The Washington Post’s Research, Experiment and Development (RED) team has released Rhapsochord. It is a software system that uses automation to monitor and dynamically insert ads into an entire category of podcasts, past and present.

The Rhapsochord technology ensures that a listener will hear the most updated ad no matter how they enter the podcast.

Rhapsochord separates the handling of advertising allowing journalists to focus on content, making production time faster. It manages a database of ads, and uses automation technology to find ads that best match the podcast by show, content, date, and ad type.

The ads are stitched into the podcast for pre-roll, mid-roll, or post roll placement. The Washington Post can then continue to distribute podcasts to listeners on whatever platform they prefer.

The very first podcast to be processed by Rhapsochord is The Daily 202’s Big Idea by The Washington Post. It is hosted by Washington Post correspondent James Hohmann, who provides an analysis of the biggest political stories of the day. Rhapsochord will eventually spread to other podcasts, after being tested out on The Daily 202’s Big Idea.

Ad Exchanger reported that advertisers who want to place their ads on podcast can still buy ads directly through salespeople. It also reported that the Rhapsochord’s technology complies with IAB standards for counting downloads of podcasts.