You Had To Be There

About You Had To Be There

Iconic Moments in Pop Culture History! Each episode, You Had To Be There gives our host, Julia Thompson an assignment: Find and interview an eyewitness to a specific iconic moment in pop culture history…in just 48 hours. Listen to the inside stories on the biggest moments in pop culture history from the people who were there!

Publisher

Hi Barr

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

20 Dec 2023

Latest episode

8 Apr 2025

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Apr 2025

   Introducing Media Moguls with Web Barr

   We'll be back in a bit, but in the meantime, we wanted to share Episode 1 of Hi Barr's newest podcast: Media Moguls with Web Barr. Listen here! To get new episodes, just follow Media Moguls with Web Barr on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. -------- Introducing Hi Barr's Newest Podcast: Media Moguls with Web Barr They’re risk-takers, rule-breakers, and empire builders. These are the stories of the visionaries who transformed media forever. In the debut season of Media Moguls, longtime media operator Web Barr takes you inside the rise of one of the most daring and unconventional figures in media history—Ted Turner. Media Moguls: The Ted Turner Saga is live on all podcast apps NOW! Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Season 1 begins with Ted Turner, the media maverick who revolutionized cable television, news, and sports. But before Turner built his media empire, he was just a young man shaped by ambition, discipline, and tragedy—driven by a relentless need to succeed. In this debut episode, longtime media operator and host Web Barr unpacks the pivotal moments that set Ted Turner on his path—from a chaotic childhood to selling advertising for his father’s billboard company, and beyond. We also break down the broadcast TV revolution—how the birth of television changed everything, the slow rise of network news, and how a personal tragedy set Turner on his journey to transform media forever. Media empires aren’t built overnight. They’re forged through ambition, unorthodox thinking, and relentless drive. This is Media Moguls with Web Barr: The Ted Turner Saga. More From Hi Barr Follow us on  X + Instagram + YouTube + Linkedin Sign up for our newsletter Email us: contact@hibarrmedia.com Listen to Hi Barr’s You Had To Be There For business inquiries, please email: contact@hibarrmedia.com Credits Writing, research, and production by Web Barr. Artwork by Dylan Lathrop. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Chapters (00:00): Opening Monologue (06:48): Introducing Media Moguls (08:42): Why Ted Turner (13:34): Early Childhood - Discipline, Grit, & Hard Work (25:08): The Birth of Television (29:40): TV Cities (33:05): Early Signs of TV Advertising Gold (34:30): TV Changes Movie Theaters (36:03): Early Network TV News (43:00): Hollywood Shifts (48:18): TV Changes Politics Forever (50:30): News Doubles From 15 to 30 Minutes (53:40): Ted Grows Up (1:01:30): Ted Joins Turner Advertising (1:05:00): The Deal of a Lifetime Turns Sour (1:12:05): Tragedy (1:15:13): Succession (1:17:20): His Boldest Plan Yet (1:26:00): Billboard Growth (1:31:50): Radio Dreams (1:39:30): Radio Nightmares (1:41:40): On the Next Episode Sources Books used in Episode 1. Get em here! It Ain't As Easy As It Looks: Ted Turner's Amazing Story Lead Follow or Get Out of the Way: The Story of Ted Turner Media Man: Ted Turner's Improbable Empire Clash of the Titans: How the Unbridled Ambition of Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch Has Created Global Empires that Control What We Read & Watch Each Day Call Me Ted Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News Ted Turner Speaks: Insights From the World's Greatest Maverick Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the rise of the modern cable-TV business The Powers That Be Me and Ted Against the World: The Unauthorized Story of the Founding of CNN Making News Leadership in War: Lessons from Those Who Made History Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2. 

   25 Mar 2025

   CNN Launches the 24/7 News Cycle

   On Sunday, June 1st, 1980, Ted Turner pressed a button—and CNN went live, beaming 24/7 news into homes across America and changing the media landscape forever, while shrinking time and space forever. In this episode, we sent Julia Thompson to track down and interview people who were at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters on day one. What follows is the story of a visionary who dared to build a 24-hour news network on a tight budget—in a world dominated by 30-minute broadcasts and networks spending over $100 million a year on their news. With his own money and a vow to stay on the air “until the world ends,” Ted Turner took on the giants. It’s a modern-day David and Goliath tale—driven by technology, entertainment, risk, and pure tenacity. This is how CNN was born. This episode features interviews with: Richard Roth (CNN original. Covered Gulf War, Berlin Wall fall, Tiananmen Square protests, and more) John Huey (former Time Inc. Editor-in-Chief, Fortune Editor. WSJ journalist covering CNN's launch) Jack Lechner (TV/Film Producer. Professor. Multiple-Time Jeopardy! Winner) Steven Livingston (Author, The CNN Effect. Professor) Web Barr Listen to Hi Barr's newest podcast, Media Moguls with Web Barr on your favorite podcast app now. CREDITS 'You Had To Be There' is a Hi Barr production. Created by Hi Barr. 'CNN Launches the 24/7 News Cycle' was written and hosted by Julia Thompson. Produced by Julia Thompson and Web Barr. Edited by Julia Thompson. Edit, Sound Mix, and engineering by Vishal Nayak. Original score by Teeny Lieberson. Artwork created by Dylan Lathrop. Special thanks to our parents, friends and chosen family. And most importantly, thank you to the artists who’ve inspired us because they had to do it. MORE FROM HI BARR Sign up to receive our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube. For business inquiries, please email: contact@hibarrmedia.com. Were you at one of the events covered on the show? If so, we'd love to talk! Please get in touch via email and/or social media channels like Instagram or X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   4 Mar 2025

   Garry Kasparov vs. Deep Blue: The Chess Match That Changed Everything

   In May 1997, the world watched as Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess player of all time, faced off against IBM’s supercomputer, Deep Blue. It was man vs. machine—a defining moment in the evolution of artificial intelligence and a turning point for chess. To revisit this historic showdown, we’ve given producer and director Julia Thompson a 48-hour challenge: track down and interview someone who was there when technology changed the game forever. This episode features interviews with: David Shenk Dylan Loeb McClain Murray Campbell CREDITS 'You Had To Be There' is a Hi Barr production. Created by Hi Barr. 'Garry Kasparov vs. Deep Blue' was written and hosted by Julia Thompson. Produced by Julia Thompson and Web Barr. Edited by Julia Thompson. Edit, Sound Mix, and engineering by Vishal Nayak. Original score by Teeny Lieberson. Artwork created by Dylan Lathrop. Special thanks to our parents, friends and chosen family. And most importantly, thank you to the artists who’ve inspired us because they had to do it. WANT MORE FROM HI BARR?! Sign up to receive our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube. For business inquiries, please email: contact@hibarrmedia.com. Were you at one of the events covered on the show? If so, we'd love to talk! Please get in touch via email and/or social media channels like Instagram or X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reach and audience

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

YouTube views

313,517

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.2 / 5

173 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

21 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100

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

Quality

77

Social presence

0

YouTube

82

Engagement

82

Contact You Had To Be There

Guest appearances

Books guests

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

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