Month: July 2019

The Washington Post to Launch Spanish Language Podcast

~ jen

The Washington post announced it is expanding its editorial offerings with the launch of two Spanish-language products to provide news and analysis for Spanish speakers in the U.S. and around the world. Beginning this fall, The Post will produce a twice-weekly podcast and create an online destination for original and translated Spanish-language Opinions content.

Produced from The Washington Post newsroom, the podcast will be hosted by Juan Carlos Iragorri, an Emmy award-winner Columbian journalist and author with more than 30 years of experience in print, radio and television. He will be joined by internationally renowned journalists Dori Toribio, Washington correspondent for Spain’s Mediaset, and Jorge Espinosa, radio journalist and podcast director of Columbia’s Caracol Radio.

The podcast will feature contributions from Post reporters and explain top news stories through a fresh, multicultural lens, allowing listeners to experience the intersection of Washington and the Spanish-speaking world.

In addition, the Washington Post is investing in a Spanish-language experience through a new Opinions initiative. A digital section under Opinions will offer columns in Spanish and translations as part of its Global Opinions offerings, providing timely commentary on news of interest to Spanish-speaking readers globally.

InsideRadio reported that the Washington Post’s Spanish-language podcast will be launched in September of 2019.

Stitcher Seeks a Partner Success Director

~ jen

Stitcher is seeking a Partner Success Director who will identify, plan and execute initiatives that build relationships with their podcast partners. They are looking for someone with a demonstrated passion for the media and podcast industry and how it intersects with both technology and the broader entertainment business.

This team functions as the entry point for how Partners interface with Stitcher’s internal operations.

What you’ll need:

  • BA/BS degree or higher
  • 7 to 10 years of experience in the podcast, broadcast media, audience engagement, talent management and/or business development
  • Experience working with creative talent in high stakes scenarios
  • Project management experience, with experience leading and handling multiple time-sensitive, cross-functional projects on deadline and with a great attention to detail
  • Communication and presentation experience, and experience summarizing issues
  • Experience working cross-functionally with all levels of management, both internally and externally

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience working in a changing environment
  • 1-2 years of talent agency experience, preferably with at least 1 year on a desk

Those who are interested in Stitcher’s Partner Success Director position can find out more details about it on the Scripps website where the job is listed. It is possible to apply for the job through the Scripps website – if you have a Scripps account (or want to make one).

TalkShoe has a Pop-Up Podcast Studio in Toronto

~ jen

TalkShoe announced that they have a pop-up podcast studio at Stackt Market in Toronto. They invite people to come and sit in their recording studio, which has a mic ready for you to express yourself. It is the perfect opportunity to try podcasting and see if you like it.

Talkshoe’s pop-up recording studio, which is inside a shipping container, was made in partnership with Remeyni House of Music and Electrovoice. The studio is outfitted with the latest and greatest equipment tailored to every podcaster’s need.

With a soundboard, headphones, speakers and computer system all hooked up and ready to go, the TalkShoe recording studio is made complete with heavy duty telescopic mic stands, and high quality, smooth sounding microphones provided by Remenyi and Electrovoice, respectively.

Talkshoe is a free all-in-one podcast platform that gives anyone the ability to produce, stream, record, host and share. The community-centric approach is the perfect place for people to learn more about the craft of podcasting and how to do it. Plus, it’s super simple.

Podcasters who want to give TalkShoe’s pop-up podcast studio a try can schedule a date and preferred time in TalkShoe’s calendar. Each session is 60-minutes with all the equipment at your fingertips to put out a hit podcast with top of the line gear. Every podcaster gets their picture taken and hung on the wall.

PRX Seeks a Digital Content Director

~ jen

PRX is seeking a Digital Content Director. It is a unique marketing opening at PRX. The person selected for this position must be willing to work in Boston, Massachusetts.

Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, the Digital Content Director leads a team of professionals in the strategic development and day-to-day management of PRX’s marketing content and digital platforms. The Director builds and executes marketing campaigns leveraging content as the key asset.

In addition to strong design and marketing campaign concepts, they will have solid understanding of how to navigate across PRX’s platforms across audiences including listeners, donors, potential partners, and media. This position is seated at the cross-section of digital/social content and marketing teams and its an integral role to forge new pathways for building awareness and driving conversations with PRX’s brands, especially around its Radiotopia Network.

PRX says that preference will be given to those candidates who can tangibly demonstrate successful experience building impactful digital campaigns for mission-driven organizations and thrives on understanding best practices and trends across digital channels.

Qualifications include:

  • 5-7 years of experience in content marketing or social media marketing
  • Deep understanding of digital and social media metrics
  • Experience in executing successful branded content campaigns, a plus
  • Knowledge of public media and podcasting
  • Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Digital media or relevant field
  • Good knowledge of Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Audacity or other media editing software

For more information about the PRX Digital Content Director position, including the requirements for the position, or to apply for the job, please visit the PRX want ad.

Spotify Acquires The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers

~ jen

The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers is now a Spotify Original. The podcast will also continue to be available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, YouTube, and other podcast platforms.

The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers counts down Rolling Store Magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time with comedians, actors, and musicians, using facts from the albums and song meanings as a road map to interview each guest. Previous guests include Bill Burr, Jim Jefferies, Wanda Sykes, Kevin Nealon, and Bert Kreischer, all sitting down with Josh to talk about the album and life.

The 500 describes itself in interesting ways. It is “the first Music Album Book Club representing the next decade of his life’s work talking to creatives about the greatest recorded music in history.” It also is the only podcast where you know when it will end, on May 31, 2028.

Hollywood Reporter says that Spotify acquired the nine-month-old Josh Adam Meyers-hosted show and is turning it into a Spotify Studios Original. The first episode to be released as a Spotify Original will be R.E.M.’s Document and will be streamed on Spotify beginning July 31, 2019.

Previously, Spotify launched Jemele Hill is Unbothered (hosted by Jemele Hill) as a Spotify Original. Topics include intersectionality between the worlds of sports, politics, music, identity and culture.

The Joe Budden Podcast is also on Spotify. This show is a go-to listen for hip-hop and rap culture enthusiasts. It is hosted by Joe Budden, and co-hosted by Rory and Mal. They discuss hip-hop music and news, conduct interviews with artists and cultural luminaries, and touch base on cultural events.

Revision Path Podcast Selected for the Smithsonian’s NMAAHC

~ jen

Episodes of the award winning Revision Path have been selected for the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). This is the first podcast that has been acquired for the museum’s permanent collection.

The weekly interview podcast was launched in February 2013 by entrepreneur, web designer, and host Maurice Cherry, to showcase some of the best Black designers from all over the world. Over the past six-plus years, the show has released over 300 episodes and has gotten over 225,000 downloads worldwide.

Guests have includes graphic designers, web designers, software developers, creative and art directors, illustrators and animators. On each episode, listeners hear their stories, processes, experiences, insights, and the creative inspirations of these creators.

The eleven episodes selected for NMAAHC’s collection are:

  • Gail Anderson, Educator, Designer, Author and Creative Director
  • Hannah Beachler, Academy Award-winning Production Designer
  • Darhil Crooks, Creative Director
  • Jon Daniel, Creative Director
  • Emory Douglas, Former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party
  • Cheryl D. Miller, Visual Artist, Designer, Author and Theologian
  • Andrea Pippins, Artist, Educator, Designer and Author
  • Dori Tunstall, Dean, Faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto
  • Craig L. Wilkins, Architect, Author and Academic
  • Hadiya Williams, Art Director
  • The Design of Black Panther, a roundtable discussion.

Revision Path podcast releases episodes every Monday at 10 am ET and is available for free on all major podcast platforms. Revision Path is part of the Glitch Media Network.

Southern California Public Radio Launched LAist

~ jen

Southern California Public Radio has launched a new podcast division called LAist Studios. Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) is a member-supported public media network that operates across the region, reaching from Santa Barbara, down to Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and out to the Coachella Valley.

LAist Studios makes shows for the new mainstream. Our listeners are diverse and inclusive, people who crave stories and conversations from a multitude of voices. LAist Studios was created in 2019 in Pasadena, California. We’re part of Southern California Public Radio, which has run hundreds of regional and national awards for its audio storytelling.

LAist Studios says it won’t be limited by geography. “LA is a state of mind, not just a city, and our work will be made by and for people of all description around the country and the globe.” Right now, LAist is seeking your best and most creative ideas for new podcasts, new talents, and new brands.

Here are some criteria they want you to consider:

  • We will serve and feature the New Mainstream, the diverse and inclusive populations of LA (and that LAs around America) – young, underrepresented and attracted to stories and conversations from a multitude of voices. This is the first priority.
  • We will also make work for and about the LA-minded, those who look to the West for energy, inspiration, progress, and a sense of purpose.
  • We love ideas and people with big ambitions. So bring us your best thinking about what to create for the large and hungry audiences listening to multiple podcasts every week.
  • Don’t be afraid to break molds and invent new ones. Boom and busts define the California experience and we want to work with Angelenos who aren’t afraid to invent their own realities.
  • We’re looking for talented people who embody LA. So bring ideas with texture and grit and a possibilities beyond one short series. Think ongoing series. Think multiple seasons.

Those who find this interesting can submit a pitch to LAist Studios by filling out a form on their website.

Apple Changes Categories on Apple Podcasts

~ jen ~ 2 Comments

Apple announced that they are adding top-level categories, such as Fiction, History, and True Crime, this summer, as well as dozens of new subcategories. Podcasters may want to read Apple’s list to see if their shows will be affected by the changes.

PodNews put together a detailed list of the changes to the podcast categories. Their list is the updated July categories, which were slightly changed from the original announcements. I’m not going to copy their entire list here, but will point out some categories that have been removed.

The entire Games & Hobbies category has been removed and renamed Leisure. As a result, the following subcategories have been removed: Automotive, Aviation, Hobbies, Other Games, Video Games. (Automotive, Aviation, Hobbies, and Video Games have been moved to Leisure.)

The entire Government & Organizations category has been removed and renamed Government. As a result, the following subcategories have been removed: Local, National, Non-Profit, Regional.

The News & Politics category has been removed and renamed News. Politics is one of the subcategories in the renamed News section.

The entire Sports & Recreation category has been removed and renamed Sports. Under the Sports category, the following subcategories have been removed: Amateur, College & High School, Professional, Outdoor.

In the Technology Category, Gadgets has been removed. Tech News has been removed and placed under the News Category in a subcategory called Tech News. Podcasting has been removed. Software How To has been removed and placed under the Education category in a subcategory called How To.

UPDATE: According to The Simplecast Blog, Apple is not removing the entire Technology category. It is, however, removing all of the subcategories that were under it. That includes the subcategory called podcasting.

Cosmopolitan Launched a Podcast with Tinder

~ jen

Cosmopolitan and Tinder have teamed up to make a branded podcast called Single, Swipe, Repeat. It launched on June 24, 2019. At the time I am writing this blog post, there have been 9 episodes released.

On June 24, Tinder and Cosmopolitan launched “Single, Swipe, Repeat,” a branded podcast about dating, hosted by Cosmopolitan relationships director Faye Brennan. Cosmopolitan will promote the show across its surfaces, including its owned and operated properties, its social channels and its magazine; a full-page ad promoting the show appears in the current print issue.

Digiday reported that Cosmopolitan was paid a flat fee to produce the show. Moving forward, Cosmopolitan hopes Single, Swipe, Repeat, along with their own strong digital reach, will put them in a position to make more podcasts, in-house. Cosmopolitan hired an outside production company to make Single, Swipe, Repeat.

Digiday also reported that in 2016, Tinder connected with Gimlet Creative (Gimlet’s brand studio) to produce a show called DTR: Define the Relationship which ran for two seasons.

Episode 1 of Single, Swipe, Repeat features Polly Rodriguez, CEO & cofounder of a sexual wellness company called Unbound. She and host Faye Brennan talk about Polly Rodriguez’s time spent as Senate intern, and they also discuss power dynamics in relationships.

Episode 9, (the most recently released episode as of the time I am writing this post), features musician Bryce Vine, who muses on his experiences living and loving in Los Angeles. The episode also includes two Tinder uses, one who talks about a date that ran away from her, and another who discusses loneliness.

Spreaker’s Trim and Crop Tool Got Better

~ jen

Spreaker announced that their podcast trim and crop tool just got better. The feature was released in early May for Spreaker Studio. It gives iOS and Android users the ability to edit their podcast recordings while on the move.

In our continuing quest to improve Spreaker and the podcast editing software we offer – we have now updated our podcast editing tools to allow trimming and cropping of saved drafts and imported files. Granting maximum podcasting flexibility for our users.

Spreaker notes that you may not think this is a big change, and provided a few scenarios where this update will be particularly handy.

  • You are recording but don’t have time to edit and polish up your podcast ready for publishing. Save your draft and come back to it when you do have time.
  • You have recorded some audio somewhere else that you want to include in your next show. Now, you can import these files, trim and crop to your heart’s desire, and then publish them when you are ready.
  • If you make your own music, you can import something you recorded, edit it, and add it is your backing track to your new episode.

To get started using the newly updated trim and crop tool, Spreaker suggests that you open the drafts section in the Spreaker app and select an old draft you have already saved. Or, you can import something you’ve recorded somewhere else.

Spreaker has added an import button on to the Spreaker Studio drafts section so you can directly upload files you have saved on your phone. Once your file is imported, you can crop and trim it as you would any other file you’ve recorded directly on Spreaker Studio.