Here’s how Gavin Newsom’s podcast arrangement works. The details raise questions

Does Newsom really expect us to believe that he isn’t getting any material benefit from his podcasts?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has made plenty of headlines since he unveiled his new podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” earlier this month — beginning with his declaration that allowing transgender athletes to compete on female sports teams is “deeply unfair.” 

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Since then, debate about the podcast has largely centered on its quality — or lack thereof — and on whether Newsom’s softball interviews with right-wing figures like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon will help or hurt his national political ambitions.

But there are more important questions lurking. 

Newsom is now involved in two podcasts produced by iHeartMedia — in July 2024, he launched a weekly podcast called “Politickin’” with former NFL player Marshawn Lynch and sports agent Douglas Hendrickson. 

What exactly is Newsom’s podcast arrangement with iHeart, a powerful media and entertainment company that also lobbies the California Legislature? And does this arrangement push the ethical boundaries of Newsom’s office?

According to Ann Ravel, former chairperson of the Federal Elections Commission and the California Fair Political Practices Commission, “any economic benefit for elected officials … must be disclosed as they can be conflicts of interest with their obligations as elected officials.”

The governor’s office said that Newsom’s relationship with iHeart isn’t a conflict of interest because he won’t earn any money from the podcasts while he’s in office.

Newsom may not be receiving direct checks from iHeart. But does the governor really expect us to believe that he isn’t getting any material benefit from the podcasts? The publicity he’s already received has been invaluable, and successful podcasts can be financial “accelerants,” Eric Nuzum, co-founder of the podcast consulting company Magnificent Noise, told me: They can result in higher speaker fees, for example, or amplified book sales. (Newsom has a memoir coming out later this year.) 

Here’s what I was able to uncover about the podcast’s fine print: 

Click here to read the full article in the SF Chronicle