Scoop: RNC taps Ruthless Podcast for "GameDay"-style debate pregame

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has invited the popular Ruthless Podcast to host a "College GameDay"-style show ahead of the first GOP presidential debate in August.

Why it matters: The plan shows the new media landscape. The RNC will surround-sound its Fox News debate in Wisconsin with other content.

The backstory: The three-year-old podcast — which mixes politics and games, with Comfortably Smug, Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook as ringmasters — is one of the right's most influential outlets, with more than 3 million unique listeners.

• McDaniel said in a statement to Axios: "We're excited to have a special live edition of [Ruthless] in Milwaukee. The fellas have grown a tremendous platform and we look forward to bringing that influence and attention to Rumble and our first primary debate."

Details: Rumble, the conservative video platform, is the RNC's exclusive livestream partner for the debate on Aug. 23.

• Fox's Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will co-moderate the debate, from 9-11pm ET at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.