NPR makes 'first localised daily news podcast'

• Working with member stations, NPR has made daily afternoon news podcast Consider This “the first localised daily news podcast”, blending national stories and local reporting. The podcast uses Digital Content Insertion, the same tech as is used in localised advertising, to deliver a local version in ten different markets within the US. The rest of us will continue to hear the national version.

• Stitcher have launched ‘More Sauce,’ a network dedicated to championing Black voices. The network was “created to empower Black voices to be completely authentic and unapologetic in their storytelling.” Meanwhile, iHeartMedia and radio personality Charlamagne Tha God have launched The Black Effect Podcast Network, which the company says is “positioned to become the world’s largest podcast publisher dedicated to Black listeners”.

• Sony Music unveiled their new podcast slate, including a new music-themed podcast, My 90s Playlist, and upcoming episodes of David Tennant Does a Podcast With…

• Entercom’s Cadence13 also announced a new weekly podcast with actor Will Arnett. The Journey is Now will launch later this year.

• ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group have announced a three year partnership with iHeartMedia. We’re promised “dozens” of original podcasts from brands owned by ViacomCBS like MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount Network - including an initial slate of Yo! MTV Raps and an expansion of original content from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

• The new Australian Podcast Ranker is out. The highest new entry is Please Explain, a news podcast from Nine. The ranker measured 46.7m downloads in August, though part of that was an expansion of Nine’s monitored shows; excluding Nine, the top 10 publishers grew downloads by 22%.

  • ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network remains at #1. ARN’s Head of Commercial Audio & Podcasts Corey Layton: “This is another fantastic result for ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network as our audiences continue to grow.”
  • One new entry, Fear and Greed, claim it is the only independent podcast in the top 100. The daily financial news podcast has had more than 260,000 downloads in the first three months of launch, they say.

• In Australia, NOVA Entertainment’s podcasts - here’s Fitzy & Wippa - are now hosted by Omny Studio. The company ended its relationship with Acast last week.

• The Wondery+ app is now available in Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia. It was previously only available in the US.

• Descript have unveiled some new “Overdub stock voices”, allowing you to use synthetic voices in your podcast - including a movie voiceover. They’ve also added a keyboard-based service called Composer to speed up editing.

• You’ve not long to join The Podcast Academy before the price goes up. They’ve announced their virtual September Social, and a webinar on marketing your podcast.

  
  Aug 27 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Unmute, a podcast festival promising “your favourite podcasts, live in your living room”, has been launched. The event is on October 20-24, and features UK podcasters.

• The latest email from Google Assistant promotes voice commands to recommend a podcasts while you organise your wardrobe. Niche.

• Cumulus Media’s Westwood One has selected Placements.io to create a custom operating management system that will integrate with Megaphone, to “dramatically improve the ease and scalability of Westwood One Podcast Network’s advertising sales operations”.

• The NAB have postponed the NAB Show 2021 from April to October, in Las Vegas NV, USA.

• UK podcasting magazine Pod Bible has launched a brand new website, promising “a lot more comprehensive features and interviews with podcasters”.

• Podcast host RSS.com have ensured that all their podcast RSS feeds are now available on Adam Curry’s The Podcast Index. They’ve also set up automatic submission to the index for new RSS feeds.

Tips and tricks - with Spotify for Podcasters

• 3 ways to make money with your podcast (DiscoverPods) - “Monetizing a podcast isn’t a get rich quick scheme,” this article helpfully starts, adding: “monetizing your podcast is a long, slow, burn.”

• Self-Care Tips To Help You And Your Podcast (We Edit Podcasts) - some key tips to help you feel your best, both mentally and physically.

Podcast News - with 70 Million

70 Million is back for Season 3 starting next Monday. Each week, the Peabody-nominated podcast from Lantigua Williams & Co brings localities taking action: from the school-to-prison pipeline, to racialized policing, to the spread of COVID-19 in jails. 70 Million is also an open-source podcast that provides syllabi and resources to the public. The trailer is out now. (ad)

Lemonada Media has released the first episode of Our America, hosted by Julián Castro, Barack Obama’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former presidential candidate. It’s their ninth series, and marks the podcast company’s first year.

The first podcast from Crowd Network, a new podcast network in the UK, has gone live. Three Little Words features comedian John Bishop and writer, actor and director Tony Pitts “talking to fascinating people about their lives, hopes, struggles and beliefs”.

“Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.” Spybrary, the spy book podcast, is celebrating 200,000 downloads by reviewing each and every James Bond book in turn. Our quote, and their first episode in the series, looks at Casino Royale.

The Super 6 Podcast is a brand new football podcast to launch in time for the new season, with Sky Sports football presenter Laura Woods and Championship star Bayo Akinfenwa looking at Premier League, EFL and beyond.

PAR have launched the trailer for their first PAR Original Podcast - True Crime Reporter. Hosted by award-winning investigative reporter Robert Riggs, the podcast tells the backstory of criminal cases using interviews with the law enforcement law officers that played key roles in the investigation.