Credits & ethics

Search Engine is an award-winning explainer show that tackles questions about life. The podcast is downloaded well over a million times per month. It launched in the summer of 2023 to critical acclaim and was named one of the top podcasts by Time Magazine, The Economist, and New York Magazine.

Search Engine's operations are currently funded in two ways - through advertisements and through listener premium subscriptions. The split right now is about 60/40 toward ads, we’re hoping in the long run for that balance to shift.

For now though, we depend on ads.

And right now, many brands expect a kind of advertisement that the industry calls a personal endorsement. What this means is that companies ask podcast hosts to try their product, and make ads for that product in the podcaster’s own voice.

What occasionally makes this difficult is that we are not a product review site like Wirecutter or Consumer Reports. We podcast hosts are not exactly well-positioned to tell you which sprocket, for example, is the absolute best to purchase. That’s the reality.

Here is our ethics policy around that reality.

If a company advertises on Search Engine, the company dictates what we say in the ad. The company will not dictate our coverage outside of those ads. So for example, if a sprocket company buys an ad on Search Engine and we have a story that would interest our listeners but be unpleasant for that sprocket company, we will run that story.

Our team at Search Engine is trying to be realistic but thoughtful about the choices we make and transparent about our thinking.

If you have any questions or suggestions, shoot us an email, pjvogt85@gmail.com.

The show is made by human beings, so the schedule may sometimes require adjusting.

January

9, 16, 20, 30

February

13, 27

March

20, 27

April

10, 17

May

1, 8, 22

June

5, 12, 26

July

3, 10, 17, 24Reruns during show break

August

7, 21, 28

September

11, 18

October

2, 9, 23

November

6, 13, 20

December

4, 11, 18