One of the guest hosts for Jim Rome, a while back was Jason Whitlock. I'm pretty sure that he hosts a weekly, one subject, three hour show in Kansas City.
There are a lot of investigative journalists either out of work, or working in podcasts, because the journalistic media has become a broken model. And podcasts are taking a huge chunk of the audience away from radio, because there is a demand for this content.
There are ways of working around the cost and time differential, that honestly are not that difficult. Use local talent to host the show like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and then contract out the hour to underutilized talent. Pay them higher on a contract basis, per show, enough to cover both research, writing and onair talent if needed.
Sell it to affiliates.
Semi-retired or part time talent would be all over this. University level talent would attack it with relish. Build a roster of individuals or groups to provide content at the rate of 60 to 90 minutes plus call-in, every six to eight weeks. Build a following. If one of the shows is a massive hit, hire the crew that put it together. Extend their contract. Build an industry. Attend award nights held in your honor.
Radio can either take on the podcasts directly, or cry about the death of their industry.
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"By Grabthar's hammer ... what a savings."
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