He’d be the oldest man ever to run for president, even as calls grow louder and louder for him to step aside.

Joe Biden?

No, William Henry Harrison, the successful 67-year-old Whig Party candidate back in 1840. 

Tying yesteryear to current events is Ron Shafer’s specialty. His contributions to The Washington Post’s Retropolis history column form the basis of two of his engaging books, Breaking News All Over Again and the forthcoming A Half-Naked George Washington.

Now retired, Ron spent nearly 40 years with The Wall Street Journal as a reporter, columnist, and political features editor, based out of Washington, DC.

On this week’s program, he makes clear that business owners and entrepreneurs can glean a lot of helpful information about where we’re headed if they only take the time to review where we’ve been. 

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Ron Shafer, Author
Posted: March 4, 2024
Monday Morning Run Time: 48:00
Episode: 12.35

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Can you imagine what it would have been like to have an exclusive four-hour audience with the late Charlie Munger? 

The billionaire businessman, who died in late November at age 99, never got as much press as his close friend and partner Warren Buffett. But many people credited Munger with helping secure Berkshire Hathaway’s decades-long stellar investment performance.

Just weeks before Munger passed, The Wall Street Journal veteran reporter Gregory Zuckerman visited Munger in the investor’s Los Angeles home and came away with some unique and actionable insights. 

This week, award-winning author and Monday Morning Radio founder Dean Rotbart interviews the last journalist to interview Munger. That makes everyone who listens to this week’s episode only three degrees of separation from Munger and four degrees from Buffett.

It’s always nice to know people who know people. And, importantly, to learn what they know.

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son team of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Greg Zuckerman, The Wall Street Journal
Posted: January 8, 2024
Monday Morning Run Time: 37:06
Episode: 12.27

To show your appreciation for Monday Morning Radio and keep it commercial-free, we encourage you to contribute using this link. Donations of all sizes are welcome.

Amy Dockser Marcus, a distinguished author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter with The Wall Street Journal, has dedicated her career to exploring the complex intersections of economics, society, and health within modern medicine. 

In her latest meticulously researched book, We The Scientists, she delves into the remarkable accomplishments of "citizen scientists" — ordinary parents and individuals who united to revolutionize the conventional practices employed by established medical researchers and professionals.

On its face, says host Dean Rotbart, Amy’s book is an inspiring medical chronicle. But the achievements and lessons learned by motivated amateurs offer far-reaching insights and invaluable lessons applicable to diverse industries and fields. 

All crises begin with the blurring of a paradigm and the consequent loosening of the rules for normal research …

— Thomas S. Kuhn
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Photo: Amy Dockser Marcus, We The Scientists: How a Daring Team of Parents and Doctors Forged a New Path for Medicine
Posted: June 5, 2023
Monday Morning Run Time: 45:36
Episode: 11.42

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Over the past decade, if you paid taxes, borrowed money, invested, or bought goods and services, no single elected or appointed government official has had more influence over your wallet than Janet Yellen. 

In fact, no person in American history has served — as Yellen has — in three influential government economic posts: Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, then Chair of the Federal Reserve, and since January 2021, as Secretary of the Treasury.

Jon Hilsenrath, an award-winning senior writer for The Wall Street Journal covering economics and finance, has written the definitive biography of Janet Yellen and her Nobel Prize-winning economist husband, George Akerlof: “Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval.”

The book, due from HarperCollins on November 1st, can be pre-ordered at www.tinyurl.com/MMRYellen.

Monday Morning Radio Host Dean Rotbart characterizes “Yellen” as an engaging read that will appeal to a broad audience, with unique value to younger readers who are just starting out or still early in their careers.

“The book is a love story, it’s an overcoming obstacles tale, it’s a women’s empowerment narrative, and it provides fascinating insights into the way our government and economy operate,” Rotbart says.

This week Hilsenrath raises the curtain on his forthcoming biography and explains why everyone who is a business owner or entrepreneur needs to learn all they can about Janet Yellen.

To view a video of this week’s podcast, visit https://tinyurl.com/YTHilsenrath.

Photo: Jon Hilsenrath, Author
Posted: October 17, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 47 minutes

As the top journalist and now CEO of Fortune Media — publisher of Fortune magazine, Fortune.com, and an increasing array of live Fortune global conferences — Alan Murray is one of the most influential business journalists in the country.

In his capacity as the head of Fortune, Alan has the opportunity to keep company with many of the world's most prominent and influential people, including presidents, heads of state, legendary CEOs, titans of Wall Street, and even the Pope.

Alan is the author of a bold, newly released book, Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business.

In the book, Alan encapsulates the wisdom of his coterie, mixed with a full serving of his own savvy, to create a vision for a new, 21st-century breed of business owners and leaders. Alan dubs them Capitalists 2.0.

Some of Alan’s ideas are surprisingly radical — or, if not radical — certainly a break from the traditions of Corporate America and the deeply-rooted Milton Friedman philosophy that “There is one and only one social responsibility of business–to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits.”

This week, Alan sits for an exclusive interview with host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart to explain how tomorrow’s CEOs can do a better job than their predecessors for their employees, communities, and investors.

[Note: Alan’s journalism career spans more than four decades, including serving as deputy managing editor, executive editor online, Washington bureau chief, and a columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He is the recipient of a Business News Visionary Award, nominated by his peers and recognized for his transformative contributions to the business journalism profession.

The Business News Visionary Awards are made possible by the support of Monday Morning Radio and The Dilenschneider Group. Additional support is provided by TimeinaBottlePhotography.com.]

Next Monday, June 20th, as Monday Morning Radio begins its 11th year of podcasting, host Dean Rotbart will moderate an extra special panel to discuss a provocative new book, the Future of Business Journalism. 

Everyone who owns a business, operates a professional practice, or works for either, understands the importance of the business news media - and their ability to provide actionable insights and intelligence.

Chris Roush - Dean of the Quinnipiac University School of Communications and a veteran business journalist, is the author of The Future of Business Journalism which contends that significant changes must take place in the ways business journalism organizations operate for the betterment of Main Street and Wall Street.

Joining Chris and Dean will be four distinguished business journalists:

Peter Coy, Opinion Economics Writer, The New York Times

Henry Dubroff, Owner and Founder, Pacific Coast Business Times

Matt Murray, Editor in Chief, The Wall Street Journal

Matt Quayle, Senior Executive Producer, CNBC-TV

Photo: Alan Murray, Fortune Media
Posted: June  13, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: One Hour and Two Minutes

Stephen Kreider Yoder and his wife, Karen, had been married for 42 years when last summer — at a combined age of 127 — the two successfully rode a tandem bike 3,819 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

The 12-week adventure taught the couple a multitude of lessons about teamsmanship, resilience, planning (and spontaneity), the hospitality of strangers, the beauty of nature, and the addictive satisfaction of checking items off of their bucket list.

This week Stephen, a journalist who has worked for The Wall Street Journal since 1983, and Karen, a retired professor and K-5 teacher, invite Monday Morning Radio listeners to ride along as they recount the inspiring story of their journey.

Photo: Karen and Stephen Kreider Yoder
Posted: April 18, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 46:55

This week, our host, Dean Rotbart generated a lot of media attention over the past two weeks, including coverage in The Wall Street Journal, FORTUNE, and on NPR, among more than a dozen other news outlets.

Dean, a faculty member at Wizard Academy who coaches business owners and entrepreneurs on how to attract free publicity, took his own “Reputation Tool Chest” advice to produce an avalanche of coverage for his new book, “September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story.”

Of all his guest appearances on radio shows and podcasts, Dean favored his live Facebook and YouTube conversation with Charlotte Kosa, a West Coast journalist who has been broadcasting for more than 18 years. Listen in, as Charlotte and Dean talk about the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the resiliency of the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters for The Wall Street Journal who covered the unfolding drama even though their own newsroom was destroyed that day and their dedication came close to costing some of the journalists their lives.

NOTE: September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story is now available as an eBook on Amazon. Download your copy today for only $29.95.

You can subscribe to Charlotte Kosa’ popular podcast, California Haunts Radio, here.

Photo: Charlotte Kosa, California Haunts Radio
Posted: September 20, 2021
Monday Morning Run Time: 1 Hour 23 Minutes

On September 11, 2001, The Wall Street Journal's main newsroom, located just across the street from the World Trade Center - was obliterated by falling debris and flaming smoke.  

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of that fateful day, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart has written a richly detailed book revealing the never-before-told story of the traumatized men and women of the Journal and how they overcame their personal anguish and confusion to publish a Pulitzer Prize-winning edition on September 12th.

This week on a special edition of Monday Morning Radio, Dean shares an exclusive audio preview of his book, “September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story,” narrated by him and featuring a small cast of voice actors. 

Dean wrote the book because he believes it reflects the indomitable spirit of America and Americans. The way the Journal and its staff responded on 9/11 offers many lessons for any organization, business, or individual who is confronted with an unexpected, large, setback and can either rebound or quit.

The audio chapter is titled, “I Don’t Want My Life to Be Dust.” It’s guaranteed to leave you with a lump in your throat.

Pre-register to purchase a copy of Dean Rotbart’s new book, “September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story,” and receive a signed, first edition at no additional cost when it’s published in August. 

Where were you on 9/11? Contribute your memories of that day. Entries will be included on the September-Twelfth.com book website and may eventually be used in a dedicated book of recollections.

Photo Collage (Clockwise): “September Twelfth” Cover; Author Dean Rotbart; Interior of The Wall Street Journal on 9/11; and September 12, 2001 front page
Posted: June 28, 2021
Monday Morning Run Time: 31:08

Matt Murray, editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, describes Joann S. Lublin as relentless, blunt, persistent, honest, collegial, exhaustive, and exhausting.

Joann, arguably the nation’s top authority on careers and management, is the author of the forthcoming book, Power Moms: How Executive Mothers Navigate Work and Life. For the book, she interviewed 86 executive moms and 25 of their grown daughters to document the rapidly changing landscape facing women in the “C-Suite.”

Power Moms, says host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, is not only for women on the rise or already at the top but also for men who still have lots to learn about making parenthood work for all employees.

Photo: Joann S. Lublin, Power Moms
Posted: December 7, 2020
Monday Morning Run Time: 44:51

The first interview that Kanye West granted after his July 4th announcement that he would run for president was to Randall Lane, editor and chief content officer of Forbes. It was no coincidence that Kayne chose Randall and Forbes.

Randall’s story, posted four days later, quickly attracted more than 3.1 million page views.

These days, Forbes.com is an internet juggernaut, attracting a larger daily U.S. page view count than The New York Times, The Washington Post, or Wikipedia. It is #1 among all business websites when it comes to attracting Gen Z and millennial readers.

In the final installment of his three-part Editors-in-Chief series, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart plumbs Randall’s playbook to discover how Forbes has reinvented itself to serve a 21st-century entrepreneurial audience.

Photo: Randall Lane, Forbes
Posted: November 9, 2020
Monday Morning Run Time: 46:06