The average podcast length shrank by two minutes last year, but a fresh analysis of the millions of episodes available shows titles are getting longer. During the past decade, the average length of a podcast episode title has grown 31%, according to Dan Misener, head of audience development at Pacific Content. For episodes released in 2019, the median title length was 38 characters compared to 29 characters in 2010. Read more
Direct response advertisers who’ve dominated podcasting have had a relatively easy way to know their ads were working just by looking at how many times a special discount code was used. But as podcasters and other digital audio publishers work to attract more blue-chip brand marketers, new attribution tools will be needed. And that’s led Entercom to strike a deal with Claritas to use its data to help show advertisers how their podcast and other digital audio ads translate into sales. Read more
The on-demand version of the La Corneta (“The Bugle”) show on Prisa Radio’s Mexican top 40 radio network “Los 40” remains the biggest podcast in Latin America. But the latest report from Triton Digital on what podcasts are being consumed in Central and South America also shows some U.S. producers are finding an audience south of the border—even in English. Read more
As CEO of Black Rock City, the organization that oversees the annual Burning Man event in the Nevada desert, Marian Goodell says she’s learned a lesson that anyone in marketing should find useful. “We need to allow more big ideas to surface – and we need to help others manifest them, giving people the opportunity to think differently and be themselves,” she said on the latest episode of the iHeartPodcast Network’s “Math & Magic” podcast, hosted by Bob Pittman. Read more
Wondery CEO Hernan Lopez says his company’s revenue “more than doubled” in 2019 thanks to a “significant increase in non-advertising revenue, driven by audio and TV licensing deals”… Spurred on by the success of The Daily, the BBC is reportedly planning to launch a daily news podcast… StreamGuys’ streaming and podcast technology is heading to Australia and New Zealand…And set the date for the 2020 Infinite Dial. Read more
The latest clue to what Apple has planned for its podcast future comes from a promotional interview for the new Apple TV+ series “Little America.” In an interview with the show’s executive producer, Lee Eisenberg, he said the series will have a companion podcast as part of its promotional effort. Read more
The big news operations continue to expand into podcast. The latest is HLN, which is set to release its first show: a true-crime series. Also out with new podcasts: ABC News, NBC News, The Economist and The Nation. Also new this week: a podcast from a Trump impeachment juror, and music podcasts focused on the likes of rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine and The Grateful Dead. Plus, a supermarket is stocking nostalgia in its new show. Here’s some of what’s new this week in podcasting. Read more
It certainly wasn’t the first podcast, but Serial was the first show that many Americans heard about. It’s why it’s credited with helping the medium break into the mainstream. Now the owners of the true-crime podcast are reportedly exploring a sale, and the New York Times is reportedly among those considering making an offer. Read more
The first season of Katie Couric’s podcast Next Question amassed 1.5 million downloads as it dug into topics like the spread of online hate and the dangers of vaping. “The response to Next Question has been phenomenal,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. In the second season, Couric will examine issues like America’s maternal mortality rate, the environmental impact of eating meat, and the 2020 presidential election. Read more
As more podcast apps turn to algorithms to serve up podcast recommendations, Pocket Casts is embracing the human touch. The company today released several new discovery tools, including a revamped Discover tab. And starting in early February that tab will include a list of recommendation shows entirely human-curated. Read more
It’s not just in major markets where podcasts are finding their way onto the radio dial. It’s also happening in small and mid-sized cities. The latest example comes from Boise, ID – market No. 91– where two podcasts are getting added to the broadcast schedule, including one produced by the Idaho Press newspaper and another created by a Sundance Film Festival-winning filmmaker. Read more
The comedy network HeadGum, created by podcasters Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld five years ago, is expanding its reach into the medium with the launch of HeadGum Studios, a full-service podcast development and production division that will work with comic talent looking to launch a podcast. HeadGum Studios launches with a slate of seven new HeadGum Original shows. Read more
Spotify may’ve hit pause on its flurry of company buyouts, but it’s still adding to its podcast portfolio. The streaming music service has struck a distribution deal with television producer Asylum Entertainment Group, which formed an audio division known as Audity last fall with podcasting in its sights. Meanwhile, AEG has recruited The Nerdist Podcast Network’s Frank Hajdu as Executive VP. Read more
CNN, which has made some overtures to broadcast radio over the years, plans to release as many as a dozen new podcasts in 2020. The network recently formed the CNN Audio group and has reportedly hired several dozen staffers to work on audio projects, including podcasts. CNN has already quietly grown its podcast listeners, with 21 million downloads logged last year. Read more
The advertising sales firm Crossover Media Group is expanding the amount of podcast content it is taking to Madison Avenue as it strikes a deal to produce, distribute and sell podcast and video programming for the conservative news website Just The News. The project will be led by a twice-weekly podcast hosted by Just The News creator John Solomon. Read more
For anyone who thinks most sports talk hosts take their subject matter way too seriously, there’s a new iHeartPodcast Network show built for them. The show is called The Greatest and it pairs comedians Megan Gailey and C.J. Toledano who, when they’re not recording a podcast or writing comedy, are living life as real-world newlyweds. Read more
Apple’s plans for podcasting have been among the hot topics in recent months among many in the podcast industry. A handful of hires fueled speculation that the company’s Swiss-like standing as merely a distributor of shows could be ending with a push into creating its own content. Now there’s some hints about what it may have planned. Read more
Podchaser, the podcast database geared toward helping listeners discover new shows, is partnering with Triton Digital’s Omny Studio podcast publishing platform. The alliance will mean that for any podcaster using Omny Studio they’ll be able to easily tag show hosts, guests, producers, and editors involved in the podcast. That could help Podchaser users discover new shows based on those guests and creators. Read more
After Kim “The Kimmer” Peterson lost his radio gig last year, he launched a podcast to stay in front of his Atlanta audience. The podcast has added hundreds of subscribers since it launched last month, but fans will now be able to find Kimmer on the radio once again. He’ll be hosting afternoons on a soon-to-launch talk station. Read more
“The Dropout” took home the coveted Podcast of the Year trophy at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards Friday night in Los Angeles, amid a glitzy affair that brought the biggest names in podcasting together. The ABC News podcast, which tells the story of Silicon Valley executive Elizabeth Holmes and her technology company Theranos, scored the big win of the night with the winner selected by listener votes on social media. Read more
Revenue nearly doubled last year at Audioboom, which exceeded expectations for the first time since the company launched six years ago. The rapid growth came despite the fact it was compared against a 13-month prior period. “2019 was an incredible year for Audioboom with strong growth across all areas of the business,” said Stuart Last, who ascended to CEO last month. Read more
Spotify is said to be angling to build a sports podcast lineup, but how badly it wants to expand in that realm may soon be revealed since one of its reported targets would push Spotify past what it has told investors it was going to spend to build its podcast business. That’s because the company is reportedly considering making a bid to buy The Ringer. Read more
Entercom is bulking up the podcast linkup on its Radio.com Sports Digital Network by bringing one of its star morning show host’s podcast into the fold. Boomer Esiason, who hosts mornings on sports “The Fan” WFAN-FM & AM New York (101.9, 660), is expanding his syndicated TV show Game Time into the podcast format on Radio.com. Read more
If the podcast team at The Athletic wants to create a new show, they’re unlikely to be told there’s no money to do it. That’s because the sports brand has just raised $50 million in new capital, according to Axios, which says it valued the company at $500 million. It is the seventh time The Athletic has raised cash, bringing its total fundraising effort to $139.5 million. Read more
Google Podcasts is adding another feature to its player. The latest update allows a user of the app to add a time stamp to an episode they are sharing from the app… Breaker, the podcast listening app that leverages social media interactions, has released an updated version of its iOS app…A new contract means…Fox News Channel’s Shannon Bream will continue to host the podcast Livin’ The Bream…Evergreen Podcasts continues to add to its lineup of business-focused podcasts. Read more
Glitz is in store for Los Angeles as the biggest podcast awards ceremony of the year will be held tonight as the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will be handed out. The awards, now in their second year, honor the best shows produced during the past year with the toughest competition in the Best Podcast of The Year category. It pitted ten of podcast’s best-known shows with the winner selected by listener votes on social media. Read more
Another month brings more changes to the Podtrac ranker of the most listened-to shows. The company says with a growing number of podcasts that publish multiple times a day it has decided to now include those shows in its ranker. Those shows had previously been excluded. Read more
Hedge fund titan Paul Tudor Jones has more than made a name for himself on Wall Street. The 65-year-old Memphis, TN native has a $5.1 billion net worth, making him one of the richest people in the world. But Jones isn’t just good at making money — he knows a thing or two about giving it away as well as he explains in the latest episode of Math & Magic, the marketing-focused podcast hosted by iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman Read more
Listeners will hear the softer side of Michael Bennett, the NFL defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys and best-selling author, on the podcast he is co-hosting with his wife Pele. The show is called Mouthpeace and it will explore personal and provocative topics ranging from love, sex and parenting, to the NFL and politics. It’s the fourth weekly podcast to be released by Lemonada Media. Read more
Television screens have become a great way for podcasters to extend the reach of their stories and Limetown is among the shows that have benefited. But the show is also illustrating a reality in the TV business: not all shows survive, often times for reasons having nothing to do with what’s put on screen. That’s apparently the case for Limetown as Facebook Watch has canceled all the scripted shows on its platform. Read more
Two former “Glee” stars are reworking their podcast to focus on: Glee. Also, the Los Angeles Times’ latest podcast explores the story of Bill Cosby’s downfall. Parcast throws back the curtain on Secret Societies. Rocker David Crosby is looking back at his career in a new show. And The Onion launches its podcast that spoofs podcasts. Here’s some of what’s new in podcasting this week. Read more
Pocket Casts’ decision to move from a paid podcast listening app to a freemium model is showing early signs of paying off. “We have seen well over 20% growth in our number of users just in the past two months, which is spectacular for us,” said CEO Owen Grover. Pocket Casts, which is owned by four public media companies, doesn’t release specific user numbers, but Grover said the increases have been “substantial.” Read more
The Murder Squad podcast is being credited with helping investors crack a 40-year old murder case. The story is not only helping illustrate the reach of podcasts into the mainstream, but the passion that listeners have for the shows they’re consuming. “The Murder Squad just got our first cold case murder arrest,” the podcast announced this week. It came after a listener took the action urged by the show’s hosts. Read more
Cumulus Media “99.7 SuperTalk” WWTN Nashville afternoon host Phil Valentine already hosts a history-based podcast, PodGOATs with his Millennial son, Campbell. Now he’s producing a second podcast, one that’s a bit closer to his talk radio roots. “Trust me, podcasting is where everything is going,” Valentine said. Read more
While Veritone first got on radio’s radar by using its artificial intelligence (AI) technology to verify that on-air spots ran as scheduled, the company has made a bigger mark by offering advertising attribution products to broadcasters and now podcasters. Speaking this week at an investor conference, CFO Pete Collins said the company is also increasingly using data to help podcasters find potential advertisers. Read more
ESPN’s move to create a daily sports-focused podcast, not unlike the daily news podcasts that have become mainstays during the past year, is paying off. Since it launched ESPN Daily three months ago, the network says downloads of the show have nearly tripled. Since the Oct. 21 debut ESPN Daily has been downloaded five million times, and the company says in December the show had 544,000 unique listeners, a third more than in November. Read more
TuneIn has launched a new sonic logo as the streaming platform announces 56% year-over-year growth in global listening consumption on connected devices. The sonic logo, which was developed in partnership with Listen, will let listeners know “they are on TuneIn when there is no screen for a visual cue,” CEO Juliette Morris says. Read more
From the daily grind to playing on the field, the only way is through. That’s the new brand message from sports apparel brand Under Armour which will not only rely on slick ads with athletes like Steph Curry and Tom Brady to reach consumers. It’s also embracing a podcast to tell its message. Under Armour, in partnership with iHeartRadio, is launching The Only Way Is Through podcast. Read more
Audioboom created a special $4 million fund last year to help it offer minimum advertising revenue guarantees when striking deals for new high-profile podcasts or some of its best performing shows. That’s just come into play with a $1.75 million guarantee to one of its most popular entertainment podcasts. Which one? That’s a question the company isn’t answering. Read more
Disgraceland creator and host Jake Brennan is growing his alliance with the iHeartPodcast Network. He has teamed with iHeart on the release and promotion of a new podcast called Dear Young Rocker. The first podcast from Brennan’s newly created Double Elvis Productions is a first-person, coming of age story about the struggles of young adulthood and the power of music. Read more
The intimate nature of podcasting means most listening is done solo. That means unlike a hot television show, there’s not much watercooler conversation about podcasts. But that doesn’t mean people aren’t talking about their favorite shows. They’re just doing it differently. Often times that means on Facebook. Read more
The booming podcast marketplace has already attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in investments and as the medium continues to grow, money continues to follow. Several venture capitalists have told Business Insider they’re still bullish on podcasting as a good place to invest their dollars. Read more
How do your downloads stack up? Libsyn has released some statistics for how shows hosted on its platform performed, offering podcasters everywhere a stick by which to measure their own download numbers. Read more
The iHeartRadio Podcast Awards are this Friday (Jan. 17) in Los Angeles and we’re getting some more details about some of the celebrities that will be on hand at the iHeartRadio Theater for the second annual celebration of all things podcasting. The awards showcasing spoken word entertainment will also have some music as iHeart has just announced that singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw is scheduled to perform. Read more
Some broadcasters may not be sure that podcasting is where their energies should be focused, but they may be missing the boat. Westwood One President Suzanne Grimes says podcasting is helping introduce fresh ideas, revenue and listeners to her radio network’s core business. And in the “platform wars,” podcasting is giving radio a new hand to play to attract young talent, young listeners, and the marketers aiming to connect with them. Read more
Just one in ten podcast listeners are African American according to Edison Research but the number is growing. Now, American Urban Radio Networks aims to be a provider of ad dollars to fuel shows targeting that audience. AURN has formed a partnership with Pod Digital Media to handle sales duties for the podcast publisher’s more than 50 African American-targeted podcasts. Read more
Dr. Brené Brown has one of the five most viewed TED Talks in the world, has written five bestsellers, and recently premiered her first Netflix special. But the craving to return to podcasting, a medium the researcher first embraced years ago, proved strong. And now Brown is launching a weekly podcast. Unlocking Us is set to launch in March 2020. Read more
The intersection of bourbon and music is where The Fred Minnick Show will live. The ascot-wearing bestselling author and editor-in-chief of Bourbon+ Magazine preaches the gospel of American-made whiskey and he is teaming up with KMG Utopia Studios, a division of Krantz Media Group, to launch a new podcast to help in that effort. The show will feature musicians talking bourbon, music, and a wide range of topics. Read more
If broadcasters like the idea of having one of the streaming audio companies off the political advertising playing field, they have some company. Two-thirds of Americans say they support Spotify’s decision to stop accepting political ad buys. In a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults by Civic Science, only 8% said they disagreed with Spotify’s decision. Read more
Analysts at eMarketer see no slowdown in the growth of podcast listeners during the next four years. The latest eMarketer report forecasts 78.9 million Americans will listen to a podcast in 2020. That’s 2.5 million more than consumed on-demand programming last year. Podcast listeners will also make up a larger share of digital audio listeners. Read more
The sports and lifestyle brand Barstool Sports has grown into a big podcast creator during the past several years. Now the company, which is on track to hit $100 million in revenue this year, could get a new owner. The Chernin Group is reportedly closing in on a deal to sell Barstool Sports to Penn National Gaming, a gambling operator that owns casinos in 19 states. Read more
The comedy podcast The Pete and Sebastian Show has made the leap to the iHeartPodcast Network. The show is hosted by longtime friends and comedians Pete Correale and Sebastian Maniscalco. The first new episodes will debut Feb. 9, although the shows are now being produced at the iHeartMedia studios in Los Angeles. Read more
A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that said CBS didn’t need to pay $1.3 million for allegedly violating a patent tied to podcasts. The decision came just weeks after the judges heard oral arguments. Read more
Casper Sleep has been one of podcasting’s biggest advertisers during the last several years as the online mattress company leveraged scores of live-read ads to promote its brand. Now as the company prepares to go public, filings reveal just how much Casper has been putting toward marketing. The company says between Jan. 1, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2019 it spent $422 million on marketing. Read more
Television owner Tegna continues to build its audio portfolio and it’s using podcasts to do it. Tegna’s Vault Studios is launching The Officer’s Wife. It’s a six-episode true-crime series that is being co-produced with WXIA-TV Atlanta that tells the story of an officer’s wife, who was shot in a small town in Georgia. Read more
Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of Premiere Networks’ syndicated “The Breakfast Club” radio show, is among the most successful radio personalities in the podcasting world. “The Breakfast Club” is the only on-demand radio show to crack Podtrac’s ranker of most listened-to podcasts. Why’s podcasting catching fire? “It’s the same reason people love radio,” Charlamagne said on the latest Math & Magic episode. But during the candid conversation, Charlamagne said podcasts are also fixing one of AM/FM’s shortcomings. Read more
The battle over a podcasting patent, thought by many to be over, isn’t quite as dead as it seemed. The patent holding company Personal Audio went to U.S. District Court in Washington in December, asking a three-judge panel in the Federal Circuit to breathe new life into its case to collect more than a million dollars from CBS for infringing on its now-cancelled patent. Read more
Amid all the gizmos and gadgets at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show was talk about how podcasting content fits into the new technology in consumers’ hands. “They are recognizing the major role podcasting plays, and the even greater role it will play in 2020,” said PodcastOne founder Norm Pattiz. Here’s some of what made news from Las Vegas. Read more
“For me, beauty has never been about perfection,” says Bobbi Brown. “It’s just about aiming to be the best version of yourself.” The beauty industry icon and founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics will take that message to listeners in Beyond the Beauty, a new iHeartRadio Original Podcast. Read more
Management changes at ESPN Audio are putting a new leader in charge of the business side of the company’s podcast efforts. Scott McCarthy, who has been managing “710 ESPN” KSPN Los Angeles, has been promoted to a new role to lead ESPN Audio’s podcasting business development and distribution. Read more
Radio and TV will go head-to-head in Alabama Broadcasters Association’s first podcast award competition… Google has released an interim update to Google Podcasts ahead of a bigger redesign…PodcastOne says three more of its shows have crossed the 100-episode threshold…And who’s the best love podcast? A matchmaker weighs in. Read more
Procter & Gamble has made headlines in recent years as it returned dollars to broadcast radio and expanded its use of audio to include podcasts and streaming. P&G is now taking its embrace of podcasting to the next level as it has become a founding partner in a new podcast effort geared toward amplifying women’s voices around the world. Read more
The advertising data company Media Radar has released its list of the biggest business-to-business podcast advertisers of 2019. The ranker is led by job search sites ZipRecruiter and Indeed. Media Radar notes the top spenders used a wide range of formats to plug their products, from the “more formal” pre-recorded ads to the “more casual” host-read spots. Read more
The latest survey from The Smart Audio Report, conducted by NPR and Edison Research after the December 2019 holidays, shows continued growth in the smart speaker market with 60 million people in the U.S. owning at least one smart speaker device. For context, that equals an impressive 24% of the population. Read more
The subscription podcast platform Luminary is ringing in 2020 with four new exclusive podcasts from some big names. Luminary also announced 11 podcasts will have new seasons debuting on its platform, including On Second Thought with Trevor Noah and The C-Word with Lena Dunham and Alissa Bennett. It also said a dozen other shows currently running on Luminary will continue into the new year. Read more
Scott Van Pelt, anchor on ESPN’s late-night “SportsCenter” television program, is adding a second podcast to his duties. The former ESPN Radio host’s new weekly podcast is called SVPod. “My love of radio was well-documented, and this is as close as I am likely to find for the time being,” said Van Pelt. Read more
The pages of Texas Monthly are filled with, as one might expect, stories about Texas life and culture. But the magazine is turning to a podcast to tell the story of the greatest oil boom in history. It has partnered with Imperative Entertainment to create the series Boomtown that takes listeners to the West Texas region that has become the most productive oil field in the country. Read more
With the connected car offering myriad new ways to enrich the audio experience, iHeartMedia used the massive CES Show to unfurl a slew of automotive integrations with tier one companies including General Motors, Android Automotive, SoundHound, Panasonic and others. The common theme: making it easier and more engaging to access audio content from iHeartRadio’s expansive menu of live radio, artist-seeded stations, podcasts and playlists. Read more
More podcast content is coming to the Hound app and Houndify voice-enabled AI platform. SoundHound has announced it will make iHeartRadio content available to users in the coming months. Users will be able to access podcasts in any market globally, except the U.K., without log-in or authentication required. Users in the U.S. will also be able to access live radio station simulcasts and artist-focused stations. Read more
In the first defection from the subscription podcast app Luminary, David Axelrod is returning to his previous home with CNN Audio later this month just as the 2020 political season heats up. Axelrod is former senior advisor to President Barack Obama and has become a frequent face on CNN, where he serves as a Senior Political Analyst. In a statement, Axelrod didn’t offer any explanation for the decision, but did note his shows will once again be available without the need to pay for a subscription. Read more
More than seven years after the “MJ Morning Show” left the airwaves at CHR WFLZ Tampa (93.3), host Todd “MJ” Schnitt is back on the city’s FM dial. But it’s not an air shift he’s hosting, but rather a podcast and Schnitt has returned to iHeartMedia-owned hot AC “Mix 100.7” WMTX and country “US 103.5” WFUS to promote the podcast he launched last October.
Cabana, the podcast ad sales unit of AdLarge Media, says it has added two more podcasts to its portfolio. The true crime show Voices For Justice and the lifestyle show One Extraordinary Marriage will rely on Cabana to take their podcasts to national marketers. “Our advertisers are eager for podcasts that tap into the interests and emotions of listeners,” said Frank DeSantis, Cabana’s SVP of Business Development. Read more
New show launches and holiday-themed specials helped the podcast industry overcome traditional disruptions in day-to-day habits as December brought an increase in listeners for the top publishers, according to Podtrac. That growth also significantly narrowed the race for No. 1 as iHeartRadio closed the gap with NPR. Read more
As more big brands are expected to follow Procter & Gamble’s lead and return to broadcast radio, podcasters too are likely to benefit from growing advertiser interest in the coming year, according to Pierre Bouvard. “2020 will be another big year for podcasting,” predicts the Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Media and Westwood One. Read more
Audience intelligence platform Veritonic has integrated cross-channel marketing attribution technologies LeadsRx and Podsights into its audio analytics suite to offer “full-flight” performance analysis of podcast, radio and TV ad campaigns. The companies say the integration allows marketers to connect pre-market creative analysis with in-market results via the Veritonic platform. Read more
PodCo Media Networks, the business-focused podcasting network created five months ago by the marketing consulting firm Reed-Edwards Global, has struck its biggest content alliance so far. PodCo has inked a strategic partnership with Pro Players Business Network, the largest community of former NFL players focused on business and networking. Read more
Dan Brandy has been named Director of Podcast Operations and Program Audio for Take On the Day, the production company co-owned by radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Geoff Rich. The company produces the show that airs on SiriusXM Radio and also produces several podcasts, including an on-demand version of Schlessinger’s program and the popular Call of the Day podcast. Read more
John Goforth is a speaker, writer, and expert in the podcast field. He is also co-host of the Hysteria 51 podcast on the iHeartPodcast Network. Now he’ll have a corporate job as well. Goforth has been named Head of Sales and Business Development at Magellan AI. In the role Goforth will be responsible for every aspect of new business at the podcast analytics company. Read more
There’s little doubt 2020 will bring growth in podcast revenue. The big question is whether it will be the year the industry tops the $1 billion mark or will that threshold wait until 2021 to be crossed. Regardless, there’s little doubt that podcasts have entered the mainstream and the big challenge may be delivering the data marketers crave rather than capturing their attention. Read more
Procter & Gamble went from a virtual no-show to one of audio’s biggest advertisers in a short period of time. “We constructively disrupted ourselves,” Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard said on the latest episode of Math& Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing podcast. He said the marketing reinvention process opened a door to “different types of audio opportunities.” Read more
In the latest signal that advertisers want to buy podcast ads, one of the biggest advertising exchanges has taken steps to make sure its users can access on-demand audio ads. Rubicon Project’s digital exchange will now feature inventory from Triton Digital’s marketplace. The move will put digital audio into Rubicon Project alongside other media. Read more
The Catholic TV Network is ringing in the new year with a new focus on audio – not video programming. The Watertown, MA-based network has launching Grexly, a standalone podcast division that will create and distribute podcasts on a variety of topics including not only the Catholic faith but also subjects like mental health and pop culture. Read more
Chuck Bonniwell and Julie Hayden, a husband and wife on-air team, are turning to podcasting after Salem Media Group fired the pair from Denver’s news/talk KNUS (710) after Boniwell said “a nice school shooting” would provide a break from the media coverage of President Trump’s impeachment proceeding. Read more
Megaphone has hired veteran digital sales executive David Cohn as VP/Head of Sales for the podcast publisher and advertising company. Cohn most recently had been Senior Director of National Sales with WarnerMedia. He succeeds Ken Lagana who exited Megaphone last August to become Executive VP of Digital Sales for Entercom, Cadence13 and Pineapple Street. Read more
It’s official: 2019 brought the largest number of show launches in podcast history. That’s according to the podcast search engine Listen Notes, which reports there were 246,782 podcast debuts last year, a 40% increase compared to 2018. In addition to higher birth rates for podcasts, the death rate also decreased once again last year. Read more
Pharmaceutical companies are among the biggest marketers in America. But with products that often have unusual names and benefits that take more than thirty seconds to explain – not to mention the required government warning disclosures – traditional advertising has been a challenge. That’s opening some up to the prospect of using podcasts to reach consumers. Read more
After spending a decade working on television shows like “The Dr. Oz Show” and “The Tyra Banks Show,” Ali Perry made the leap to audio six months ago when she joined iHeartMedia as Executive Producer of the platform’s lifestyle, beauty and fashion podcasts. How does that translate to audio? And how do podcast compare to TV? Perry sat down for some Questions and Answers. Read more
Ad fraud has been one of the arrows shot at digital display and video advertising, while for the most part streaming audio and podcast ads haven’t had the same headaches. In a move to inoculate itself from any problems in the year ahead, Pandora and its programmatic audio advertising division AdsWizz have just completed a certification program designed to fight ad fraud. Read more
From eBay losing ground to Amazon and Blockbuster’s demise, the business podcast Rocketship.fm is preparing to lift-off on season eight. The Podglomerate-produced show will begin its next 13-week season Jan. 16 with a twist on the typical business show. Rather than focus on success stories, Rocketship.fm will examine brand mistakes and product failures in its new season. Read more
What are known as true wireless stereo devices or TWS, along with wireless earphones and wireless headphones, had their strongest year yet, according to new data from Canalys. “Traditional audio players must not underestimate the importance of the TWS category,” Senior Analyst Jason Low said. Read more
The start of the new year brought a change in privacy laws in California, and like consumer safety laws of the past the change in statute in the biggest state in American is likely to impact how podcasters do business nationwide. The California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, requires companies tell users of their plans to monetize their data. It also mandates that consumers be given a way to opt-out of having their data used. Read more
Cumulus Media has already found success by putting The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro on the radio. Now it’s trying a similar strategy with two more podcasts from its sister Westwood One Podcast Network. “Talk Radio 790” KABC Los Angeles is slotting podcasts hosted by Dan Bongino and Andrew Klavan into its daily line-up starting Thursday, Jan. 2. Read more
ABC News is launching an eight-episode podcast and companion two-hour television documentary focused on the story of Jeffery Epstein. The TV show, “Truth and Lies: Jeffrey Epstein” will air January 9 with the first episode of the podcast publishing that same day with subsequent episodes released each Thursday. Read more
Smart speaker listening to podcasts has been small so far, but the holiday season may have helped change that. Sales of smart speakers and wearables ruled the season with the apps for Amazon’s Echo line of products and Google’s Nest family touting record download numbers on Christmas Day. Read more
Podcasts becoming television shows isn’t new. But in a twist, the Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast is being tapped for content as comedian and host Duncan Trussell teams up with producer Pendleton Ward to create an animated series on Netflix. The pair’s new show is called “The Midnight Gospel” and the adult-targeted animation will leverage portions of the Family Hour podcast episodes. Read more
It’s just a few weeks until the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will honor the top podcasts in the U.S. on Jan. 17 while the new year comes with word from London that U.K. radio operator Global will add podcasts to its annual Global Awards for the first time. Read more
A trio of the award winners at the upcoming iHeartRadio PodcastAwards won’t have to wait until next month’s ceremonies to find out they’re taking home a trophy. The winners of the three Icon Awards have been announced. They include NPR’s “Life Kit,” the New York Times-produced “1619,” and powerhouse producers Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright. The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will be held Friday, Jan. 17. Read more
The podcast became the broadcast format as iHeartMedia launched stations in the Albuquerque, NM and Allentown-Bethlehem, PA markets earlier this year that aired nothing but podcasts. Both were on second-tier AM stations. Now iHeart is giving the all-podcast format its biggest test to date, slotting it on an FM in the Erie, PA market. Soft AC “95.9 Lite FM” WLTM had been airing an all-Christmas music format in recent weeks Read more
Political advertising has come to an end on Spotify, at least for the time being. The company said Friday its decision was based not on a desire to keep the platform politics-free, but is instead an acknowledgement of the challenges of accepting campaign ads in 2020. Podcasts produced by outside producers may, however, still feature political spots. Read more
The podcast creation platform Auxbus has raised seed financing, staffed up and won accolades from users. But founder and CEO Dan Radlin said what the company formerly known as Podcraft hasn’t done since launching last year is build a big enough customer base to support its current business model. In a year-end blog post, Radlin announced he has begun to market Auxbus for sale. Read more
