Chuck Todd, Former Meet the Press Moderator, Starts Podcast Network

Chuck Todd is sleeping in.Kind of.For nearly a decade, Sunday mornings meant waking up at 3:30 and putting on a suit and tie while preparing for his work as moderator of “Meet the Press,” where Mr.

Todd would interview presidents, senators and the occasional movie star on America’s longest-running TV show.No longer.His 5:30 a.m.

alarm these days is his 14-year-old poodle, Ruby, and his work uniform is more understated — jeans and a quarter-zip maroon fleece for a recent trip to the Capitol.But he’s still interviewing senators.After leaving the corporate home of “Meet the Press” in January, Mr.

Todd is embarking on a career as a media entrepreneur.He has a podcast and a YouTube channel, and plans to hire other hosts for a podcast and video network focused on politics and culture.

He also said he was working with an adviser from a major financial firm to build or acquire a company focused on community news.Mr.Todd said he was adjusting to the realities of digital entrepreneurship and full-time podcasting.

Sound bites are out, Mr.Todd says.

Longer interviews are in — because many officials want time to make their points with fuller context.The first episode of the podcast, “The Chuck ToddCast,” released Wednesday, has an interview with Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, and lasts about 45 minutes.“The current system of legacy television just doesn’t allow for that,” Mr.

Todd said.He plans to release three podcasts a week with the help of a full-time producer.Mr.

Todd’s relationship with NBC News, his professional home for 17 years, became bumpy after he criticized the network’s leadership over a decision to hire Ronna McDaniel, the former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, as an on-air analyst.Less than a year later, he was out.

He had a podcast named “The Chuck ToddCast” at the network, and the company let him take the name with him.“I was ready to go,” Mr.

Todd said.We are having trouble ret...