Episode 130 of the Sports Illustrated Media podcast features Tim Kawakami, the editor-in-chief of The Athletic’s Bay Area edition, and Matt Yaloff, a host and reporter for MLB Network.  In this podcast Kawakami discusses why he joined The Athletic, a startup focused subscription-based quality sports journalism; the expectations of the site; why he believes this model can succeed; how to convince readers who have never paid for sports content to pay for sports content; how he is dealing with the business side of journalism; why Marcus Thompson is a different-maker as a hire; what the initial days have been like for the site; how The Athletic will adapt when its paywall hardens; his philosophy when it comes to blocking people on Twitter and whether that runs counter to building a subscription based business; the line between talking politics and sports on social media; how he perceives the national reporting to be on Colin Kaepernick; a cameo from Peter King, and much more.
 
Yaloff discusses how he prepares for MLB Network Strike Zone, a baseball equivalent of NFL RedZone; what he thinks the toughest job in baseball broadcasting is; the stroke he suffered on July 29, 2016 and how it changed his life; the difficulty of rehab; how MLB Network allowed him to work back slowly; how he he is a different person post-stroke; working in the baseball media in baseball-crazy Philadelphia and New York City; whether the Astros are built for the postseason; why he loves Jim Thome, and much more. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher.

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic Bay Area & Matt Yaloff of MLB Network

Welcome to the SI Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch. In this podcast, which will be published weekly, Deitsch will interview members of the sports media about their work, and interesting people about the sports media. Follow Richard at http://twitter.com/richarddeitsch.