Month: July 2016

Ricochet Network has Podcasts for Conservatives

~ jen

Ricochet Network logoThe Ricochet Network has a simple goal: to provide listeners with the best center-right conversation on the planet. It is a podcast network for conservatives. They cover politics (of course) but also a variety of other topics.

Every week, Ricochet offers an all-star lineup of fun and bracing podcasts on a wide breadth of topics ranging from politics to law to money. Their podcasts also cover economics, world affairs, social issues, religion, entertainment and the arts, race, history, the military, science and technology, gender, literature, philosophy, family life, sports, and cooking. In other words, it resembles other podcast networks, but presents conservative viewpoints.

The Ricochet Network was originally founded in 2011 by Peter Robinson and Rob Long (who is a contributing editor for National Review.) The About Page says that conservatives are often presented as a series of stereotypes, which the creators of the Ricochet Network feel are “demonstrably false.” They felt the way to convince people that the stereotypes about conservatives are incorrect is to show them – through podcasting.

The Ricochet Podcast is the flagship podcast of the network. It is hosted by James Lileks, Rob Long, and Peter Robinson. The show also includes guests. They discuss the issues of the week.

James Lileks is also involved in other podcasts on the network (James Lileks’ The Diner, and James Lilek’s The Ramble) Rob Long is also part of the GloP Culture with Goldberg, Long, and Podhoretz podcast.

Perhaps the most unique podcast on the Ricochet Network is called The Conservatarians. It is described as “Conservative? Libertarian? Conservatarian!” It is hosted by Ricochet Editor-in-Chief Jon Gabriel and Stephen Miller of The Wilderness.

Pobcast Is a Stress-Free iTunes Review Exchange Service

~ shawn ~ 1 Comment

Pobcast LogoHere at Podcaster News, we do our best to provide the facts on items that we think would be of interest to the podcasting community, and allow our readers to form their own opinions on the topics we cover. Personally, I don’t like the idea of “review exchanges” for directories like the iTunes Store. But I can see how this type of thing might appeal to others. Keep in mind that, while iTunes reviews can be helpful, it’s been proven that they have no impact on your ranking in the iTunes Store. That being stated, here’s some information on Pobcast, a new review exchange service that is currently seeking beta testers.

According to a Pobcast Reddit thread, Pobcast is a “real review” system that doesn’t rely on bots or paid services to get reviews for your show. In order to join the Pobcast beta, users must register at the developer’s website and add their iTunes username and podcast to the review system. (The iTunes username is needed in order to track and verify reviews users have committed to in the Pobcast system.) Users can then find shows that are looking for reviews. Once they’ve placed their reviews, and those reviews have been confirmed by the recipient accounts, those users will now be eligible to receive reviews on their own shows.

Pobcast states the service is different from other review swaps for these reasons:

No one can cheat the review process, if you spam reviewed. It won’t work unless the user has confirmed it. If your review has not been confirmed, you don’t get reviewed back

It’s NOT a direct exchange, everyone is in the pot. Meaning if you review someone, they don’t have to review you back. As long as it’s confirmed anyone can review you. Which works better in the long term. *Example: Podcast A reviews Podcast B & Podcast B review A. iTunes can see that you both exchanged direct reviews and could discard it. My method is that if you are podcast A and you review B. Podcast C/D/E/F… will review you. *

The podcast links are fixed to the system, so you cannot duplicate or cheat the system. Once it is in the system, there is no way to remove it. If you try to cheat, your podcast will be permanently disabled for future reviews.

You can track all the reviews from any user from all over the world. With direct links to each reviewer and it’s so easy to manage.

If you don’t think a podcast deserves 4 or 5 stars, you can skip it and go to the next. You will NOT get penalized for skipping podcasts.

As stated above, Pobcast reviews must be either four or five stars in order for them to be accepted by the system. If users feel a show doesn’t deserve at least four stars, they’re encouraged to skip reviewing that show and move on to another. This creates a baseline level of integrity for the actual reviews. But if podcasters are using Pobcast mainly to get reviews on their own shows, then they’ll be more likely to leave four or five-star reviews in order to get more reviews back. That doesn’t automatically mean that those reviews aren’t honest. But it does open Pobcast up to at least a little gaming of the system. After all, reviews on directories like the iTunes Store are meant to be honest commentaries of people who’ve actually listened to those shows. But it’s assured that some Pobcast users will be there strictly to get more reviews for their own shows, and that could lead them to leave generic reviews for the other shows involved, just to get more reviews for their own shows.

If you’d like to sign up for the Pobcast beta or learn more about the service, check out the links at the top of this post.

BlogTalkRadio Partners with Simple Podcast Press

~ jen

Simple Podcast Press and BlogTalkRadioSimple Podcast Press and BlogTalkRadio announced a partnership that offers podcasters a simple toolkit that helps them grow their audiences quickly by syndicating their show across all podcasting platforms (including their own website).

This partnership solidifies an integrated podcasting platform that combines a publisher-grade podcast media hosting and publishing toolkit that scales as podcasters grow with a best in class podcast website publishing tool.

The media hosting and publishing toolkit enables podcasters to:

* Publish as much as they want per month and manage their content easily

* Host podcast episodes up to an initial limit of 500 hours of content

* Import all your past episodes with one click

* Syndicate their podcasts to iTunes, Apple Podcast App, Overcast, Stitcher, Pocketcasts and more

* Stream their podcast episodes on social media, across the web, and on their own sites

* Gain additional exposure on Blogtalkradio.com

* Measure their listening activity across all channels including streams and downloads from across the web and mobile, social media streams, and app-downloads

* Access accurate readings of real human activity on shows and critical insights on episode level engagement

* Monetize listening activity against all episodes and across all listening channels to gain potential revenue

The podcast website publishing tool enables podcasters to:

* Import all their existing podcast episodes to their wordpress site with a single click

* Fully automate the publishing of new podcast episodes to their WordPress site

* Grow their audience by adding an email opt-in box and call-to-action buttons below each player

* Keep their listeners engaged by adding clickable timestamps that allow them to easily jump to a specific time in the episode

* Add social proof by showcasing their latest worldwide iTunes reviews anywhere on their website

Podcasters who are interested in taking advantage of this partnership can visit the Simple Podcast Press and BlogTalkRadio website. Right now, a single license costs $47, a professional license costs $97 and a multi license costs $147.

Podcast Movement 2017 Will Be in Anaheim

~ jen

Podcast Movement 2017 logoPodcast Movement 2016 has come to its end. It’s time to start thinking about attending Podcast Movement 2017! It will take place at Marriott Anaheim in Anaheim, California, on August 23-25, 2017. They have opened registration for a limited time.

Podcast Movement 2017 is currently offering two different registration types that are available now, and two different registration types that have “not started” (at the time I am writing this blog).

One of the two that is available is called “PM17 registration at PM16 – STANDARD”, which is $249.00. The other is called “PM17 registration at PM16 – VIP”, which is $399.00. By popular request, they are lowering their standard registration prices in 2017. Sales of these two registration options will end soon.

The other two registration options are not yet available. One is called “PM17 Early Bird registration – STANDARD”, which cost $319.00. The other is called “PM17 Early Bird registration – VIP”, which costs $469.00. It would be reasonable to assume that these two options might become available sometime after the sales end for the first two options.

Each Standard Registration includes:

* Access to all 80+ keynote and breakout sessions and all-star panels

* Entry to the exhibition hall with 50+ industry exhibitors

* Entry to Wednesday night’s AofP Award Show and red carpet party

* Entry to Thursday night’s special event

Each VIP Registration includes:

* Everything included with the Standard registration, plus

* The Virtual Ticket featuring on-demand recordings of every talk, panel & session

* VIP seating up-close at all keynote and featured speaker talks

* Access to the VIP Lounge with snacks and drinks both days

Now Hear This Podcast Festival will Happen in October

~ jen

Now Hear This Podcast Festival logoThe Now Hear This Podcast Festival is going to happen on October 28-30, 2016. Tickets go on sale on soon! This podcast festival is presented by Midroll Media.

Midroll Media will bring together the brightest stars in podcasting for a fan-focused weekend of live performances, meet-and-greet opportunities, immersive fan experiences, and more at the very first Now Hear This podcast festival. It will take place at the Anaheim Marriott in Anaheim, California, (a location that seems to be a popular one for podcast fests).

There is a countdown clock on the Now Hear This website that shows you how much time is left before you can buy tickets. Those who want to be alerted when tickets go on sale (and who want to get the latest artist announcements) can enter their email address into the box on the Now Hear This fest website.

Now Hear This Fest will feature:

* Marc Maron – WTF with Marc Maron

* Scott Aukerman – Comedy Bang! Bang!

* Lauren Lapkus – With Special Guess Lauren Lapkus

* Paul Scheer – How Did This Get Made?

In addition there will be over 30 live podcast recordings. One will be from a podcast called The Brilliant Idiots, hosted by Charlamagne Tha God and Andrew Schultz. Every week, the hosts explore the issues of the day “in a style that’s often idiotic, sometimes brilliant, and always hysterical.” New episodes are available every Thursday afternoon on SoundCloud.

It appears that more announcements will be made about additional featured big names and/or participating podcasts as we get closer to October.

LA Podfest 2016 will Happen in September

~ jen

LA Podfest logoThe Los Angeles Podcast Festival 2016 will take place on September 23-25, 2016, at Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. Tickets are on sale now (but the Early Bird and Kinda Early Bird tickets have sold out). Those attending might want to book their room at Sofitel now.

The Los Angeles Podcast Festival was created by Dave Anthony, Graham Elwood, and Chris Mancini. They wanted to start this fest “to shove podcasters and fans together in a small enclosed space. To meet. To mingle. To love.”

Dave Anthony is the host of the critically acclaimed American history podcast The Dollop. He also has been a regular on the IFC show Maron (where he also a writer and director). Graham Elwood is a stand-up comic who is the co-founder and co-host of Comedy Film Nerds. Chris Mancini is a comic, author, and filmmaker. He is the co-founder and co-host of Comedy Film Nerds.

There will be live podcasts and a huge standup show. In addition, attendees can hang out and meet their favorite podcasters in the Podcast Lounge, attend parties, and take in panels about podcasting hosted by experts from both sides of the curtain.

Panels at LA Podfest 2016 include:

* “Podcasting Live: Bringing Your Show on Tour” – with panelists Andrew Morgan, Cecil Baldwin, and Ryan Sickler

* “Narrative Storytelling in Podcasting” – with panelists Phoebe Judge, Jeffery Cranor, and Jay Larson

* “Platform Perks: Make your hosting platform work for you” – with panelists Rob Walch and Matt Belknap

* “Connecting Music and Podcasts” – with panelists Jamie Flam, Jonah Ray and Joseph Fink

* “Journalism and Podcasting” – with panelists Phoebe Judge, Lauren Spohrer and Jefferson Graham

* “Content Evolution: The changing content of podcasts” – with panelist Dave Anthony

There are more than 30 live podcasts that will be part of LA Podfest 2016. There will also be a Podcast Lab which is a safe space where podcasters of any experience level can go to record their own podcasts straight from the heart of LA Podfest. Note that podcasters must bring their own recording gear.

E.W. Scripps Seeks Executive Producer for Earwolf

~ jen

Earwolf logoE.W. Scripps acquired Midroll Media in 2015, a move that made Midroll Media a wholly-owned subsidiarity of the E.W. Scripps Company. They are currently seeking an Executive Producer for Earwolf.

Midroll is the parent company of Earwolf, a comedy podcasting network. It has more than 35 shows that are produced weekly. Some of those shows include: Seth Godwin’s Startup School, Maltin on Movies (with Leonard Maltin and Baron Vaughn), With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus (hosted by Lauren Lapkus), Rhona & Beverly (hosted by Jessica Chaffin and Jamie Denbo), and The Longest Shortest Time (hosted by Hillary Frank), to name just a few.

The Executive Producer will lead Midroll’s network of weekly shows. He or she will work closely with their talent and the production teams in LA and NYC to launch great new shows, improve the content of existing Earwolf productions and engage and grow the audience. The Earwolf Executive Producer “will have a strategic vision for the network, prioritizing audience growth and content excellence”.

The position is listed as “full-time”. Midroll has a strong preference for candidates who are experienced in working in the comedy genre. If this is something that interests you, it would be a good idea to read the full job description over at E. W. Scripps.

OzPod 2016 is an Australian Podcasting Conference

~ jen

OzPod 2016 logoOzPod 2016: the Australian Podcast Conference will take place on September 30, 2016. That date is a significant one because it is International Podcast Day. The conference will be at the ABC in Ultimo, Sydney.

OzPod 2016 will be a day for the media, advertising, and broadcast industries to escape the studio or office and meet with peers to discuss all the things that matter in the podcast world – distribution, recording, marketing, collaborating, revenue, talent development, and delivery.

Panel sessions will offer a detailed analysis of current Australian podcast audiences, approaches to measurement, audience acquisition and retention, how traditional media are incorporating podcasting into their broadcast offer, plus future business models and commercialization.

Some special guests have been announced:

* Richard Fidler – host of ABC’s Conversations with Richard Fidler

* Meshel Laurie – host of Meshel Laurie’s Nitty Gritty Committee

* Monique Bowley – director of podcasts at Mamamia

* Jon Tjhia – from Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre and Paper Radio Podcast

* Nick Quah – of Hot Pod

There will be a schedule, and more speakers, announced in coming months. OzPod 2016 is free to attend. Tickets are limited. You can register now for your opportunity to attend OzPod 2016.

Libsyn Partners with iHeartRadio

~ jen

Libsyn logoLibsyn announced at Podcast Movement 2016 that they have partnered with iHeartRadio. The addition of iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital music and streaming radio service with more than 85 million registered users, will expand Libsyn’s podcast distribution and audience reach. The agreement with iHeartRadio adds an industry leading digital media directory to the Libsyn publishing offering.

Additionally, iHeartRadio has more than 85 million social media followers across their network and the iHeartRadio app has been dowloaded more than a billion times. iHeartRadio’s expanded reach will enable podcast producers to attract a new large pool of listeners to their podcast content and grow their show audience.

The agreement with iHeartRadio adds an industry leading digital media directory to the Libsyn publishing offering. Libsyn has recently announced the addition of Google Play Music and Spotify, along with other publishing destinations including iTunes, Twitter, and Facebook, for a total of 20 different publishing destinations available to podcast producers.

iHeartRadio points out that the partnership with Libsyn means that thousands of new podcasts will soon be available on the iHeartRadio podcast platform, which already features thousands of shows and original programs.