Trump, Musk and Key Reminders for Your Podcast
Are you really ready for a big time breakup? Are you prepared to say good-bye?
The battle between President Trump and Elon Musk has been epic.
Think Godzilla versus King Kong. Or WWE SmackDown. Or the Jerry Springer Show.
The showdown also fuels the imagination. I used to draw tanks and fighter jets as a kid. So I had fun creating this artwork below on Canva.
On a serious note, this donnybrook serves as a reminder for content creators and their networks. You could have a major fight that ends a partnership and you need to be prepared.
I’m not a lawyer and I don’t play one here. But I have participated in many contract negotiations over the years, both as talent and network executive. So treat this Beltway Battle as a lesson. Make sure you have the following in your contracts:
Non-disparagement language
Clear terms about who owns the RSS feed
Clear terms about how the RSS feed is transferred when a show moves on
Clear language about who owns all IP and controls all content whether audio, video or social
Clear terms on how the divorce is communicated to the public, if at all. Again, see number one.
Meanwhile, as a news junkie, I have really enjoyed seeing so many top episodes on Apple Podcasts devoted to Musk and Trump. Nothing like a classic cage match to get podcasters talking.
This is also a reminder your episode titles are crucial. They need to be clear, clever and pithy. They need to play to the moment.
MY RECOMMENDATION Looking for something you don’t hear everyday in a podcast? Check out FBI Director Kash Patel’s interview on the Joe Rogan Experience. Specifically, fast-forward to the 1 hour 34 minute mark. There, you will hear Rogan reveal Musk’s bombshell claim on X about President Trump and the Jeffrey Epstein files. You also hear Patel’s response. It’s fun. It’s raw. And it happens in real time.
John Wordock runs his own podcast and media consulting firm John Wordock Media. He served as Executive Editor and SVP for Podcasting at Westwood One from 2019 to 2024, helping build Cumulus Podcast Network into a top ten network and top channel on Apple. He also served as Executive Producer for Podcasts at The Wall Street Journal until 2019. He started podcasting back in 2006. Wanna talk? Email John@JohnWordockMedia.com.