Most of our media are owned by a handful of tech billionaires, but there's one place that still operates like the internet was never invented.

On the new season of the divided dial from On the Media, we're exploring shortwave radio, where prayer and propaganda coexist with news and conspiracy theories, and where an existential battle

for the public airwaves is playing out right now.

Listen to On the Media, wherever you get your podcasts.

Hello, and welcome back to practical stoicism. My name is Tanner Campbell, and before we get started

today, I wanted to read a review that I received from a listener with some critical feedback.

It comes from Zach and reads as follows. Great podcast. I think the episode should be relistened to, but it's difficult when there's

so much content about the podcast's rating, book promotion, and gratitude for listening.

Would appreciate it if that could be kept to 30 seconds or less each episode, so re-listening is

easier. Now, I'm going to be honest with you. When I first read this, it stung a

little bit, and I got a little defensive, because I thought, well, why is it a problem that I thank

people, or that I promote my book occasionally on a podcast that I produce for free? And how dare,

Zach, give me production notes? How dare he? So, as you can see, I had a very unstoic response to that

initially. Then I sat with it for a few minutes and I realized that Zach was right. I create this podcast

to be useful, to teach people, to help people, and the preambles, like the one I'm doing right now,

sorry, Zach, and mentions of the book delay my purpose in every episode.

And realizing that, I wondered if I might be able to do the podcast without those things,

without the ad that runs, the one you just heard, without the mentions of the book,

and without the thanks ahead of the meditations.

And initially, I didn't think that I could do that. You see, I want to spend

more time doing this sort of work. I enjoy it more than the other work I do in podcasting and marketing.

That's my day job. I think most of you know that by now. And with the audience growing the way that it is,

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