2011 was the last normal year. That's not nostalgia. That's what historians who study decades for a living actually call it. Go find concert footage from that year. Everyone is holding up a drink or a lighter. Nobody has a phone out. It looks like a different planet.

By 2012 the majority of the world's population was addicted to smartphones and scrolling. Spotify launched in 2011 and finished off physical media for good. Charlie Sheen had a public meltdown, got fired, said I am on a drug called Charlie Sheen and took the whole thing on tour. Ed Conroy went. He still isn't sure it was real. Divorce rates went down when smartphones arrived, which nobody predicted and nobody has fully explained. Younger people are now hooking up CD players and saying it sounds different. It does. It has soul.

Fifteen years ago people were just figuring out how to turn an iPhone on. Now they're touching glass in the dark at 3 in the morning. That happened fast. Nobody voted on it.

Topics: 2011 last normal year, smartphone addiction, Spotify, Charlie Sheen meltdown, physical media

GUEST: Ed Conroy | http://retrontario.com | @‌retrontario

Originally aired on 2026-04-09

2011 was the last normal year. That's not nostalgia. That's what historians who study decades for a living actually call it. Go find concert footage from that year. Everyone is holding up a drink or a lighter. Nobody has a phone out. It looks like a different planet.
By 2012 the majority of the world's population was addicted to smartphones and scrolling. Spotify launched in 2011 and finished off physical media for good. Charlie Sheen had a public meltdown, got fired, said I am on a drug called Charlie Sheen and took the whole thing on tour. Ed Conroy went. He still isn't sure it was real. Divorce rates went down when smartphones arrived, which nobody predicted and nobody has fully explained. Younger people are now hooking up CD players and saying it sounds different. It does. It has soul.
Fifteen years ago people were just figuring out how to turn an iPhone on. Now they're touching glass in the dark at 3 in the morning. That happened fast. Nobody voted on it.
Topics: 2011 last normal year, smartphone addiction, Spotify, Charlie Sheen meltdown, physical media
GUEST: Ed Conroy |<a href="http://retrontario.com"> http://retrontario.com</a> | @&zwnj;retrontario
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-09

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

The Last Year Nobody Had Their Phone Out at a Concert

Artemis crew splashdown is at 8:07 Eastern tomorrow and before they come home there is one thing worth sitting with. The Earthrise photograph from Apollo 8 in 1968 is probably one of the most important images ever taken. The astronaut who took it was Bill Anders. He died in 2024. Most people still couldn't tell you his name.

That gap is the whole point. Right now Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen have spent nine days taking photographs that may rival Earthrise. They fixed a broken toilet. Nutella floated through the capsule. Mark Carney called and talked to Jeremy Hansen about maple syrup. These are not abstract heroes. They are specific people doing something that has not been done since 1972, going around the moon and coming home. Bill Anders would have recognized exactly what they were doing.

Say their names. Reed Wiseman. Victor Glover. Christina Koch. Jeremy Hansen. Splashdown tomorrow at 8:07 Eastern.

Topics: Artemis crew splashdown, Bill Anders Earthrise, Jeremy Hansen Canadian astronaut, Apollo 8, Reed Wiseman Victor Glover Christina Koch

Originally aired on 2026-04-09

Artemis crew splashdown is at 8:07 Eastern tomorrow and before they come home there is one thing worth sitting with. The Earthrise photograph from Apollo 8 in 1968 is probably one of the most important images ever taken. The astronaut who took it was Bill Anders. He died in 2024. Most people still couldn't tell you his name.
That gap is the whole point. Right now Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen have spent nine days taking photographs that may rival Earthrise. They fixed a broken toilet. Nutella floated through the capsule. Mark Carney called and talked to Jeremy Hansen about maple syrup. These are not abstract heroes. They are specific people doing something that has not been done since 1972, going around the moon and coming home. Bill Anders would have recognized exactly what they were doing.
Say their names. Reed Wiseman. Victor Glover. Christina Koch. Jeremy Hansen. Splashdown tomorrow at 8:07 Eastern.
Topics: Artemis crew splashdown, Bill Anders Earthrise, Jeremy Hansen Canadian astronaut, Apollo 8, Reed Wiseman Victor Glover Christina Koch
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-09

We Know the Photo. We Never Knew His Name. Not This Time

Athlete social media pressure has changed what it means to be a professional. It used to stop at the rink doors. Now there are dedicated accounts tracking every NHL player's follows and likes in real time, and Nazem Kadri's liked posts are being reported on. The game never ends.

Brenley Shapiro has worked with athletes long enough to know the difference between pressure that sharpens performance and pressure that corrodes it. Criticism of a slump is one thing. Being told to spend less time following people on Instagram is something else. That second kind hits identity and belonging and approval, pressure points that have nothing to do with how you hold a stick. Athletes are not superhuman. They are people managing relationships and trust and family while a global audience watches every move and never turns off. What gets distorted or taken out of context does not disappear. It stays and it gets in their heads.

What they actually want when they meet someone in public has not changed: just genuine human connection. That is still the thing that lands.

Topics: athlete social media pressure, sports psychology, NHL social media tracking, celebrity parasocial relationship, performance identity

GUEST: Brenley Shapiro | http://brenleyshapiro.com | @‌brenleyshapiro

Originally aired on 2026-04-09

Athlete social media pressure has changed what it means to be a professional. It used to stop at the rink doors. Now there are dedicated accounts tracking every NHL player's follows and likes in real time, and Nazem Kadri's liked posts are being reported on. The game never ends.
Brenley Shapiro has worked with athletes long enough to know the difference between pressure that sharpens performance and pressure that corrodes it. Criticism of a slump is one thing. Being told to spend less time following people on Instagram is something else. That second kind hits identity and belonging and approval, pressure points that have nothing to do with how you hold a stick. Athletes are not superhuman. They are people managing relationships and trust and family while a global audience watches every move and never turns off. What gets distorted or taken out of context does not disappear. It stays and it gets in their heads.
What they actually want when they meet someone in public has not changed: just genuine human connection. That is still the thing that lands.
Topics: athlete social media pressure, sports psychology, NHL social media tracking, celebrity parasocial relationship, performance identity
GUEST: Brenley Shapiro |<a href="http://brenleyshapiro.com"> http://brenleyshapiro.com</a> | @&zwnj;brenleyshapiro
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-09

Athletes Can't Leave the Arena Anymore. It Follows Them Home

Movies getting longer is not a feeling. A researcher named Steven Follows checked the runtimes of 36,000 theatrically released films from 1980 to 2025. Average wide release length went from 106 minutes in the 1990s to 114 minutes today. Films with budgets over a hundred million dollars run even longer. Then add 20 to 30 minutes of pre-show ads and trailers that didn't used to exist.

In the 1980s, 14 percent of wide releases ran more than two hours. In the 2020s that number is 32 percent. Studios want these films to feel like events. Denis Villeneuve says younger viewers are craving it, that Gen Z grew up binging three and four hour stretches of television and that's what epic storytelling feels like to them now. Box office returns back him up. The Brutalist ran over three hours and won awards. Project A-Team ran 156 minutes and people loved it. Oppenheimer was 180 minutes.

The new Keanu Reeves film is 83 minutes long. Richard Crouse was excited about that. Shorter almost feels ambitious now.

Topics: movies getting longer, movie runtime, Steven Follows study, Gen Z cinema, streaming storytelling

GUEST: Richard Crouse | http://richardcrouse.ca

Originally aired on 2026-04-09

Movies getting longer is not a feeling. A researcher named Steven Follows checked the runtimes of 36,000 theatrically released films from 1980 to 2025. Average wide release length went from 106 minutes in the 1990s to 114 minutes today. Films with budgets over a hundred million dollars run even longer. Then add 20 to 30 minutes of pre-show ads and trailers that didn't used to exist.
In the 1980s, 14 percent of wide releases ran more than two hours. In the 2020s that number is 32 percent. Studios want these films to feel like events. Denis Villeneuve says younger viewers are craving it, that Gen Z grew up binging three and four hour stretches of television and that's what epic storytelling feels like to them now. Box office returns back him up. The Brutalist ran over three hours and won awards. Project A-Team ran 156 minutes and people loved it. Oppenheimer was 180 minutes.
The new Keanu Reeves film is 83 minutes long. Richard Crouse was excited about that. Shorter almost feels ambitious now.
Topics: movies getting longer, movie runtime, Steven Follows study, Gen Z cinema, streaming storytelling
GUEST: Richard Crouse |<a href="http://richardcrouse.ca"> http://richardcrouse.ca</a>
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-09

The Last Year Nobody Had Their Phone Out at a Concert

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