is a live national call-in show trying to bring middle-ground voices into public conversation while building revenue from station fees, grants, crowdfunding, and ads. The register is mixed, with polished sponsor and event promotion around more candid discussion of unpaid founder months and incomplete transcript sections. Watch the sealed Google remedy details and whether Hobson's show reaches repeatable sustainability.

Our summary, written from the transcript. Not the speakers' words.

The episode, in order

1. 01Sponsor reads

   The show is commercially supported by companies in the same broad advertising market it covers.

2. 02Hobson's media model

   The interview is less about podcasting as a pure digital product and more about a hybrid public-radio and podcast distribution business.

3. 03Revenue mechanics

   The concrete business signal is that audience reach alone has not removed the need for multiple funding streams.

4. 04Google antitrust remedy

   The segment reframes the outcome from a simple win for Google to a question of implementation details.

5. 05Amazon ad auction allegations

   The issue connects current platform enforcement to long-running ad-tech disputes about auction mechanics and disclosure.

Sponsors named in this episode

No sponsor named doesn't mean no ads. Each row was taken from the ad break as it was read on air. The verbatim passage behind every row is checked against the transcript character for character. Short excerpts appear below.

Roles and stated affiliations

Sponsor or conflict flagged. Named ad sponsor in the covered market — Sojern is named as bringing the episode and is described as the number one platform for travel and hospitality advertising while the episode covers advertising and ad tech. No additional relationship was stated on the recording. · Named ad sponsor in the covered market — StackAdapt is named as bringing the podcast and is described as an AI advertising platform while the episode covers advertising and ad tech. No additional relationship was stated on the recording.

Wakewire's read of interests

• Ari Paparo: He hosts the podcast, promotes Marketecture Live Chicago, mentions Marketecture subscriptions, and conducts the Hobson interview.
• Eric: He is a returning cohost, says he will publish an in-depth newsletter on the Google situation, and comments as someone described as having written a book on the subject.
• Jeremy Hobson: He hosts The Middle and says he wants the show to become sustainable enough that he can focus less on fundraising and operations.
• Sojern: The sponsor message presents Sojern as a travel and hospitality advertising platform and directs listeners to Sojern.com.
• StackAdapt: The sponsor message presents StackAdapt as an AI advertising platform and directs listeners to StackAdapt.com slash grow.

Recording limits

• The transcript has visible cuts, including during Hobson's live call-in explanation, the politics discussion, and the OpenAI discussion.

Claims that need more support

• Eric said the behavioral remedies are substantial and would largely restore competition, but the episode itself says the specifics are sealed and gives no implementation details.

Claims made on air that the episode itself did not back up.

Questions the conversation didn't reach

• The recording says Google remedy specifics are sealed for 30 days, so the exact required business-practice changes are not answered.

Topics the episode did not address. This does not mean anyone avoided them.

Are you from this show? You can ask for a correction, reply, or ask us to stop coverage on the rights page.

What was said

• Sponsor reads

  The recording begins with disclosed sponsor messages for Sojern and StackAdapt, both framed around advertising platforms and marketer workflow.

• Hobson's media model

  Jeremy Hobson described The Middle as a live national call-in show on public radio, SiriusXM, and podcast channels, built around voices from the geographic, political, and philosophical middle.

• Revenue mechanics

  Hobson said the show began as free to stations and now uses station fees, grants, crowdfunding, and advertising, with different underwriting rules for public radio and podcast ads.

• Google antitrust remedy

  Eric said Google avoided the DOJ's requested ad-tech breakup, but he argued expected behavioral remedies could still be substantial if they affect AdEx, GAM, and Google Ads bidding behavior.

• Amazon ad auction allegations

  The hosts discussed allegations from the FTC and 22 states that Amazon rigged ad auctions with soft floors, while saying Amazon called the case misguided.

Our paraphrase, not the speakers' words.

The passages we relied on

Short excerpts, credited to the show, at most 40 words each and 150 per episode. We do not publish transcripts. We link to the episode so you can hear it from the show itself.

What to watch for

• The unsealed Google remedy requires AdEx to bid into pre-bid with parity and requires Google Ads demand to bid non-discriminatorily into other exchanges. (After the stated 30 day seal period.)
• The Middle reports recurring station-fee renewals, larger ad sales through impressions.fm, or enough funding for Hobson to pay himself consistently. (Next funding cycle or future interview updates.)
• The Amazon case produces documented auction rules, advertiser notices, or quantified buyer impact tied to soft floors. (As the FTC and state case filings develop.)