NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- "Extra" has expanded its entertainment and celebrity news empire to include a podcast, appropriately titled "Extra: The Podcast."
"We're really excited to launch 'Extra: The Podcast,' it coincides with the 30th anniversary of 'Extra,'" NYC-based weekend co-host and senior correspondent Mona Kosar Abdi tells 1010 WINS of the podcast, which is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted TV in association with Telepictures and Audacy, the latter of which is the corporate parent of 1010 WINS and WCBS 880.
Abdi added, "It goes beyond the 30-minute show that we have during the week. There are so many interviews with television that get condensed down because of time. And there's so much good content that we have and so much archival content that we have and now we get to expand on it. It really gives people a look at these in-depth interviews, they get to hear from their favorite celebrities and they get to hear a little bit more about the behind-the-scenes work that goes on, as well."
"Extra: The Podcast" is hosted by senior correspondent and weekend co-host Melvin Robert. Available on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available, new episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays.
As for standing out in a sea of entertainment and celebrity news podcasts, websites and other sorts of media, Abdi isn't worried.
"'Extra' is a pioneer in the entertainment industry, we've been on the air for 30 years," she said. "So that kind of experience and that kind of insight into the industry is unmatched. That's why I stress we have archival footage."
"So when we talk about certain stories, let's say Hugh Jackman, we can say let's talk about Hugh Jackman and [estranged wife] Deborah-Lee [Furness] when we interviewed them 15 years ago," she said.
Looking ahead at the podcast dropping Oct. 11, Abdi said, "We're going to be showing the full Selena Gomez interview that we recently did at her inaugural Rare Beauty event. We interviewed Francia [Raisa], her best friend who was also her kidney donor. There were headlines about are they feuding? Are they friends? And we get to provide more context: Tell you about Francia, tell you about the relationship and how it transformed throughout the years. And so that is something that we would not be able to do in a one-minute package, but we can do it on the podcast."
Also coming up on this week's podcast (think "Vanderpump Rules"): "We have Ariana Madix, who obviously is part of the whole Scandavol drama ... we caught up with her at the 'Dancing With The Stars' rehearsal, and then I interviewed Gerri Halliwell-Horner [aka Ginger Spice], who has just released a new book, but we also talked Spice Girls, her career, her journey."
"That is such a great interview that I'm really excited for the podcast to be airing the extended version because there's so much context that we provide there," she said.