Anderson Cooper 360

Anderson Cooper 360 is the podcast version of CNN's flagship evening news program, and it basically gives you the full show in audio form. Episodes run 45 to 55 minutes, which is long for a news podcast, but Cooper has been doing this since 2003 and knows how to hold attention across multiple segments. The format mirrors the TV broadcast: Cooper introduces stories, brings in CNN correspondents for reporting, and conducts interviews with newsmakers, analysts, and occasionally regular people caught up in big events. Cooper himself is the reason most people tune in. His interviewing style is calm but persistent -- he'll let a politician dodge a question once, maybe twice, but then he pins them down. He's also genuinely good at the human interest side, drawing on his own reporting experience in war zones and disaster areas to ask questions that other anchors might not think of. With roughly 1,700 episodes and a 3.7-star rating from about 3,600 reviews, the reception is mixed. The lower rating partly reflects the fact that it's a TV show adapted for audio, which means some visual elements (graphics, video packages) don't fully translate. There are also the usual complaints about CNN's editorial choices that follow any network podcast. But as a way to get CNN's primetime news coverage without a cable subscription, it works. The show covers a wide range -- politics, investigations, legal proceedings, international affairs -- and benefits from CNN's resources and correspondent network. Best for listeners who want a comprehensive evening news experience and don't mind the longer runtime.