Month: August 2016

ReCode is Seeking an Executive Producer of Podcasts

~ jen

ReCode logoReCode covers the intersection of business and tech with authority. It is part of Vox Media which builds smart brands people love in categories that people are passionate about. In addition to ReCode, Vox Media is also Polygon, Verge, Racked, and more.

ReCode is looking for an executive producer of podcasts and audio. The person who is hired will be based in either their New York or San Francisco office. The job involves leading ReCode’s efforts in audio journalism, including managing their slate of existing podcasts, creating new podcasts, experimenting with other audio formats and platforms, working with their internal and external revenue teams, and managing editorial, production, and distribution for their podcasts.

The job description points out that a good candidate will have a deep background in audio or will have worked in podcasting or radio, including reporting, editing, and production. However, an ideal candidate will have a deep background in audio and will have worked on a successful podcasting or broadcast operation, preferably news-driven or interview-driven.

Vox Media encourages candidates of all experience levels to apply. They say that if what they listed does not describe you perfectly, to please get in touch anyway and tell them why you want to work with them. It is a permanent, full time position, described as having excellent benefits.

Podbean Launched Podbean Advertising Marketplace

~ jen

Podbean logoPodbean launched the Podbean Advertising Marketplace. It is a service designed to help podcasters and advertisers to connect. The Podbean Advertising Markeplace aims to revolutionize podcast advertising.

It is free to join the Podbean Advertising Marketplace. The idea is that podcasters who join will find that the service is a simple way to earn money through sponsorship on their podcast. Advertisers can browse the selection of Podcasts that have joined and find the perfect podcast in which to place their ads.

Podcasters have the ability to accept ads that they feel will fit their shows. They can customize where the ads appear and have control over which episodes will contain ads. Podcasters can also decide which CPM rate they want. One interesting thing about the Podbean Advertising Marketplace is that it appears to give podcasters the ability to say “no” to ads that do not fit their show.

Advertisers will have podcasts recommended to them that match the advertiser’s criteria. Advertisers can also invite podcasts that they like. There is potential for a good match between a podcast and an ad to happen.

There is a tool on the Podbean Advertising Marketplace that podcasters can use to get an idea of how much they can earn through sponsorship on their podcast. Enter your estimated download information, and Podbean will let you know how much you could earn in a year. The tool on the Podbean website lets you choose how many ads to include in each episode, and if those ads will be pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll.

The Terms of Service specifically state that podcasters will always own the podcasts that they produce. It states that Podbean has no intention and will not own any of your podcasts or creative product.

Nexcast is a New Way to Podcast

~ jen

Building Nexcast logoNexcast is a podcast app and platform that wants to make podcasting better for everyone. They are sharing their journey (in the form of a podcast) as they are building Nexcast itself. Everything they do is going to be guided by feedback from the podcast community.

Their podcast is called Building Nexcast, and new episodes are released weekly. The podcast is currently in Season 1. The first episode is about what happened when Founder/CEO of Nexcast, Brian Sanders, went to Silicon Valley to pitch his company for the very first time. (Brian Sanders is also the host of the Building Nexcast podcast).

The Building Nexcast podcast follows the Nexcast team as they create a podcast app and platform that improves the podcasting experience for listeners and podcasters. The first 12 episodes take listeners on an adventure about the ups and downs of starting a business.

Nexcast is adding a whole new interactive world to their powerful podcast player. Everything you hear is clickable. You can use the Nexcast app to watch videos, see images, read more about something mentioned on a podcast, and even connect with the hosts of a podcast and the guests they featured on a specific episode.

Right now, Nexcast is accepting users who want early access to the app (and who want to help shape the product). To sign up, you need to give them your email address. Nexcast promises not to share your email.

One of the unique things about Nexcast is how transparent they are. In general, when a new podcast platform, or podcast app, appears – it lacks information about who is involved with it, or how it got made. Nexcast is making quite an effort to let listeners and podcasters know the whole story.

ART19 Launched a Podcast Platform

~ jen

Art19 logoART19 has launched a podcast platform with enhanced advertising and measurement capabilities. Midroll Media, DGital Media and Wondery are leveraging the platform’s advanced capabilities for dynamic ad insertion, audience targeting and listener measurement.

ART19 was founded by software entrepreneur Sean Carr and podcast producer Matt Belknap. ART19 is emerging from beta following eight months of extensive testing with more than 350 shows.

Midroll Media has begun using ART19 and Midroll will make ART19 its third-party hosting preferred provider. DGital Media is an audio engagement company whose partners include UFC, Recode Media, The Vertical Podcast Network, and more, has partnered with ART19 to host most of its content. Wondery specializes in mobile and on-demand audio story telling and has partnered with ART 19 for all of its scripted and unscripted shows.

New data from Wondery and comScore shows that people prefer ads in podcasts over any other digital medium. ART19’s targeting and measurement capabilities are helping brands leverage this engagement.

ART19’s benefits include:

* Dynamic Insertion of Host-Read Spots: ART19’s proprietary WarpFeed technology enables publishers to update back catalogs with fresh advertising; back catalogs comprise more than 50 percent of listening on some podcasts.

* Ad Targeting: ART19 enables delivery of different ads to different listeners of a podcast episode, even in iTunes

* APIs for Improved Audience Measurement: ART19 players and APIs offer vastly improved listening data relative to what is available in RSS, the distribution format that still dominates the space.

The Run-Up Covers the Rest of the Election

~ jen

The Run Up logoThere have been a lot of political podcasts created specifically to focus on this long, strange, trip of an election cycle that we are all going through. It is understandable that people would have a lot to say about this particular election. The Run-Up is a new political podcast that covers the last portion of the 2016 campaign as the candidates run up to the general election.

The Run-Up is a new political podcast from The New York Times. It is hosted by Michael Barbaro, a reporter for The New York Times who has been covering the 2016 campaign. The Run-Up is a twice-weekly election podcast that releases new episodes on Tuesdays and Fridays.

There are currently four episodes available to listen to, with more to come. This podcast is going to cover the last three months of the 2016 election. (The name of the podcast refers to the timespan between now and the general election). The Run-Up is the The New York Times’ first podcast that has launched since it hired Lisa Tobin as its first executive producer for audio.

The Run-Up will explore the major themes and issues of the 2016 election. It will, of course, discuss the latest news. It will also provide analysis and dispatches from The New York Times politics reporters, Opinion columnists and contributors, New York Times Magazine writers and The Upshot analysts. In addition, the podcast will feature interviews with some of the election’s key players.

Interestingly, The Run-Up is intended to be more than just a podcast from The New York Times. In a press release, Senior Editor for politics Carolyn Ryan said that The Run-Up will play a pivotal role in how The New York Times covers the election over the next three months.

Now Hear This Podcast Festival Includes 30 Live Podcasts

~ jen

Now Hear This Podcast Festival logoThe very first Now Hear This Podcast Festival will take place on October 28-30, 2016. The festival is presented by Midroll Media. Tickets are available now!

The Now Hear This Festival will feature over 30 podcasts, live, in one place. The festival will be held at the Anaheim Marriott, in Anaheim, California. There will be six stages that attendees can check out.

Featured Podcasts:

* Comedy Bang! Bang! – Scott Aukerman

* The Moth – Angela Lush & TJ McDonald

* Criminal – Pheoebe Judge & Lauren Spohrer

* WTF With Marc Maron – Marc Maron & Brendan McDonald

* Lore – Aaron Mahnke

* How Did This Get Made? – Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas & June Diane Raphael

* The Brilliant Idiots – Charlamagne Tha God & Andrew Schulz

* With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus – Lauren Lapkus

For the first time, Marc Maron will be joined live on stage by co-creator of WTF Brendan McDonald for a live conversation about what it took to make WTF. They will present a behind-the-scenes look at the podcast in way that has never been done before. They will also be taking questions from fans.

The Now Hear This Festival will include over 30 live podcast recordings. Some of them include:

* Cracked – Jack O’Brian

* Dear Prudence – Mallory Ortberg

* Crybabies – Susan Orlean and Sarah Thyre

* The Longest Shortest Time – Hillary Frank

* The Incomparable – Jason Snell

* I Was There Too – Matt Gourley

* Hello From the Magic Tavern – Adal Rifai, Arnie Nierkamp & Matt Young

Tickets are available now (Quantities are limited). There are three options to choose from. The 3 Day GA Pass includes general admission seating and access to all podcasts and exhibit floor. It costs $150.

The 3 Day VIP Pass costs $200. It includes speed-line access into all podcasts, reserved seating at select podcasts, meet & greet opportunity with select talent, and access to the exhibit floor.

The 3 Day Upgraded VIP Pass costs $280. It includes everything the 3 Day VIP Pass does, plus breakfast with select talent on October 30, VIP lounge with complimentary food and beverage, and 3 alcoholic beverage vouchers.

Katie Couric has a Podcast on Earwolf

~ jen

Katie Couric podcastKatie Couric has launched her very first podcast. It is simply called “Katie Couric” and it is on the Earwolf network.

Katie Couric began her journalism career as an assistant at the ABC network. She later reported for NBC and became coanchor of Today. She was named the first solo female anchor of CBS Evening News in 2006. More recently, in 2012, she became the host of the ABC talk show Katie, and has served as the global news anchor for Yahoo since 2014.

The Katie Couric podcast will feature Katie Couric as host and Brian Goldsmith as co-host. He is a political consultant at Yahoo News. The podcast will include interviews of the biggest names in news, politics, and popular culture.

Early episodes of the podcast include Democratic senator Al Franken; public opinion guru Frank Luntz; sportscaster Bob Costas; author Rebecca Traister, author and The New York Times editor Jonathan Weisman; and Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The podcast will also include the voices of their listeners.

The Katie Couric podcast currently has four episodes available right now. The most recent one features actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The podcast is available for streaming or download on iTunes, Stitcher, or Soundcloud.

NPR Partners with iHeartRadio for Distribution

~ jen

NPR logoNPR and iHeartMedia announced an agreement that will allow NPR’s Member stations to make their live News Talk programing available via iHeartRadio. This partnership enables NPR’s Member stations to get more distribution, and adds content to iHeartRadio.

The agreement allows more than 260 NPR Member stations to have the opportunity to stream their live programing on iHeartRadio, which is available across more than 80 unique device platforms including in-home entertainment, wearables, gaming consoles, enhanced audio dashboards, and more. iHeartRadio has over a billion app downloads, more than 85 million registered users and its network reaches more than 85 million social followers.

Put that all together, and the partnership gives NPR Member stations the ability to reach millions of new listeners worldwide. Part of the agreement is that all NPR Member stations that join iHeartRadio will have access to 50% of their individual iHeartRadio landing page’s digital banner inventory to encourage listeners to donate and directly support the station’s public programing.

Public radio fans can visit iHeartRadio.com to check out all available News Talk programing. iHeartRadio offers instant access to thousands of live radio stations from across the country, custom artist stations from a catalog of more than 24 million songs and 830,000 artists, on-demand podcasts and a feature called “My Favorites Radio”, which combines all of a listener’s favorite artist and thumbed up songs in one station.

Podster Holds “Best Undiscovered Podcast” Competition

~ jen

Podster LogoPodster Magazine has announced the Podster “Best Undiscovered Podcast” Competition. The contest is being hosted and run by Shelf Media Group. It is a competition that is open to podcasters worldwide.

Podcasts that are eligible to enter this contest must have an average of fewer than 1,000 downloads/listens per episode. The podcast must be done in English. Authors of the podcast must be at least 18 years of age at the time of entry.

The competition entry period began on June 1, 2016, and will end on November 15, 2016. Submissions to the competition will be accepted during the duration of that time period. Podcasters can enter by sending an email with a listening or download link of one episode of their podcast to podcasts@shelfmediagroup.com.

There is a $50 entry fee per podcast episode entered. The entry fee can be paid by PayPal (and it is also possible to pay by check). There is no limit to the number of episodes that an individual can enter. Each one will be considered a separate entry. This competition does not divide entries into genre categories.

The winner of the “Best Undiscovered Podcast” Competition will receive a full-page ad in a 2017 issue of Podster Magazine (described as “rate card value $1,000″). The winner will also receive an interview in a 2017 issue of Podster. Five finalists will receive editorial coverage in a 2017 issue of Podster. In addition, Podster will feature some “notable” podcasts that entered the competition in a 2017 issue of Podster.

People are Making Pokémon Go Podcasts

~ jen

Pokemon Go logoI was curious to see if there were any Pokémon Go podcasts out there, so I consulted Google. Some of the ones that popped up looked questionable, but I did manage to find some that look promising. I’ve been having a lot of fun playing Pokémon Go, and its is nice to see that players are making fan focused podcasts about the game.

The Pokémon Go podcasts in this list are all new to me – and I haven’t listened to any of them yet. None of these podcasts were created by Niantic or Nintendo. They are all fan podcasts.

* Pokémon Go Podcast became part of Giant Size Team Up earlier this month. The podcast is under the creative direction of Charles McFall (from The Helicarrier, and Breaking the Panel), and Brian Ibbot (from Coverville, and The Morning Stream).

The show is going to continue to feature legacy host Joseph Ard with Podastry founder Beau York credited as Executive producer. They’ve got four numbered episodes and a handful of preceding ones.

* Gotta Pokémon Go is hosted by Sarah & Laina. I wasn’t able to find any information about them, but can say that they have five episodes that were released about a week apart from each other. Consistency is a good thing, especially in a brand new podcast.

* PKMNcast has the catchphrase “It’s super effective!” It’s About Page says it has made it as high as the #2 most downloaded video game podcast on iTunes, and also can be found in the “What’s Hot” section and in the top 50 most listened to Games & Hobbies section on Stitcher Radio. PKMNcast is a weekly podcast for Pokémon fans.

Their most current episode is numbered 227. You can find podcast episodes and Pokémon related blog posts on their website.

* Pokémon Go Time Podcast started about a month ago, and their most recent episode was released this week. It features one person from Team Instinct, another person from Team Mystic, and a third person from Team Valor. The hosts share their experiences while playing Pokémon Go. It seems to me that this one is a community focused podcast.