Hit Parade Creators & Guests

Chris Molanphy is a chart analyst and pop critic who writes about the intersection of culture and commerce in popular music. For Slate, he hosts the Hit Parade podcast and writes their “Why Is This Song No. 1?” series. His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Vulture, NPR Music’s The Record, The Village Voice, Billboard, and CMJ. Chris is also a frequent guest on National Public Radio (Soundcheck, All Things Considered, Planet Money, On the Media) and on Slate’s podcasts The Gist and the Culture Gabfest.

Asha Saluja is an audio producer, and currently the Operations Manager for Slate Podcasts.Saluja oversees editorial operations for a network of shows. Previously, she was a radio host at Radio Free Brooklyn, where she is currently still on the Board of Directors.Saluja received her B.A. in Economics from New York University with a specialization in Media, Culture, and Communications.

Benjamin Frisch is an audio and documentary producer and an artist. Currently, he is a Senior Producer at Slate.Frisch's first graphic novel, "The Fun Family," was published in 2016.

Kevin Bendis is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and podcast producer. Currently, he produces podcasts for Slate Media. He also writes, records, and performs with the group Diary.

Olivia is an audio journalist, producer, and editor, currently working as a story editor on the Wondery series Scamfluencers and as a contributing reporter/producer for Slate’s Decoder Ring. Her freelance clients include iHeart Radio, Hello Sunshine, Slate Magazine, Arcana Audio, and Lola Media. Previously, she was a producer for Not Past It, a Spotify original podcast produced by ZSP Media and Gimlet Media, and also worked at Marc Smerling’s truth.media, where she reported and produced the hit series Crooked City in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment. She spent the first five years of her audio career at WNYC, where she was a producer for Fishko Files. Her work has appeared on Planet Money, On the Media, Studio 360, The New Yorker: Fiction, Notes from America, Morning Edition, and All Things Considered, and has been recognized multiple times by RTDNA’s Edward R. Murrow Awards, the New York Press Club, the Newswomen's Club of New York, the National Headliner Awards, and the Ambies.

Carl Wilson is a music reporter and author. Currently, he is Slate's music critic.Prior to coming to Slate, Wilson was an arts and music editor for The Globe and Mail.Wilson's work has appeared in Pitchfork, The New York Times, the Financial Times, NPR, The Atlantic, VICE, The Globe and Mail, SPIN, and Blender magazine. He wrote the music blog Zoilus.com. Wilson's first book, "Let's Talk About Love; A Journey to the End of Taste," was published in 2014.

T.J. Raphael is a reporter, investigative journalist, editor, producer, and on-air host. Currently, she is a podcast host, reporter, and producer for Sony Music Entertainment, where she has hosted "The Pill Plot," "BioHacked: Family Secrets," and "VIRAL."Previously, Raphael was the senior podcast producer for Slate, and before that, she was digital content editor for NPR/WNYC show "The Takeaway."

Ann Powers is a writer and pop music critic.

Charlie Harding is a Music journalist, co-hosts and producer of Switched On Pop, a podcast about how popular music works.

Rich Juzwiak is a writer, primarily about culture. Currently, he is a senior writer at Jezebel.Previously, Juzwiak was a writer at Gawker Media. He has also written for The Daily, TV Guide, and he blogged for VH1.Juzwiak received his B.A. in Journalism from New York University.