Beginning October 24, New York public radio station WNYC will feature a new interview show hosted by Alec Baldwin, which will initially be in the form of a podcast.
The Emmy-winning actor’s "30 Rock" contract expires at the end of the upcoming sixth season, and he has dropped hints that he is exploring other vocations.
Baldwin, a native of Long Island, said earlier this month that he would not rule out a run for New York mayor after he leaves television. In addition to other diverse multi-media activities, he also hosts "The New York Philharmonic This Week" on WQXR and has served as guest host on another radio program.
The first installment of his “Here’s the Thing” podcast will feature an interview with actor Michael Douglas. Other interview subjects of the show include comedian Chris Rock, reality-show celebrity Kris Kardashian-Jenner, actress Kathleen Turner, and GOP strategist Ed Rollins.
The actor-activist told the New York Times that his prime reason for hosting the program “was to find a way where you could talk to people and you don't feel like you have an agenda, and then they wind up saying everything you hoped they would say."
He revealed that when he interviews Rollins, he plans to say to the Republican, “Convince me. Convince me that I should be voting for your candidates.”
The podcast will give Baldwin exposure in the new media arena as well as affording him an opportunity to establish some necessary gravitas should he decide to pursue politics.
NPR affiliate podcasts are among the most downloaded on iTunes, and sources at WNYC have indicated that Baldwin’s show may be given air time in the future. Baldwin's podcast is described on the WNYC website as one that “gives the listener unique entrée into the lives of artists, policy makers and performers.”
The show's description ends with the following tease of a tagline: “Listen to what happens when a man you think you know surprises you.”