Canadian podcast research reveals requirement to help new listeners

• Canadian Podcast Listener have written up learnings from their recent survey into podcast listening in the country. Breaking down the doors to the podcasting club argues that podcasting need to be more welcoming to new listeners, and shows the full data from the research. They also publish a shareable infographic.

• Serial saw over 1.4 million global downloads in the first fourteen hours of release, according to Podtrac. Nick Quah describes it as “a juggernaut”. By way of comparison, NPR’s Morning Edition radio show gets 14.2m listeners a week, in the US alone.

• Current covers the host of Home of the Brave, Scott Carrier, who funds his podcasts entirely by listener donations. “The first thing is: Don’t worry about money, worry about the story.”

• Is a Podcast Club the new book club?, asks a Forbes blogger. They focus on Adela Mizrachi, who runs Podcast Brunch Club.

• Michelle Guthrie, the Managing Director of Australia’s largest podcaster, the government-funded ABC, was sacked on Monday by the ABC Board. It’s since been reported that the Chairman of the Board, Justin Milne, requested that a journalist who’d reported stories critical of government policy should be fired. He’s been asked by employees to stand down. He hasn’t. Yet.

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• Vox Media have released their Q3 2018 slate of podcasts, which more than doubles the size of the podcast network. New podcasts announced include new titles from Recode and SB Nation.

• Dr Death, Wondery’s hit podcast, “leads the chart of total 5-star ratings for any serialized podcast, having surpassed prior leaders Up And Vanished and Serial”, according to the company. It has over 23,500 ratings in total. You can join Laura Beil for a Reddit AMA tomorrow.

• The US radio industry is worried whether podcasting can harm radio ratings. Beasley Broadcasting says, on the contrary, podcasting is increasing the company’s ratings.

  
  Aug 6 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• The Preserve This Podcast team is collecting data on how people are archiving their podcasts. If you’re involved in any part of podcast production, take six minutes to take their survey. They say the data and survey analysis will all be shared, openly and freely.

• Podcasts can make a difference. APM’s In The Dark podcast has achieved an admission from the police, in a packed press conference, that “all of us failed”. The podcast has released an additional episode.

• The AFL (the Australian Football League) has inked a deal with Whooshkaa as podcast partner.

• If you don’t have a website for your podcast, you should. Here’s a nicely-written article with all your questions answered - from how to get a domain name to what a host is. (via Splice Newsroom)

  
  Aug 6 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• WARC covers how to use podcasts to build brands.

• A podcast promoter is bragging on Twitter about the podcasts he says he helped manipulate into the Apple Podcasts chart.

• If you use the Hindenburg Edito on a Mac, you’re advised to not update to the latest release of either the editor or OSX. The company has discovered a bug in the released version of the new OS. Hold fire for a few days is their suggestion.

Podcasts

Bellies, Bits and Babies is a self-help podcast about womens’ pelvic health “that answers the questions we’re too embarrassed to ask”. (Babyology / Acast)

Probably True, the sex-positive queer storytelling series, returns for another run of filthy and thought-provoking fun.

Listicle

• Top 15 Paranormal Podcasts You Must Subscribe and Listen to in 2018 (Feedspot)