The United States is Southern now

Explain It to Me

Vox Media Podcast Network

Education, Politics, News, Society & Culture

4.4 • 7.9K Ratings

🗓️ 7 September 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From #rushtok to country music, American culture is getting more and more southern. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Matthew Billy and Adriene Lilly and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo of a Beyonce fan waiting to see her perform in LA by Rashida Zagon/For The Washington Post via Getty Images. If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for this show comes from OnePassword. If you're an IT or security pro, managing devices,
0:08.3	identities, and applications can feel overwhelming and risky. Trellica by OnePassword helps
0:14.8	conquer SaaS sprawl and Shadow IT by discovering every app your team uses, managed or not.
0:21.3	Take the first step to better security for your team.
0:24.7	Learn more at onepassword.com slash podcast offer.
0:29.4	That's onepassword.com slash podcast offer, all lowercase.
0:37.5	Here is a big existential question for every media company today.
0:42.7	Do they fight the AI tech overlords or do they just take their money?
0:47.4	So far, most of them are taking the money.
0:50.1	But a few are fighting.
0:51.6	One of them is Zip Davis.
0:54.1	This is Peter Kafka, the host of channels.
0:56.7	And on this week's episode, I'm talking to Ziff Davis, CEO of Vek Shah, who tells me he's
1:01.0	kind of optimistic about the media business and why he's taking on the people behind ChatGBT.
1:06.5	That's this week on channels, wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
1:12.0	The least expensive option.
1:14.4	These kind of just, all those colleges seem to be the same.
1:17.4	The kids are just a little bit more laid back.
1:21.7	This is Explain It to Me from Vox.
1:23.9	I'm John Flynn Hill, and you guys, school is back in session.
1:29.3	If you were a nerd like me or liked to party at college, also like me, this time of year is a good one for you.
1:37.3	Heading back to campus, seeing your friends after the long summer, maybe even hitting a football game if you and your school were into that kind of thing.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.