Month: December 2017

Midroll Media Seeks Production Coordinator

~ jen

Midroll Media is the world’s largest pure-play podcast media company. They started out as Earwolf, a pioneering comedy podcast network. The Midroll brand distributes and monetizes major podcasts such as WTF with Marc Maron, The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Nerdist and Star Talk Radio. Midroll Media is seeking a Production Coordinator.

We’re hiring a Production Coordinator to oversee studio operations and ensure recording logistics run smoothly. In this position, you’ll coordinate the efforts of the production and ad sales teams in creating great content and getting it into the ears of our fans. You’ll be the regular point of contact for many of our hosts and the first face guests see when they arrive at our studios.

Some responsibilities include:

  • Oversee studio operations and act as concierge to incoming guests and hosts
  • Booking shows in Earwolf Studio Calendar
  • Update official Earwolf release calendar each week
  • Perform various housekeeping and administrative duties including: Keeping office and studio tidy; well-organized and professional-looking; set-up and breakdown of studio between sessions; offering water and coffee to guests & hosts.
  • Work with engineers and producers to upload air checks, backup files and other admin duties related to show production
  • Take photos during and after recordings, archive and edit them for use on our website and social
  • Work with content team to assist hosts with ad copy, ad sales, ad inventory, scheduling, promotion, other projects

Some qualities that Midroll is looking for in applicants include:

  • A knowledge and love of Earwolf podcasts
  • An understanding of audio production
  • Strong project management and organizational skills
  • The ability to prioritize quickly based on changing priorities and business needs
  • Willing to work non-traditional hours when necessary

Please visit the Scripps website to read more details about the Production Coordinator position.

Podcaster Combat Jack has Passed Away

~ jen

Reggie Ossé, who was better known as Combat Jack, was the host of The Combat Jack Show. It was part of Loud Speakers Network. Reggie Ossé died at the age of 53. The cause of death was complications of colon cancer.

A description of The Combat Jack Show on Loud Speakers Network says:

The Combat Jack Show feat. Dallas is weekly online radio show comprised of a diverse array of personalities with an overall love and appreciation for hip hop culture, fashion, music, and current events. The show is helmed by Combat Jack and his co-host Dallas Penn, whose personalities add for an always entertaining show experience for the guests and listeners. With over 60 plus shows, thousands of downloads and online views this is only the beginning. “It don’t ever stop.” #Newmanati

The New York Times reported that Reggie Ossé was one of the founders of the Loud Speakers Network. Previously, he was a lawyer at Def Jam at a time when hip hop was young. After walking away from the entertainment industry, he worked as a blogger under the pseudonym Combat Jack. In 2010, he used the name Combat Jack as a podcaster.

NPR reported that “The Combat Jack Show started on a lark – with a crazy crew of sidemen including Dallas Penn, Premium Pete, an occasional Just Blaze, DJ Benhameen and producer A-King – on its way to becoming a pioneering hip-hop podcast.” The show included some of the rawest and rarest hip-hop interviews.

In addition to the The Combat Jack Podcast, Reggie Ossé produced and hosted the groundbreaking podcast Mogul: The Life & Death of Chris Lighty which is on Gimlet. The series is about hip-hop industry executive Chris Lighty, and it was hip-hop’s first serial narrative podcast when it debuted on Spotify.

Another Round has Parted Ways with BuzzFeed

~ jen

Another Round is hosted by Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton. It started in 2015 and was one of the BuzzFeed podcasts. In a tweet that was posted on the Another Round verified Twitter account, it was announced that Another Round is parting ways with BuzzFeed.

The tweet was posted on the Another Round podcast on December 20, 2017.

Here are some key parts of the statement:

Due to strategic changes at BuzzFeed, Another Round is parting ways with the company in 2018. We were surprised and initially disappointed to hear of these changes, but fortunately, we were offered ownership of the show.

Naturally, we accepted. This whole thing started as an experiment in a “studio” made of pillows and blankets swiped from around the office and it grew into a space of acceptance and self-care for those who need it, a place to duck into and laugh when the world is too much, and a stage where the overlooked and silenced can see themselves and their stories reflected at long last. The world needs spaces like these now more than ever because in these tough times it’s community that will get us through, and the amazing community that we’ve all built together is too meaningful for us to walk away from.

Fans of Another Round can listen to the latest episode to hear a few more details about this change. Don’t unsubscribe from the podcast feed. All future updates will appear there.

Podclipper Makes Podcasts Sharable

~ jen

Podclipper is a software product that podcasters can use to create clips from their podcasts. The clips are easily sharable on social media, which potentially could get the attention of new listeners.

Podclipper leverages your transcripts to enable your listeners to share their favorite segments in bite-size pieces.

Podclipper makes your podcast inherently sharable and lowers the barrier to engagement with your content.

Podcasters who use Podclipper can customize its theme to match their own brand. It has a theme builder feature. The clips can easily be shared to social media in an eye-catching card format. Podclipper’s proprietary technology automatically syncs your transcript and audio.

One interesting thing that Podclipper can do is repurpose your transcripts as a sharing engine for audience growth. Using a transcription service can be expensive, so it makes sense to get as much use out of your transcripts as you can. You will need to supply Podclipper with your transcripts – but do not need to supply them with timecodes.

Podcasters can make use of a 30-day free trial of the Podclipper Classic plan to get a feel of how it works and to see how well it grows your audience. After the free trial ends, there are three plans you can subscribe to: Minimal ($29/month), Classic ($49/month) and Unlimited ($99/month). Visit the Podclipper website for more information.

IAB Released Version 2.0 of the Podcast Measurement Guidelines

~ jen

IAB published the Podcast Measurement Guidelines last year. Those guidelines provided the first true industry-wide guidelines for measuring ad deliveries in podcasts. This year, IAB published the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines Version 2.0.

The new guidelines provide a recommended process for generating audience and downloading metrics, with information on:

  • Filtering for uniqueness
  • Eliminating pre-load requests
  • Eliminating potential bots and bogus requests
  • Applying thresholds for what gets counted
  • And more best practices.

The Version 2.0 guidelines are long and detailed and well worth reading. The document was developed by the IAB Tech Lab Podcast Technical Working Group, which was led by Steve Mulder (NPR) and Amit Shetty (IAB Tech Lab) The Group included:

  • Acast Stories USA
  • AdGear Technolgies, Inc.
  • AdLarge Media
  • Adswizz Inc
  • Art19
  • Audible.com
  • BlogTalkRadio
  • CBS Local
  • Cox Media Group
  • Cyber Communications Inc.
  • Digital Advertising Consortium Inc.
  • DoubleVerify
  • ESPN.com
  • Libsyn
  • Midroll Media
  • Minnesota Public Radio
  • NPR
  • New York Public Radio
  • Nielsen
  • Pacific Content
  • Pandora
  • PodcastOne
  • Podtrac
  • RawVoice/Blubrry
  • RhythmOne
  • Sizmek
  • Slate
  • Triton Digital
  • Westwood One
  • WideOrbit
  • Wondery

The Last Mixed Tape Seeks a Podcaster

~ jen

The Last Mixed Tape is an independent Irish music blog based in Dublin and run by music editor/critic Stephen White. The Last Mixed Tape (TLMT) is dedicated to bringing you all the latest news, reviews and interviews from bands and artists working in Ireland at the moment. Now, TLMT is seeking a podcaster.

There isn’t a ton of information about this. A blog post on TLMT says:

With 2018 and the Last Mixed Tape’s fifth year just over the horizon, TLMT is making plans and looking for a podcaster.

A new podcast will be the latest edition to TLMT in year five, a podcast that will need a host…

So, if you have a passion for music, feel you understand the Last Mixed Tape and its outlook on the Irish music scene, can talk and can put up with listening to me waffle on and on for hours on end. Then I want to hear from you!

Those who are interested in this opportunity, and who would like to know more details, can email Stephen White at the email address listed in that blog post. He would like you to make the email have the title “podcast”. This could turn out to be an interesting experience for someone who is already a fan of TLMT.

Descript Edits Audio by Editing Text

~ jen

Descript launched in December of 2017. Descript has a team of 8 people based in San Francisco, and is run by Andrew Mason, the former founder and CEO of Groupon. The Descript app can edit audio by editing text.

In a sentence: Descript is a new type of audio editor that lets you edit audio by editing text (instead of waveforms).

That means it does transcription (both automated and human-powered, whichever you prefer), but more interestingly, it lets you move the audio around by simply editing the transcript.

If you’re new to editing audio, you’ll find it much more intuitive than cutting up waveforms – its basically like using a word processor. If you’re experienced, Descript is faster than waveform editing – and more fun.

Key Features:

  • Audio Word Processing: View voice audio files as text instead of waveforms – and then edit the audio by editing text.
  • Transcription: Fast, cheap, and accurate
  • Web Publishing and Commenting: Publish your project to the web and share the link so colleagues can listen and leave comments on your interactive transcript.
  • Waveform Editor: For fine-tuned trims and crossfades, Descript has a full-featured waveform editor. It’s got something you won’t find anywhere else – the Word Bar Just grab a word tab to add/remove silence between words.

Descript offers two different plans: Descript Free, and Descript Standard.  Descript Free is for occasional transcribers that don’t need to edit audio. It costs 15 cents a minute (with no monthly fee). Features include: Audio editing runs in demo mode; 30 minutes of free transcription; and Web collaboration.

Descript Standard is for frequent transcribers or people who edit audio. It cost 7 cents a minute. The monthly fee is usually $20, but an Early Adopter Discount is available now, making it $10 per month.

Apple has Acquired Pop Up Archive

~ jen

Apple logoNicholas Quah reported in his Hot Pod Newsletter on Nieman Lab earlier this month that Apple has acquired Pop Up Archive. It was the parent company of Audiosear.ch. Both of them shut down on November 29, 2017.

Pop Up Archive focused on building tools to transcribe, organize, and search audio files. Audiosear.ch was among Pop Up Archive’s suite of tools. Audiosear.ch was its podcast search engine. Nicholas Quah shared the following insight:

That said, I’m pretty sure you can put two and two together with what’s on paper: Apple, long the dominant hands-off steward of the podcast universe, has acquired a technology dedicated to increasing the knowability and sortability of the hundreds of thousands of shows distributed through its Apple Podcast platform. This, as you can imagine, has widespread implications for the ecosystem.

Exactly how Apple will use its newly acquired tools is unclear, or if they are already using them in some “behind-the-scenes” way. I searched for a press release from Apple about this acquisition, but was unable to locate one.

Spreaker has a New Spreaker Podcast Radio Widget

~ jen

Spreaker introduced their new Spreaker Podcast Radio home screen widget. The widget will display an array of podcasts, even when your phone is locked.

Your tried and true podcasts will be clearly laid out for you and each will be readily accessible with just a tap, right from your home screen. It’ll save you swipes and time, especially when you’re multitasking between your workout, emails, and instant messages. An improved and personalized listening experience lets you keep your flow as you go through all your to do’s, without missing a beat.

The widget will display your podcasts in two sections. The top half will show the podcasts that you listen to the most. Tap on any one of them and you’ll be prompted to unlock your phone. As soon as you do, the Spreaker Podcast Radio app will open up automatically to that very podcast.

Below it, the widget will list your most recently downloaded episodes. Tap on any of those, and you will be prompted to unlock your phone. This time, you will be automatically brought to a list of whatever you last downloaded.

Quick Actions are another feature of the Spreaker Podcast Radio widget. They are shortcuts that get you to different kinds of content in a snap. By touching and holding (on Android) or 3D touching (on iOS) Spreaker Podcast Radio’s app icon, you will be able to begin a new search, open the Listen Later playlist, or open the Downloads playlist.

Quick Actions are available to all iOS users. Quick Actions are only available to Android users with Android 7.1 and above (Nougat).

Alpha Voice Seeks Podcast Producer

~ jen

Alpha Voice converts your audio files into an interactive voice experience. It enables podcasters and marketers to instantly experiment on emerging audio channels. Alpha Voice is seeking a Podcast Producer.

We have an excellent opportunity for a skilled Podcast Producer to join the Creative Team at Alpha Voice. In this role you’ll ideate and conceptualize with our team on new show opportunities and productions. Our initial concept is an interview based podcast that captures the interests of our customers, marketers, and podcasters, and which also captures our journey as a company and your journey as a full time podcaster.

The role as a Podcast Producer combines storytelling, copywriting, and audio production. Alpha Voice describes a successful candidate as someone who “will help to oversee and create the highest quality production, from project inception to delivery and beyond.”

Responsibilities include:

  • Partner with their team on Podcast production
  • Drive show production from inception through post mortem
  • Direct captures and interviews
  • Ideate and conceptualize with partner teams on new show opportunities and productions
  • Drive copywriting and audio production needs
  • Identify and secure additional creative partners when appropriate
  • Edit audio content to fulfill creative vision
  • Review and vet incoming requests
  • Organize workflow and define key success metrics.

For full details, please visit the ad on the Audio Voice website.