The most popular podcast microphone is…

• Who uses what equipment to make their podcast? The Podcast Host has run their 2024 Podcaster Gear survey. The most popular microphone is a Blue Yeti; but those who have been podcasting more than five years gravitate to a Shure MV7, SM7B, or SM58. (We currently use a Lewitt Audio Ray, since you’re asking.)

• Spooler has been awarded two patents. One for an automatic media content layering system, which mixes different pieces of audio together as one “layered” track; and one for a content versioning system which would ensure that an updated piece of content is available to listeners. The company launched in 2022.

• In the over 750 comments you gave in the Podnews Report Card earlier this year, Spotify saw a repeated request for a new feature; and we’re told they’ll be launching it at 9am ET today.

• YouTube is now the “most-used” platform for podcast consumption, says a report from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights.

• Player FM has launched a self-serve advertising portal for creators. Pricing starts at $250 for 35,000 impressions ($7.14 CPM).

• Barometer and Audiohook have launched an enhanced brand suitability tool. It should result in less inventory being discarded.

• The winners of the 2024 Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards were announced. Our list includes links and hosts.

• There’s a new Spanish-language newsletter for podcasting. Tropical Podcasting comes from Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, Beyond the Podcast is a newsletter that sends you “an interview with an industry-leading business person who integrates podcasting into their success story.”

• Matthew Passy has shared an image of a “Podcast Beacon”, an NFC-tappable device to share your podcast with someone. It’ll be showcased at Podcast Movement in August.

• Audioboom has renewed partnerships with five of its podcast creators, responsible for over 70mn downloads in the past year.

• What’s up with StreamYard? The company removed the pricing page at the top of their website on Jul 3. The pricing page now just redirects to the front page. The company was acquired on Apr 9 by the owners of Evernote and Meetup.

Thank you to DeepCast, who become our latest supporter today. DeepCast lets you dig deep into your favourite podcasts, with an intelligent search and a “DeepSummary” of every episode. Our supporters help Podnews focus on bringing you the latest news from the industry - you can become a supporter on Patreon here.

Moves and hires

• Dave Zohrob, the cofounder of Chartable, has left Spotify (which acquired the product in Feb 2022)

• Our link yesterday to Dave Jackson’s Nasty Injuries was incorrect. Here is is. As the song goes: “Sorry, Dave Jackson - this link’s for real.”

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• Ausha publishes “Everything you need to know” about YouTube for podcasts.

Podcast News

The communication techniques podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart publishes its 150th episode today. Hosted by Stanford Business School lecturer Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart aims to help listeners enhance their communication skills. Measured by OP3, it’s approaching 50 million downloads.

Wartime Stories is a new podcast from Ballen Studios. It’s hosted by Marine Corp Reconnaissance veteran, Luke Lamana, and is a mix of horror, mystery, and awe inspiring tales, where the strange, dark and mysterious meets the battlefield and beyond.

Reckon True Stories is new today, hosted by acclaimed authors Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon, all about the stories we tell and how they impact our culture. A celebration of new and classic nonfiction – the essays, journalism, and memoirs that inspire us, that change the world, and help us connect with each other - it’s new from Reckon and Ursa Story Company.

Natural Selection: Scott v. Wild Bill is a new true crime podcast today from Treefort Media, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, and handled by Glassbox Media. Narrated by retired FBI criminal profiler Candice DeLong, it tells the story of a man framed for a murder he didn’t commit - by a serial killer.

Designed to keep children off screens this summer holiday, Today with tonies is a new launch today for young listeners aged 4 to 7 and hosted by bubbly presenters Sam Fletcher-Goodwin and Tim Warwood. Listeners will get to discover new places, learn new words, giggle at hilarious jokes and learn a mind blowing fact or two (or three!).

International affairs podcast One Decision has a new co-host. Joining Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, is former Secretary of Defense and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta. This is the first time Secretary Panetta has ever worked as a contributor for a news organization. The first show is available today, recorded at the Spy Museum in Washington DC.