The Monday Media Diet with Naomi Zeichner

Naomi (NZ) is a woman of taste. She has a NTS radio show and works in travel editorial for Chase. She formerly edited The Fader. Happy to have her with us. -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

I’m Naomi and I live in Brooklyn with my fiance Ari. For work, I oversee editorial content for JPMorgan Chase’s credit card and travel businesses. Previously, I’ve studied art and had jobs in magazines, music, and advertising. There are more than 70 mixes in the archive for my radio show, New York Naomi. I like to be comfortable, specifically in a sweat suit, tall sock, or Ugg boots.

Describe your media diet.

Before I get up for the day or when I’m going to sleep, I listen to podcasts. My partner is a saint and a scholar because he endures the whole suite. The Daily, Ezra Klein, Odd Lots, Mixed Signals, Fashion People, Acquired. Foundering and Leon for capsule seasons, Search Engine and This American Life on weekends, and Who? Weekly forever.

Journalism is worth paying for and I believe subscription is the way forward for many news organizations, whether they’re niche or a portfolio of brands. But as a Napster-era millennial thirsty for gossip and information, I miss when there was more great blog writing online with fewer paywalls. I still pay day-to-day attention to the New York Times app and all the New York mag channels.

On the way to the office, I listen to music. I started writing about music 15 years ago and I’ve been finding songs to burn to little playlists since years before that. My time-tested recipe for discovering new music worth listening to is: screenshot what friends and strangers are talking about, look through local Shazam and YouTube charts around the world, and text with trusted sources.

I’m sad that Choire’s Dinner Party is ending but I’m happy when Choire starts new things. On Sundays, I catch up on newsletters like Shop Rat, neverworns, Deep Voices, Becky Malinsky, Heavies, Danyel Smith, Screentime, The Small Bow, Max Read, and Max Tani. On the food internet, I love The Infatuation’s social reporting, Christina Chaey’s gentle foods, and creators and cooks like cafemaddy, Patty Lee, and Lauren Schofield.

I look at Instagram all through the day and night. Recently I’ve been hot on bookmarking inspiration for a folder called ‘doghouse,’ which is an idea for a bar. I also have a TV at home for the first time in many years, so we’re streaming abundantly. The Pitt and Top Chef (of course I miss Padma) have been 2025 highlights. I can’t wait for Matt Wolf’s long-anticipated Pee-wee Herman doc to arrive on HBO.

What’s the last great book you read?

I prefer books that need to exist in print because you physically reach for them in particular situations, like atlases and cookbooks. And I like books that are just really long reported magazine articles, like Nathan Thrall’s A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, which won the general nonfiction Pulitzer in 2024.

What are you reading now?

I recently enjoyed Josh Duboff’s Early Thirties, which was like a good season of TV. Right now, I’m mostly reading draft copy at work. The first part of my career was hyper-focused inside of TextEdit, Google Docs, and various CMS tools. I’m lucky that over the past decade, my professional vocabulary has expanded to pitch decks, deal memos, spreadsheets and other languages for ‘driving alignment.’ But in my current role it’s been nice to get to spend time just with copy.

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

First I’m looking into the most distractingly salacious headline or eye-candy design package. Then I’m backing up to appreciate the big picture: How did the features come together, and what role do the other pieces play? If there’s an editor’s letter, what conclusions does it offer? What’s implied by the final page, or the masthead? All that said, I don’t expect or assume most readers will come to magazines with Harriet the Spy-type curiosity. When you create content, whether for print or digital, it’s essential to remember that part of the job is providing thoughtful service even to someone who’s just scanning for a few seconds. Holding their attention requires humility and a billion layers of consideration.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

I keep an eye on reporting from Mia Sato, Lora Kelly, Anna Kode, and Gina Cherelus. Olivia Craighead is so funny. Randa is always up to something :) My brilliant neighbor Brittany Chanel Greene writes Baddie 5000. Leah’s giving good reccs on Coping Mechanisms. And it’s rewarding to notice all the people who make reading fun, from editors to art directors to social producers.

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone?

Dminder uses your location to tell you what time you can get Vitamin D, wherever you are. It’s great for planning when to get sun, or as a reminder to reapply sunscreen. Ari is remarkably skilled with this background Eraser app, which he uses to edit photos.

Plane or train?

Mostly I’m just eager to get where I’m going. I am absolutely a fan of any fast, comfortable train that runs on time. The New York City Subway doesn’t always hit those marks and it’s still one of the main reasons I wanted to live in New York, or stayed here so long.

What is one place everyone should visit?

Everyone has unique needs, but it’s easy to have a great time in Tokyo, Paris, and New York freaking City. In researching and recommending destinations along with Chase’s all-star travel editors, I’ve realized that I’m less excited to find one perfect place than I am motivated to find specific things I love wherever I go. For example, on vacation I’m looking for a mix of mildly difficult walks and icy treats, so I’m always wishlisting places like ZiZi in Taipei, or Wishing Well in Hanalei.

In starting to plan a wedding, a decision I feel tentatively good about is asking my friends to visit my hometown, Athens, Georgia, for a bachelorette. In good weather, Athens arguably has a lot to offer: delicious tacos and farmstand ice cream, deadstock vintage, a fun downtown with a few especially cozy bars, and Waffle House breakfast. There’s also a beloved football team, Maepole for lunch, The National for dinner, and a new hotel.

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

Nicole LaVelle has a wonderful newsletter called Piles, which has made me open so many tabs. My favorite send so far is this deep dive on Win Ng, an artist from California who helped popularize cooking with woks in the US via a surprisingly successful business, which once had a multi-level brick and mortar on the Embarcadero and a pop-up in the Macy’s NYC flagship. Those details are just the tip of the iceberg — if you’re into homewares or the city of San Francisco, it’s a satisfying journey. (NZ)