Life After News

About Life After News

What happens when the newsroom lights go out—and life begins again? Life After News explores the raw, funny, and deeply human stories of journalists who’ve walked away from the adrenaline of breaking news to reinvent themselves in surprising ways. Hosted by former TV news director Jason Ball, the podcast goes behind the headlines to talk with anchors, reporters, producers, and executives about identity, resilience, and what it takes to start over. From career pivots to personal awakenings, these conversations reveal how the skills learned under deadline pressure translate into entirely new chapters of life. It’s not just about leaving the news—it’s about discovering what comes after. Whether you’re in media, on the edge of a career change, or just fascinated by reinvention, Life After News is your invitation to listen in, learn, and maybe imagine your own next chapter.

Publisher

Jason Ball

Category

business · business · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 May 2025

Latest episode

24 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

55 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   24 Mar 2026

   🎙️ Chase Cain Bet on Himself. Now He’s Betting on YouTube to Change Climate Coverage 🌎🎥

   Send us Fan Mail What happens when a veteran TV journalist walks away from a major network job to build something of his own? In this episode of Life After News, Jason talks with meteorologist and climate reporter Chase Cain about leaving NBC News, starting over in San Francisco, and launching a new climate-focused platform on YouTube. Chase explains why he believes mainstream media still isn’t giving climate change the attention it deserves and why he’s taking the risk to do it differently. ...

2. 

   17 Mar 2026

   🎙️ From the Fall of the Soviet Union to “Superpower California,” Markos Kounalakis has seen it all

   Send a text What does the collapse of the Soviet Union teach us about the world today? And why might California be one of the most powerful places on Earth even without an army? In this episode of Life After News, Jason sits down with Markos Kounalakis, journalist, scholar, Hoover Institution fellow, and author of several books including Freedom Isn’t Free: The Price of World Order. Kounalakis reported on Soviet forces in Afghanistan and was in Moscow during the final days of the Soviet Union...

3. 

   10 Mar 2026

   🎙️ Paul Magers on Sobriety, Newsroom Successes, and a Night with Paul McCartney

   Send a text What happens after the anchor desk? For longtime Los Angeles and Minneapolis news anchor Paul Magers, life after news has been meaningful, reflective, and surprisingly joyful. Paul joins Jason for a candid conversation about leaving television news in 2017, getting sober, and finding purpose in helping others. Along the way, the two share stories from their newsroom days, what really makes great TV news, and what it’s like to trade big-city broadcasts for the small-town charm of P...

Who has been a guest on Life After News

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Christina Pascucci
• Aundrea Cline-Thomas
• Tamsen Fadal
• Michaela Pereira
• Ellen Leyva

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

38,253

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

19 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 72 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

93

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

51

Contact Life After News

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Life After News