© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

NPR defector finds niche as podcaster

Mike Pesca/twitter

NPR is a top-level platform for any radio reporter. But for some, leaving NPR has led to projects in the online world of podcasting.

One of those reporters who left NPR to launch a podcast is Mike Pesca. He’s hosting a daily show for the Slate website. It’s called “The Gist."  The show typically includes one or two interviews on subjects in
the news and topics that interest Pesca, and then Mike wraps up each episode with a monologue he calls “The Spiel."

Listeners from his NPR days will remember his work for being both literate and smart-alecky. “The Gist” gives him a five-days-a-week platform where
those qualities have blossomed.

Current State’s Scott Pohl recently spoke with Mike Pesca about leaving NPR behind for the world of podcasting.

Scott Pohl has maintained an on-call schedule reporting for WKAR following his retirement after 36 years on the air at the station.
Related Content
Every WKAR News story you read is rooted in fact-based, local journalism, produced without commercial influence and available for free to everyone in mid-Michigan. No paywalls. Ever.

But this work doesn’t fund itself. With significant cuts to federal funding, public media is facing a critical moment. If you believe in journalism that serves the public interest, now is the time to act. Donate today.