Month: June 2016

PodcastOne Hires Jim Berk as New CEO

~ Shawn Thorpe

PodcastOne LogoPodcastOne, the podcast production company started by Westwood One founder Norm Pattiz, has picked up a new CEO named Jim Berk. Pattiz will remain in his role of Executive Chairman at PodcastOne. Jim Berk will also join PodcastOne’s Board of Directors.

Berk may seem like an outsider when it comes to podcasting. But he has many years of experience in the media business. He was previously the CEO of Participant Media, where he oversaw the release of over 60 major films like The Help and The Kite Runner.

PodcastOne, launched earlier this decade, has made a name for itself by distributing some of podcasting’s most popular shows. Adam Carolla, Dan Patrick, and Shaquille O’Neal are just a few of the big names on PodcastOne’s roster. The company bills itself as an all-in-one platform that connects potential podcast advertisers with shows that can deliver results.

Last month, PodcastOne launched a premium subscription service that offers on-demand access to PodcastOne’s full archive of shows, as well as exclusive content from many of the network’s star producers. As CEO, Berk will undoubtedly work to bolster not only ad revenue, but also premium subscription sales.

WeWork Teams Up With iHeartMedia to Create Work Radio

~ jen

WeWork logoWeWork has a mission “to create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living”. They have teamed up with iHeartMedia, which is a global media and entertainment company. Together, the two are creating Work Radio – which appears to have some room for podcasts.

The WeWork Team posted some information about this collaboration. Work Radio will be a live station on iHeartRadio that features an original mix of music and exclusive content centered on entrepreneurship and creating your life’s work.

Work Radio will feature a universal music channel that will be streamed across their locations nationwide. The music channel will also be available under a “Perfect for Work” label through the iHeartRadio app and website.

Later in the summer of 2016, Work Radio will begin streaming episodes of an original podcast on Work Radio. It will feature “honest conversations between entrepreneurs and creators to inspire our community of almost 60,000 members and iHeartRadio’s more than 85 million registered users.”

AdWeek says that the companies are building a new studio in WeWork’s headquarters in Manhattan which will be used for livestream interviews, concerts, events and performances. The studio will also create original podcast series.

Since the partnership will tailor all the content and music for WeWork locations, iHeartMedia and WeWork are trying to attract brands that want to target entrepreneurs around the U.S. And internationally. One of the first brands to sign on is Dell, which will be a part of the official launch.

AdWeek reports that the partnership will be officially launched next week with an event featuring “4-hour Work Week” author Tim Ferriss and Spotify executive Troy Carter. There may be some unannounced music guests who will preform at the launch.

After the first studio is built at WeWork’s headquarters, the plan is to build additional studios at other WeWork locations. The goal is to allow members to record and broadcast podcasts and other content.

“Engage – The Official Star Trek Podcast” Will Launch on Play.it

~ jen

Engage The Official Star Trek Podcast LogoCBS Radio, CBS Local Digital Media, and CBS Consumer Product have announced the launch of Engage: The Official Star Trek Podcast. It is going to be exclusively hosted on the podcast platform Play.it.

The first three episodes of the hour-long podcast will be available on June 15, 2016, via Play.It, iTunes, and StarTrek.com. New episodes will be released weekly starting on June 22, 2016. The podcast is a celebration of Star Trek and is aimed at both old and new fans.

Engage: The Official Star Trek Podcast is hosted by Jordan Hoffman, who is a film critic and writer of the “One Trek Mind” blog on StarTrek.com. Interestingly, this year is when Star Trek will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. What a great time to release an official Star Trek podcast!

The first three episodes will feature some special guests, including “Weird Al” Yankovic and Adam Nimoy (son of the late Leonard Nimoy). Episode zero of the podcast has already been released. In it, host Jordan Hoffman is interviewed by Entertainment Weekly’s Darren Franich about what to expect from the podcast. They also share their favorite Star Trek moments.

AudioBoom Signs “Undisclosed” to Exclusive Ad Sales Deal

~ jen

Undisclosed logoUndisclosed is a podcast that has been compared to Serial. The two podcasts do not have the same creators, and are not actually connected to each other. People liken the two of them because both focus on stories about people involved in complex legal matters.

Undisclosed examines possible wrongful convictions. Its first season dove into the Adnan Syed case that was first investigated by Serial. The Undisclosed podcast is produced weekly and includes supplementary “Addendum” programs following each main episode.

Rain News reported that Undisclosed has selected audioBoom to exclusively represent the podcast in an exclusive premium ad agreement. Jon Cryer (who was in the Two and a Half Men TV show) is the new cohost of Undisclosed.

AudioBoom allows podcasters to join for free. The free version comes with unlimited posts (max duration 10 mins), full social integration with media cards and easy sharing to other podcast platforms. AudioBoom also offers an upgrade that costs $10 a month, that comes with all of the above plus full iTunes integration and audioBoom distribution and syndication.

The second season of Undisclosed will launch on July 11, 2016.

Podquest Reveals Ten Semifinalists

~ jen

Radiotopia Podquest logoEarlier this year, Podquest called for story-driven podcast ideas. They were looking for Radiotopia’s next podcast. Radiotopia is from PRX and is a curated network of extraordinary story-driven shows. Podquest recently revealed their ten semifinalists.

Podquest says that it had 1,537 people respond to their call for story-driven podcast ideas. Ten of those people’s ideas have been selected as semifinalists (which Podquest is calling PQ10). A total of three will be chosen as finalists.

The PQ10 are:

* Dear & Sincerely – by Genevieve Kersten. “Unemployed, depressed, and living in her parent’s basement, Genevieve decides to ask the smartest person she knows for advice, herself.”

* Do Over – by Kelly Jones, Chioke l’Anson and Claire Tacon. “Do Over is the real fake story of how your life could have turned out if you’d just done that one thing differently.”

* Ear Hustle – by Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Nigel Poor. “Ear Hustle brings you the hidden stories of life inside prison, told and produced from the perspective of those who live it.”

* Meat – by Jonathan Zenti. “Meat is a podcast about our bodies and the lives we live because of them.”

* Reflected Message – by Jon Tjhia. “Perched at the edges of music and radio storytelling, Reflected Message is like an update of ‘folk’ – pop-sized experiments with voices, memory, repetition, and the everyday.”

* The Difference Between – by Jerico Saria and Hadrian Santos. “The Difference Between dives into the world of “information dopplegängers” – the stuff you always confuse for that other thing – to find out what makes them truly unique”.

* The Stoop – by Lelia Day and Hana Baba. “The Stoop is a space where race, identity, fun, funk, and journalism come together in a tightly produced podcast that will go deep into issues about black identity that aren’t always openly discussed.”

* Third Culture – by Naima Sakande. “Third Culture celebrates those who are from everywhere and belong nowhere, unearthing stories of juggled identities”.

* This Isn’t Working – by Susie Cagle. “This Isn’t Working is a show about “making a living” in the U.S. in an age of corporate domination, industrial transition, and general labor wierdness.”

* Villian-ish – by Vivian Le. “Villian-ish is a show about gaining perspectives on dubious figures that we’ve been taught to revile, and exploring the hidden details we may have never considered.”

Each of the PQ10 semifinalists will receive $300, office hours with Radiotopia producers, free Hindenburg editing software and a year-long membership with the media talent network AIR. The three finalists will be announced July 6-8 at Podcast Movement 2016 in Chicago.

Werk It Festival Has Added Speakers

~ jen

Werk It a Womans Podcast Festival logoWerk It is a podcast festival bringing together innovative women working in audio and digital media. It is hosted by WNYC Studios and will take place on June 15 – 17, 2016. Werk It has added more speakers to the event and revealed the schedule.

Werk It is intended for women who work in audio and digital media. It is where they can hone their skills, meet other women in their field, and learn from peers and experienced industry professionals.

The event includes “uncomfortable conversations and invigorating debates”, mentoring, networking, and immersive training sessions. There will also be three straight nights of live podcast tapings from some of the most provocative and inspiring women hosts in the biz.

In April, Werk It had announced only a few speakers. They have since added more.

Speakers include:

* Jessica Williams & Phoebe Robinson – Co-hosts of 2 Dope Queens

* Manoush Zomordi – Host of Note to Self

* Molly Webber – Features Producer & Guest Host of Radiolab

* Jessica Chaffin & Jamie Denbo – Co-Hosts of Ronna & Beverly

* Kate Bilinski – Mix Engineer / Music Editor of Serial

* Mitra Kaboli – Senior Producer of The Heart

* Kelly McEvers – Host of Embedded

* Megan Tan – Host of Millennial

* Julie Shapiro – Executive Producer of Radiotopia

* Jenna Weiss-Berman – Co-Founder of Pineapple Street Media

* Tracy Clayton – Host of Another Round

* Amanda Aronczyk – Reporter for Only Human

* Marlo Mack – Host of How to Be a Girl

* Maria Hinojosa – Executive Producer and Anchor of Latino USA

* Kelsey Padgett – Producer of Radiolab

* Brittany Luse – Host of Sampler

The schedule, for all three days of Werk It is available and can be viewed on the event’s website. Space is limited and applications for the 2016 Werk It Festival are now closed.

The 2016 Gracie Awards Included Podcasts

~ jen

Alliance for Women in Media logoAlliance for Women in Media is an organization for women, run by women. They are committed to supporting women across all media segments, to expand networks, educate and celebrate accomplishments. They have been advancing women in media for six decades.

Alliance for Women organizes The Gracie Awards. The Gracies were named after the late Gracie Allen. The Gracies acknowledge outstanding team leadership and individual achievement, focus on women who are making positive change and who further the discussion of what a fulfilling career in media looks like.

This year, The Gracie Awards included some podcasters.

* Anna Sale, host of Death, Sex & Money (WYNC Radio) won the Podcast Host Gracie.

* Hollywood Hookups and Breakups with Cooper and Vikki (Blog Talk Radio) won the Podcast Gracie.

* Woman of the Hour, hosted by Lena Dunham and produced by Jenna Weiss -Berman (Buzzfeed) won the GRAND WINNER Gracie.

* Jenna Weiss-Berman, Woman of the Hour producer won the Producer Gracie.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, it was stated that Jenna Weiss-Berman is leaving Buzzfeed so she can work on her new company that she cofounded with Max Linsky (of the Longform Podcast). Their new company is called Pineapple Street Media. It is a podcast company, and their first podcasts will be available in late this summer.

E.W. Scripps Buys Stitcher

~ jen

Stitcher RadioE.W. Scripps has acquired the popular podcast listening service Stitcher. Those of you who have a podcast on Stitcher may have received an email about this acquisition.

Stitcher is one of the most established and popular streaming audio listening brands. It is accessible via free iPhone and Android apps, on the dashboard of more than 50 car models, and at stitcher.com Stitcher facilitates discovery and streaming for more than 65,000 podcasts to 8 million registered users.

Both E.W. Scripps and Stitcher have stated that Stitcher is now part of Midroll Media. The Stitcher announcement states that Midroll is a podcast production company and advertising network. It is the parent company of the Earwolf network, the Howl premium subscription service, and the Midroll advertising network (which is owned by E.W. Scripps).

Stitcher states that Stitcher listeners will continue to have access to audio through Stitcher’s apps. Email that was sent to podcasters who have their podcasts available on Stitcher states that those podcasts will still be available via the Deezer platform. The E.W. Scripps press release states that Scripps and Deezer agreed to a $4.5 million cash purchase price.

The email sent to podcasters who have podcasts on Stitcher states that there are no plans to shut down the Stitcher service. Instead, they plan on accelerating improvements to the Stitcher platform as well as launching new content partner services in the coming year.

The Wall Street Journal says that a person familiar with the acquisition called it an “acquihire”. Stitcher’s dozen employees will join Midroll.

:30cast Will Provide Music Licensing To Podcasters

~ Shawn Thorpe

30cast logoInclude music in a podcast or don’t include music in a podcast? It’s an area of constant curiosity and debate among podcasters. Some podcasters work diligently to include music in their podcasts that they know is “podsafe,” often sourced directly from the artists that created it. And there are also many podcasters who feel they can play anything they want, based on a loose interpretation of Fair Use law. Adding to the confusion, the major arms of the recording industry have yet to release a comprehensive license for podcasters. Amid all of this hyperbole and chaos, a new platform is launching to make the process of finding truly podcast-safe music easier.

:30cast is a new service that provides a go-between for podcasters who need music and the musicians who can provide it. The :30 part of :30cast’s name comes from the fact that the service is focused on providing 30-second pieces of music. Overall, the idea is pretty simple. Composers upload their musical creations to the :30Cast website. Podcasters can then browse :30cast’s online store to find songs they’d like to license.

No pricing information has been made public (pricing is available here) as :30cast isn’t officially launching until July. Podcasters who are interested in using the service can apply for a free membership. :30cast staff is reviewing membership applications and inviting approved shows into the platform.

Engaged Audience – PCN Show 032

~ jen ~ 2 Comments

PCN iTunes artworkIn this episode, Shawn and Jen ended up repeatedly coming back to the concept of an “engaged audience”.

We touch on why you need one, how to keep it, and why ads are more tolerable for engaged listeners than for listeners who aren’t invested in your podcast.

Links mentioned in this episode:

* Podcasting? Why Now?
By Kerri Hoffman on Media Post

* Podcasts Experiment With Paid Subscriptions
By Steven Perlberg on Wall Street Journal

* ComScore Says People Prefer Ads in Podcasts Over Any Other Digital Medium
By Marty Sweet on AdWeek

* NPR Expects to ‘More Than Double’ Its Podcast Revenue This Year
By Lauren Johnson on AdWeek

* 6 Ways To Take A Break From Podcasting Without Losing Your Audience
By Blubrry on PowerPress Podcast

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