There’s about to be even more Stephen A. Smith content out there, and this time, it’s not about sports. In addition to his ESPN presence with First Take, NBA Countdown, and Stephen A’s World, plus his upcoming book and his occasional appearances on General Hospital, Smith is now teaming up with Audacy’s Cadence13 studio for a Know Mercy podcast. Debuting Monday, Sept. 26, the podcast will drop Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after that, and it will see Smith offer “unfiltered insights and perspectives on the day’s headlines, including politics, entertainment, social issues, criminal justice, and business.” Here’s more on that from a release:
Leading premium podcast studio, Cadence13, an Audacy company, today announced that it has partnered with media giant Stephen A. Smith for his first-ever podcast, Know Mercy with Stephen A. Smith, a three-times-a-week show on which he’ll bring his trademark insight and analysis and explore a wide range of topics and issues, beyond the world of sports.
…“It’s hard to put into words how excited I am about this opportunity. Although my love for sports will never fade, neither has my zest for expanding my interest beyond the court or field of play. I love news. I love entertainment. Above all else, I love attaching myself to, and touching on, things that are percolating in the minds of the masses — with no inhibitions,” said Stephen A. Smith. “Regardless of subject matter, to have the opportunity to do so with a podcast I personally own, with content I personally control, is an adventure I’ve waited to tackle head-on for my entire career. Well, it’s here now, and I’m excited to do it with Cadence13. I’m ready. I hope everyone is, too, for what’s coming. Buckle up!”
“Stephen A. Smith is a larger than life talent and force of nature whose indelible passion, wit, and candor ignite every conversation he’s a part of, engaging millions of fans along the way,” said Chris Corcoran, Chief Content Officer and Founding Partner, Cadence13. “We could not be more thrilled to add his singular, powerful voice to the Cadence13 lineup, and to bring ‘Know Mercy’ to the world.”
The episodes will be available both through the Audacy app and through other podcast providers. And it will be interesting to see how these are received. Smith has long expressed ambitions beyond sports, from desires to host a late-night show or a cable news show to discussion of running for political office, and he’s even shown up on cable news and debate shows at times and talked about news networks’ interest in him. But the vast majority of what he’s done on-air has been sports, and that’s what his fans mostly know him for, and he’s been quite adamant about sticking to sports on ESPN programming. So we’ll see how he does on this new podcast with a wider range of topics, and how much audience interest there is in that.
[Photo supplied by Cadence13]
