Month: October 2023

Social Impact Leader & Osiris Media Co-Founder RJ Bee Named Executive Director Of Heritage Radio Network

~ jen

The Board of Directors of Heritage Radio Network (HRN) has named RJ Bee as its next Executive Director. Bee’s appointment follows a national search led by Koya Partners, the executive recruiting firm focused on mission-driven leadership. As Executive Director, Bee will lead all aspects of HRN, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit media organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of farmers, chefs, servers, activists, and entrepreneurs working to improve the food system. Founded in 2009, HRN has provided more than 80 podcasts with a diverse array of hosts and topics.

“RJ’s experience creating outstanding content that inspires audiences and builds community makes him the ideal choice to be HRN’s next Executive Director”, said Liza Hamm, Chair of NRN’s Board of Directors. “His passion for HRN and his entrepreneurial spirit will help drive a new wave of growth and impact for HRN and for the broader food system.”

RJ is the co-founder of Osiris Media, the largest independent podcast network focused on music. As co-founder, Bee led a team of 15 audio music industry professionals in all aspects of content creation, revenue generation, and organizational development. Under his leadership, Osiris has grown to reach hundreds of thousands of fans per month.

In addition to his work at Osiris, RJ served as Senior Vice President of Hattaway Communications, leading day to day operations at the firm, including client service, business development, strategy and operational leadership. At Hattaway, he led the design and execution of communications strategies for such mission driven organizations as City Year, the Ford Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and USAID. In collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation, he also created the Storytelling for Good platform, a multi-year initiative to enhance the storytelling capacity of advocates working on a range of issues around the globe, including agriculture and food issues.

Most recently, RJ has served as Director of Operations for Global Situation Room, a public relations firm specializing in thought-leadership and crisis communications strategies, including issue advocacy campaigns, podcast and content creation, and event planning.

“I couldn’t be more excited by the chance to lead HRN in this next chapter,” said Bee. “I’ve long admired HRN’s podcasts. There’s never been a more important time to elevate the voices, issues, and forces shaping our footways and food systems, and I look forward to working with the HRN community to grow our reach and our impact in the years ahead.

Podchaser Brings Radio’s Relied-On Airchecks Feature For Podcast Advertisers

~ jen

Podchaser, the podcast industry’s intelligence engine, announced Airchecks to provide advertisers with a deeper understanding of podcast ad campaigns. More specifically, Airchecks leverages a sophisticated machine learning algorithm to identify keywords and patterns in the audio waveform. These transcriptions and insights are then made available to media buyers and planners to not only confirm that their ad ran across the intended podcast, but also to quickly understand the brand positioning and representation within the ad by the podcaster to help inform current and future campaigns.

For advertisers, airchecks have long been a staple of radio campaigns and have become a relied upon source for measurement as well as planning. As the podcast landscape continues to mature from increased investments, advertisers are still lacking scalable and standardized measurement to inform their continued spend. In fact, according to Nielsen, nearly half (49%) of global marketers plan to increase their spending on podcasts over the next year but only 44% are extremely or very confident in being able to measure return on their investments. Now, with Airchecks, advertisers using Podchaser Pro have access to even more insights that enable them to forge connections with these tuned-in audiences.

“Podcast advertising is reaching such scale that many brands are now buying across hundreds or even thousands of podcasts at a time. The industry has been calling out for a scalable way to discover and track these. With Airchecks, our Podcaster Pro users are able to quickly discover, listen to, and learn from podcast ads through voice transcription technology,” said Bradley Davis, CEO of Podchaser. “Having access to this data is not only a powerful validation tool for in-progress campaigns, but also yields crucial insights for planning future campaigns.”

Airchecks is currently in beta across the top 5,000 podcasts and is the latest feature to be added to the Podchaser Pro suite of podcast data, insights, and planning tools for advertisers and media planners. Podchaser Pro also includes powerful insights on audience reach, listener demographics, brand safety, and much more.

This news comes on the heels of Podchaser’s recent Predictive Demographics launch, which is an industry-first predictive language modeling capability that users AI to analyze the language spoken within a podcast to predict the age and gender of its likely audience.

To learn more about Airchecks and Podchaser Pro, please visit http://features.podchaser.com/pro/ or email Cole Raven at cole@podchaser.com.

Chip and Joanna Gains’ Blind Nil Media Team Up With The Roost Podcast Network; Launch Blind Nil Audio

~ jen

Chip & Joanna Gains’ Blind Nil Media and The Roost Podcast Network, a Rooster Teeth and Warner Bros Discovery division, announced their new partnership to build a new podcast network, Blind Nil Audio. The Texas-based media companies launched this new network with two debut programs on October 11, 2023.

Joanna and Chip Gaines are taking Blind Nil Media to the next level by venturing into podcasting. This new podcast network will feature inspiring and empowering content that will inform, entertain, and catalyze new ways of thinking to expand perspectives and bring people together.

“We believe in the power of storytelling and are excited to explore new formats with this platform,” said Chip and Joanna Gains, Co-Founders of Blind Nil Media. “The Roost has done incredible things in podcasts and we’re thrilled to bring our teams together to see what new voices and stories there are to share with the world.”

Aligned with their tag, “stories that elevate, voices to celebrate,” the network will feature enriching content that brings people together. Premier programming includes 50 Fires: A Conversation of Money and Meaning, where Carl Richards hosts hard conversations that will make people laugh, cry, and most importantly, navigate the complexities of money while uncovering the profoundly personal nature of our financial choices, and the long-running series This Morning Walk, an enlightening podcast hosted by Libby DeLana and Alex Elle that motivates listeners with the power of an everyday walk.

“Chip and Joanna have a distinct vision for programming that will resonate with their community and welcome more listeners,” said AJ Feliciano, head of the Roost Podcast Network. “As a Texan myself, I appreciate their dedication to building a storytelling platform that will support the thriving podcast industry in the state. I am excited to see what we can create together.”

Rooster Teeth has produced podcasts since 2005 and established The Roost as a top 10 podcast network connecting creators and personalities with brands that understand them. Rooster Teeth is continuously innovating talent-driven production across mediums and models, and this partnership marks The Roost’s first collaboration on a podcast network brand.

The Roost will provide Blind Nil Media access to its industry-leading sales team, whose main priority is to drive audience-building opportunities through its ad sales services across video and audio distribution platforms. The Roost provides a range of distribution and promotional services, including ad sales, custom content integrations, exclusive podcast productions, content marketing, and connections with blue-chip advertisers and direct-to-consumer goods and services.

About The Roost

Positioned inside Rooster Teeth and representing more than 370MM monthly impressions across its creator network, The Roost is a top 10 network that connects quality podcast creators with the advertisers who understand them best. The network cultivates independent creator brands that align with Rooster Teeth’s community-first approach, generating revenue with its turn-key sales, production, marketing, e-commerce, events, and distribution infrastructure. The Roost reaches millennial and Gen Z audiences across all platforms where they watch or listen to podcasts, including video platforms like YouTube and Rooster Teeth apps.

About Blind Nil Media

With a name based on Spades, a game of high-risk, high-reward, Blind Nil is a Texas-based production studio that goes all-in on its creativity. With an eye for influential storytelling, the brand has produced titles such as “Fixer Upper: Welcome Home,” “First Time Fixer”, “Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines”, Handcrafted Hotels” and more. 

Blind Nil is a central-Texas based production studio with a variety of titles, including “Art in Bloom with Helen Dealtry.”

Founded in 2019, we’ve grown as a trusted partner across the content landscape. Embracing dynamic, entertaining and inspiring storytelling, Blind Nil projects encompass broadcast, streaming, banded content, commercials, and podcasts.

Gemini XIII Announces Chris Long As Chief Revenue Officer

~ jen

Gemini XIII, a leading provider of audio entertainment and advertising solutions, announced today the appointment of Chris Long as Chief Revenue Officer. In this role, Long will be responsible for driving revenue growth across all of its business segments, including United Stations Radio Networks (USRN), the Gemini XIII Podcast Network, as well as digital partnerships and creative services at Infinite Agency.

Long brings 20 years of experience in the media industry to Gemini XIII, having held senior sales and leadership positions at Dial Global, Pandora and most recently as Regional Vice President of Sales at SXM Media. He is known for his deep understanding of the national audio market, his ability to develop and execute innovative sales strategies, and his proven track record of success.

“Chris is a highly respected and experienced sales leader. His expertise and track record will be invaluable as we continue to grow our business and expand our reach,” said Spencer Brown, CEO of Gemini XIII.

“I’m really looking forward to joining Spencer, Charles and the growing Gemini XIII team to be a part of what they are building. The audio entertainment and advertising space continues to grow and evolve which puts Gemini XIII in a position to create unique custom opportunities that will bring value to our clients and partners,” said Long.

Long will be based in Gemini XIII’s Dallas offices.

Sounder And Broadway Podcast Network Forge Pioneering Collaboration To Elevate Theater Podcasting

~ jen

Sounder, the AI-powered audio intelligence platform, announced a new collaboration with Broadway Podcast Network (BPN), the premier digital storytelling destination for everyone, everywhere who loves theater and performing arts. This collaboration promises to transform the theater podcasting landscape, opening new horizons for content creators, advertisers, and theater enthusiasts alike.

BPN, renowned for its exceptional theater-rooted podcasts has been a driving force behind the expansion of performing arts-related audio content. Sounder, with its state-of-the-art technology and data-driven approach, has carved a niche that serves to heighten capabilities for precision targeting in podcast monetization. BPN and Sounder aim to bring a better experience for both the listeners & brands, which will drive more fruitful and deeper engagement across the board.

This partnership will yield a host of exciting benefits, including but not limited to:

Monetization Empowerment: BPN will benefit from Sounder’s robust monetization tools by providing greater insight into content packaging options while preserving the integrity of the listener experience.

Advanced Analytics and Targeting: Advertisers will benefit from sophisticated analytics and precise targeting capabilities, ensuring their campaigns reach the most relevant theater-living audiences.

“Broadway Podcast Network is thrilled to join forces with Sounder, a technology pioneer in the podcasting industry,” said Dori Berinstein, Co-Founder and CEO of BPN. “Our mission is to connect theater enthusiasts with the content they love, and this partnership allows us to do so on an unprecedented scale.”

Sounder’s Vice President of Sales and Client Success, Brittany Hall, added “We are excited to work with Broadway Podcast Network, the supreme listening destination for theater podcasting. Together, we will materially expand opportunities for advertisers and theater aficionados alike.”

The partnership between BPN and Sounder signifies a momentous leap forward for theater podcasting, promising an abundance of new opportunities for content creators, advertisers, and the dedicated theater-loving audience.

Jen Oldershaw Appointed To Key ABC Listen Role

~ jen

The ABC is pleased to announce the appointment of top radio executive and former triple j presenter Jen Oldershaw as the ABC listen head.

Oldershaw brings to the role extensive experience across public and commercial radio broadcasting. Rising to prominence early in her career as a presenter on triple j and later a producer, Oldershaw was a founding member of Nova 969 and Vega 95.3 (now Smooth FM), implementing significant strategic projects as part of these networks.

ABC listen is a strategic priority for the ABC and go-to for audiences to live stream their favorite stations, listen to Australia’s top podcasts and keep up to date on with news.

“I’m excited to be taking on such an important role with ABC listen. It’s already the home to so much great ABC audio and I’m looking forward finding ways to get that into the ears of as many people as possible,” Oldershaw said.

In 2015, Oldershaw returned to the ABC as Content Director at Radio Sydney, managing program teams across linear, digital and social. In her most recent role as National Content Editor of Capital City Radio, she commissions national content, drives network strategy projects and collaborates with the broader ABC business on tentpole events.

Reporting to Head Digital Content and Innovation, Angela Stengel, Oldershaw commences in the ABC listen role on October 31. 

Stengel said: “I am delighted that Jen has chosen ABC listen for her next career move. Jen’s experience has traversed brands, taking her from music to talk, and from young to broad audiences.

“ABC listen is a priority product as we transition to become a digital-first media organization and Jen’s content expertise is driven by a commitment to quality, a deep understanding of the craft, and the ability to draw insights from data. These skills are vital to the next evolution of ABC listen.”

About Jen Oldershaw

Jen Oldershaw is a media professional with a career spanning 30 years in the radio industry as a content maker, manager and most recently National Content Editor of the Capital City Network where she commissions content for the national network, collaborates across the ABC for major projects as well as initiating and driving network strategy for Local Radio.

She has a long association with the ABC having started her career as presenter on triple j at the very beginning of its national expansion. She presented and produced many programs on the network including Breakfast, Drive and the Morning Show, where she hosted important conversations on current cultural affairs for the national youth audience. More recently as Content Director of ABC Sydney she managed all broadcast, digital and social teams and content for the station.

Overshaw saw the birth of two new radio networks as a founding member of both Nova 969 and Vega 95.3 (now Smooth FM) in doing so was highly involved in their early strategic visions, successes and challenges. Away from the day to day of radio, as AFTRS Radio Lecturer she was part of a small team delivering highly focussed and practical industry training to the new generation of content makers.

Podcasts Launch On YouTube Music In The UK

~ jen

YouTube has launched a Podcasts destination page on YouTube Music in the UK, which will provide an expansion as to how users can consume podcasts.

Users will have the ability to watch and listen to podcasts on YouTube Music without requiring a paid membership, pivoting between an audio and audiovisual experience with the ability to background listen on the go.

Audiences will also be able to background listen (listen even if the app is not open) to their favorite podcasts in YouTube Music and download episodes for offline consumption. These features are available to all users where podcasts have launched in YouTube Music. Background play was previously a feature exclusive to YouTube Premium which we’re now allowing free exclusively for podcasts.

Podcasts will be surfaced across a variety of options within YouTube Music – dedicated podcast discovery pages, search and filter capabilities and users will be able to create their own libraries.

YouTube is already a successful audio platform for music and podcasts, and with the launch of podcasts in YouTube Music, consumers can listen to their favorite podcasts on YouTube in a listen-centric experience. Creators can either upload audio content with a static image, with a dynamic image, or a full video. Later this year, we’ll offer support for creators to directly submit their RSS feeds to YouTube to distribute to audio podcasts.

Alison Lomax, YouTube UK Lead, said: “We’re thrilled to be launching podcast in the UK on YouTube Music. Podcasts have soared in popularity in recent years among all age groups, particularly Gen Z users, and there is clearly an appetite for this longer-form audio visual content. YouTube is a platform that thrives on community and finding your tribe, and podcasts will be another way of bringing like-minded people together to engage in the content they love. With long-form, Shorts, VOD and now podcasts, YouTube is cementing itself as the platform for multiformat creators and ushering in a new era of creativity on the platform.”

Sonnant & Podder Announce A Pioneering Advertising Data Layer For Audio

~ jen

In another world-first, Sonnant & Podder have joined forces to reshape the future of audio data. This partnership combines Sonnet’s pioneering content data with Podder’s cutting-edge demographic analytics, redefining content planning, targeting and the discovery of both exposed and unexposed audiences.

Tony Simmons, Founder and CEO of Sonnant, says “This partnership isn’t just about data; it’s about elevating audio to an essential channel by delivering advertising that resonates contextually, maximizing its reach and impact.”

Christian Sorenson, founder of Podder stated, “We’ve redefined the value of audio targeting tools. Our demographic data can show the most engaged audiences, and coupled with Sonnant’s content data, customers will now be able to unlock targeting, planning and measurement for audio that has been talked about for a long time.”

Sonnant, renowned for its ground-breaking work in content analysis, has harnessed the power of AI to decode the nuances of spoken-world content. Sonnant’s platform allows publishers and advertisers to uncover and structure content signals, intent, sentiment, and themes, setting a new standard for contextual advertising.

Podder, a trailblazer in audio and demographic analytics, provides unparalleled insights into listener demographics, preferences, and behaviour. Their advanced analytics empower content creators and advertisers to make data-driven decisions, ensuring that their messages resonate with precisely the right audiences.

Together, Sonnant and Podder are poised to:

Elevate Content Planning: By fusing Sonnant’s content data with Podder’s analytics, content planners gain unprecedented insights into their audience’s desires.

Laser-Sharp Targeting: Advertisers can harness demographic analytics to uncover their ideal audience with surgical precision, optimizing campaign efficiency and ROI.

Unearth Unexposed Audiences: The combined analysis of content data and demographic insights will unveil untapped audiences and markets, unlocking new growth opportunities for publishers and advertisers alike.

Get ready for a transformation in qualitative audience data and targeting capabilities as Sonnant and Podder join demographic and content data sets to shape the future of audio advertising.

About Sonnant

Sonnant users AI & ML to transform audio into data for the digital era. The Sonnant platform transforms broadcast, podcast, radio and streaming audio into data. This data is delivered into industry-wide cases to power monetization and delivery workflow automation at every stage of the audio publishing lifecycle.

About Podder.app

Podder is a leader in audio and demographic analytics, providing insights that enable content creators and advertisers to connect with the target audience effectively. Their data-driven approaches the impact of audio content and advertising.

Crooked Media Expands Executive Leadership Team

~ jen

Crooked Media, a progressive independent media company that delivers bold content to entertain, inform and inspire action, announced the appointment of several new executives to help support the company’s continued expansion of its news and politics offerings. 

Madeline Haeringer has been named Executive Vice President and General Manager of News and Programming; Reid Cherlin has been appointed Executive Producer of Politics; Dariush Brizuela-Nothaft has been named Senior Vice President of Community and Partnerships; and Crystal Ponzio-Busto has been elevated to Executive Vice President of marketing.

As the 2024 election cycle approaches, Crooked Media is continuing to invest in news and expanding the community infrastructure to provide fans with opportunities to connect, take action, and get involved.

Leading Crooked’s News team will be Haeringer and Cherlin who will oversee content expansions and more breaking news coverage across Crooked’s podcasts. Prior to joining Crooked, Haeringer served as Senior Vice President of Editorial for NBC News, where she was responsible for guiding the editorial agenda across the entire news division. She’s also led NBC’s audio business, which became a top five audio publisher under her leadership. 

Cherlin also comes to Crooked from NBC News where he was a Managing Editor for Podcasts, overseeing #1 hit Southlake – which won a Peabody Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize – as well as American Radical and Tiffany Dover is Dead, among others. Joining the team led by Haeringer and Cherlin are Alyona Minkowski, David Toledo, Farrah Safari, and from The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, and Gimlet Media respectively.

Brizuela-Nothaft, meanwhile, has been tapped to lead the Community and Partnerships team, which will focus on the newly-launched “Friends of the Pod” subscription community, e-commerce live events and partnerships. Brizuela-Nothhaft is a seasoned executive with experience in marketing, creative, and business development, working for companies like Disney, SoulPancake, and Maker Studios prior to joining Crooked.

Additionally, Ponzio-Busto has been elevated to Executive Vice President of Marketing. In this new role, she will continue to lead marketing, communications and audience development across Crooked’s broad roster of content including news, politics, entertainment and culture. Prior to Crooked, she held marketing positions at Hulu and Netflix.

“We are thrilled to expand our executive leadership team with these amazingly talented and smart individuals,” said Lucinda Treat, CEO of Crooked Media. “We are always working to tell impactful and important stories, expand our slate of programming, and attract the next wave of Crooked fans to the network, and I know this team will help us do all of these things. We look forward to informing and getting people involved as we had towards 2024.”

To date, Crooked Media has launched more than 30 podcasts and digital series since its founding in 2017. The current lineup of ambitious, award-winning storytelling and analysis generates more than 22 million downloads. For more information, please visit www.crooked.com.

The New Zealand Podcast Awards 2023 – Celebrating Three Years of Podcast Excellence

~ jen

The New Zealand Podcast Awards, presented by Duncan Garner: Editor in Chief, are excited to announce the commencement of the 2023 edition, marking three years of recognizing and celebrating the exceptional talent of podcast creators across New Zealand.

Since our inception in 2021, the New Zealand Podcast Awards have grown exponentially, demonstrating the tremendous passion and dedication of the Kiwi podcasting community. We’re delighted to have received submissions from and over 600 talented Kiwi podcasters, a testament to the vibrant podcasting landscape in Aotearoa.

Our reach has expanded far and wide, engaging an audience of 1.5 million people in the first two years. We’re thrilled to have reached such a vast and diverse audience, showcasing the breadth of stories and ideas that New Zealand podcasters have to offer. 

One of the highlights of the New Zealand Podcast Awards is the Listeners’ Choice award, where the podcasting community has the power to voice their support. In the past two years, we witnessed an incredible outpouring of enthusiasm, with over 40,000 fam votes cast for the Listeners’ Choice awards. This demonstrates the strong bond between podcasters and their dedicated fan base, making it a truly special part of our awards ceremony for big and small podcasts as they grow a bond with their loyal listeners.

For the 2023 edition, we are building on this incredible momentum, with more opportunities for podcasters to shine. Our judging panel, comprising of independent podcasters, as well as influential figures from the digital media industry in New Zealand and around the world, remains dedicated to recognizing excellence in podcasting regardless of size, audience, or platform.

The New Zealand Podcast Awards continue to serve as an impartial and inclusive platform, providing support and recognition to all podcast creators, from established networks to independent voices, and nurturing the growth of the entire podcasting industry in New Zealand.

As we embark on this third year of celebrating the power of the Kiwi podcasting community, we’re delighted that rova remains deeply committed as the Principal Media Partner.

“At rova we’re creators, partners, and lovers of local podcasts, we’ve been headline sponsors of the NZ Podcast Awards from day one and we’re proud to be supporting the celebration of the local industry for the third year running. – Richie Culph, Head of Digital Audio, MediaWorks.

The Awards welcomes other volunteers, media partners, who would like to join us on this year’s journey, and invite you to reach out to discuss opportunities. We look forward to celebrating another great year for Kiwi podcasting, and submissions are now open on our website.