BBC plans 'public service algorithm' for personalisation

• James Purnell, the BBC’s Director of Radio and Education, has announced that BBC Sounds, the broadcaster’s radio and podcast app, will be personalised later this year with “a new public service algorithm … This is not an algorithm that just gives you more of the same, but an algorithm built to surprise you, to direct your attention to new information, to different points of view, to pop your bubble.”

• Jesse Baker and Eric Nuzum have launched Magnificent Noise, “a boutique production house and consulting company, built on an intimate scale”. They say they are already at work on projects with longtime collaborators TED and Esther Perel, and developing projects with The New York Times.

• Blubrry has announced it is offering measurement for partial downloads, which “breaks out those downloads that did not get to the finish line but did qualify as a countable download”. Premium data, this is being offered free for Blubrry’s hosting customers until July 1.

• Radiodays Asia has announced a new set of speakers, including Mitch Secrett, Head of Business Development from Omny Studio, an enterprise podcast host; Cath Dwyer, Acting Head of Distribution at the ABC in Australia including the ABC Listen app; and Kou Aizhe, founder and producer of Gushi FM, a Chinese podcast about ordinary peoples’ lives. The event is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in August.

• If you use Yoast, the Powerpress plugin released three weeks ago has a fix for Yoast’s behaviour to tell Google not to index your RSS feed, thus messing with (if not always entirely stopping) Google Podcasts from finding you.

• Breaker, a podcast app, has added custom playlists.

• Radio and podcast technology company Futuri Media has hired Cornelius “Corny” Gould as their SVP, R&D and Innovation. He hosts a podcast about rocketry.

• Simon Owens writes about the race to build a podcast recommendation engine.

• Is podcasting’s future based on good SEO? Rebel Base Media’s Mark Asquith points out what Google’s recent rollout of podcasts appearing in search could mean to us all.

• Advice: How to write a podcast script (G2Crowd), and why characters and storylines aren’t just for fiction podcasts (The Podcast Host)

Podcasts

Civilized is a brand new dark comedy podcast from Sean Howard and Eli McIlveen, the makers of Alba Salix, Royal Physician. A full-cast, immersive audio fiction series, it’s an improvised podcast using seasoned members of Hamilton ON’s improv scene. (Libsyn)

Drinks Adventures focused on Stone & Wood for the first show of their new season. Founded in Byron Bay in NSW, Australia, Stone & Wood are makers of really very nice craft beer, which thankfully Podnews’s local bar serves on tap. They’re also the most successful brewing startup in modern times. (Whooshkaa)

Distributed is a new podcast from Matt Mullenweg, the cofounder of Wordpress and CEO of Automattic. About the future of work, the podcast explores ideas of going beyond the traditional office environment.

The Jordan Harbinger Show earlier this month had musician Moby as a guest, exploring “what to do when success makes you miserable”. Listen for the story of Eminem’s feud with him, which wasn’t as playful as it seemed… (Podcast One)

No, Really, I’m Fine coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, and is a brand new mental health podcast which sheds a light on peoples’ daily struggle with mental health and telling the world you’re not alone. (Reach plc / Acast)

The Italian Wine Podcast, a podcast project dedicated to the Italian wine world, has won an award for best interview (Soundcloud)

All Things Equal is back for season two. Titled ‘Uniform’, the six-episode series looks at the great equaliser: education. From enrolment to graduation, there are a series of decisions that take place about and around kids that can lead to them getting ahead or falling behind. Who makes these decisions? When kids do fall through the gaps, who is there to catch them? (2SER / Centre of Social Justice and Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney / Whooshkaa)