Podcasters Gather in Williamsburg as On Air Fest Highlights Media Industry Shift

Hundreds of podcast creators, producers and media professionals packed into Williamsburg venues this week as On Air Fest returned to Brooklyn, featuring prominent figures like Don Lemon, Roy Wood Jr. and Eric Andre discussing the evolving landscape of independent media.

The festival, which has operated annually in Brooklyn since 2017 and expanded to Los Angeles in 2019, showcased the medium’s explosive growth over the past decade. According to emcee Zakiya Gibbons, this year’s event expanded to five stages across three venues, marking the festival’s largest iteration to date.

The packed schedule included live podcast tapings, panel discussions and workshops covering topics ranging from Bad Bunny’s musical storytelling to sports scandals. Attendees included podcast producers, sound engineers, local journalists and political strategists, according to organizers.

Former CNN host Don Lemon emerged as a central figure in discussions about media transformation, speaking from the festival’s main stage about the industry’s rapid changes. Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023, has since launched his own media network and “Don Lemon Show” podcast, which streams on audio platforms and YouTube to over 1.25 million subscribers.

“The media business is transforming at a pace that we have never seen before,” Lemon said during his appearance. “It’s truly an inflection point. Going away from traditional networks, the ground is shifting beneath our feet. Nowhere is this disruption more apparent or more consequential than in news.”

Lemon noted that his January arrest by federal officials on civil rights charges, stemming from his livestreamed coverage of an anti-ICE protest that interrupted a church service in St. Paul, actually boosted his online following.

The former CNN anchor appeared alongside Pablo Torre, a former ESPN host who live-taped his podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” at the festival, and New York City-based comedians Gianmarco Soresi and Jay Jurden. All four speakers have transitioned from traditional media platforms to independent content creation.

The panelists emphasized how podcast formats enable longer, more detailed conversations than traditional media allows. According to Jurden, audiences seek authentic discussions about important issues and appreciate uncensored content that corporate media typically avoids.

Lemon criticized corporate media’s credibility issues, though he directed blame toward corporations and gatekeepers rather than individual journalists. He argued that independent creators rebuild trust through what he called “bolder” approaches to reporting, forcing legacy media to adapt.

“Legacy media is taking cues from us,” Lemon said during his remarks.

Torre highlighted a key difference between podcasts and corporate media regarding neutrality. Unlike traditional outlets that strive for neutral positioning, podcasts often embrace transparent viewpoints while maintaining rigorous reporting standards, according to Torre.

“I think corporate media is stuck being a bit omniscient in its aspirations, a bit of a voice of God, as if they’re the arbiter of neutrality,” Torre said. He argued that audiences prefer reporting delivered from grassroots perspectives rather than institutional authority.

The festival’s programming reflected podcasting’s diverse reach, featuring conversations with NPR’s Rachel Martin and Brian Reed, host of “Question Everything” and the award-winning series “S-Town.” Sessions also covered the art of “deep listening” and featured producers from popular shows like “Heated Rivalry.”

The event highlighted how podcasting has attracted creators from various backgrounds, including journalists, actors, politicians and even children, demonstrating the medium’s accessibility and broad appeal in Brooklyn’s evolving media landscape.