On Air Fest adds Alec Baldwin, Malcom Gladwell, NPR’s Code Switch, Hirishikesh Hirway, The Kid Mero, Staf Dag (Hot & Single), The Telepathy Tapes, Odd Lots, Touré, Creation[...]

The new names join previously announced On Air Fest 2026 talent including New York Times-Bestselling author Roxane Gay, host of The Don Lemon Show Don Lemon, the hosts of Radiolab Latif Nasser & Lulu Miller, the hit Heavyweight podcast live with host and humorist Jonathan Goldstein, Audie Cornish's hit CNN podcast The Assignment live, a special event from Futuro Media's dual English/Spanish-language podcast La Bregafocused on their season three launch, and more. ESPN 30 for 30 Podcasts will also return with special stage programming about sports storytelling, as well as a program giving creators the chance to pitch ESPN's content executives directly.

Taking place across all three of On Air Fest's walkable venues in Williamsburg - Wythe Hotel, Arlo Williamsburg, and The XX Venue - the 25th and 26th will focus on intimate talks and performances, exhibitions, panels, interactive events, creative experiments, and live podcast tapings that explore how changing storytelling formats through audio, visual, and experiential are changing culture, media, and the entertainment industry as we know it. Early Bird Tickets are available through Jan 5 HERE , and specific programming details will be announced in the new year.

Talent for the annual Podcast Business Summit with Bloomberg, set for the second day of the festival, February 24th, is also being unveiled today. Hosted by Bloomberg reporter Ashley Carman, the Summit is an invite-only convening of leaders who are trending now and charting the path for podcasting's future. The headliners are: tech reporter and Pivot co-host Kara Swisher; the stand-up comedian, talk-show host, and podcaster Adam Friedland; sports journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre; Head of Audio & Podcasts for Paper Kite Productions (Good Hang with Amy Poehler) and Pineapple Street Media co-founder Jenna Weiss-Berman; Ky Dickens (host of The Telepathy Tapes); Megan Lightcap, Partner at Slow Creator Fund (the creator-focused arm of VC firm Slow Ventures); and Jack Davenport, co-founder at Goalhanger, the biggest independent podcast producer outside of the US.

Preceding both the Business Summit and the public programming on the 25th and 26th, On Air Fest 2026 will kick off on Monday, February 23rd with a reimagined presentation of The Podcast Academy's Sixth Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio - otherwise known as The Ambies - the medium's most prestigious award. Presented by The Podcast Academy, the preeminent industry organization advancing the medium, The Ambies will be produced and directed by On Air Fest's creative team for the first time.

Since it launched in 2018, On Air Fest has hosted hundreds of luminaries, including Anderson Cooper, Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Meyers, Norah Jones, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Audie Cornish, David Remnick, Jad Abumrad, Terry Gross, Francis Ford Coppola, and Ira Glass.

Sponsors and Partners for On Air Fest 2026 include Audible, iHeartPodcasts, ESPN 30 for 30 Podcasts, CNN, Pushkin Industries, WNYC, Futuro Media, Bloomberg, Supporting Cast, CBC Podcasts, NPR, Radiotopia/PRX, and The Ambies.

Early Bird 30% Off Tickets are on sale HERE , and more talent + schedule details will be announced in the coming months.

About On Air Presents

On Air Presents is a creative studio and events company operating at the intersection of story and spectacle. We make content that lives beyond the feed - immersive, collaborative, digital + IRL. From our flagship festival to global pop-ups and content campaigns, we transform fleeting attention into memorable moments.

Through our brand studio, On Air Studio, we provide strategic and creative services for partners who seek to move culture, not just follow it. Our work includes immersive experiences, live activations, and original, branded content designed for impact in the feed and beyond. In a time when culture moves fast we're committed to deep attention, experimental formats, and new rituals of gathering.

More at onairpresents.com