Shows
Podnews Weekly ReviewFresh Air's branded podcasts; and Spotify looks to disclose AI useWe break down AI-generated podcast “slop,” Spotify’s leadership shift, and why attention—not downloads—should be the metric brands care about. Fresh Air’s Neil Cowling joins us to explain how branded podcasts create real value, and where video fits in.• reactions to Jeanine Wright's interview and AI content quality• risk to advertisers from bots and low retention• International Podcast Day and the case for open RSS• Spotify’s co‑CEOs move and DDEX‑based AI disclosures• YouTube AI features and Riverside prompt editing• why branded podcasts target niches and measure attention• funding models...
2025-10-031h 09
Podnews Weekly ReviewRemembering Todd Cochrane; and Apple testing new chapters?We remember podcasting pioneer Todd Cochran who passed away suddenly this week, reflecting on his 19-year journey in the industry and the indelible mark he left on the medium. • Todd's journey began in 2004 with a $14.95 Walmart microphone, creating his first podcast in a hotel room in Waco, Texas• An excerpt from our 2023 interview with Todd shares his podcasting origin story and philosophy• Apple Podcasts appears to be preparing support for Podcasting 2.0 JSON chapters, potentially offering AI-generated chapters for podcasts• Daniel J Lewis has launched Pod Chapters in beta, offering AI-generated chapter creation for podcasters• Pat...
2025-09-121h 22
Podnews Weekly ReviewPodcasting in Asia; plus Podhome's new podcast appJakarta sets the stage for an exploration of Asia's unique podcast landscape, where innovative approaches to monetization and content distribution reflect the region's diverse markets and consumer behaviors.• Ron Baetiong from Podcast Network Asia leverages Spotify's Open Access with local payment systems like GCash for their audio drama platform• Japanese podcast consumption differs significantly from Western markets, with YouTube as the top platform for podcast listening• BBC announces "Asia Specific," a new podcast examining global stories through an Asian lensPlus...• Blubrry announces first price increase in 20 years, raising questions about sustainable podcast...
2025-09-051h 24
Podnews Weekly ReviewFull interview: Alex Sanfilippo, from PodMatchAlex Sanfilippo shares how PodMatch is revolutionizing podcast guest booking through an innovative platform that functions like a dating app for interviews. He explains the platform's unique business model and why he believes community building is the future of podcasting.• PodMatch connects podcast hosts and guests while automating administrative functions• The platform charges a small fee to ensure users are serious, creating a "law of buy-in"• Through the Pod Value Initiative, PodMatch has given back nearly $900,000 to podcasters• Each profile doubles as a professional media one-sheet with SEO benefits• Audio content remains powerful because it...
2025-09-0128 min
Podnews Weekly ReviewFrom Podcast Movement, Dallas TX - and the Wonda of WondercraftThis audio has been rescued from almost inaudible audio thanks to recording using the wrong microphone - this was just on a laptop microphone carried around a loud conference. Good job that Buzzsprout has a tool called Power Clean that fixed much of that for us.We also speak with Oskar Serrander about Wondercraft's new tool, Wonda.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews...
2025-08-221h 15
Podnews Weekly ReviewFrom Ads to Subscriptions: How Today's Podcasts Actually Make MoneyJames and Sam are away this week, so time for an interview in more detail than we normally would. Norma-Jean Belenky discusses her new podcast PodBiz, which explores the various ways podcasters monetize their content through transparent conversations with industry professionals.• PodBiz aims to answer the question "where's the money in podcasting?" through interviews with experts in advertising, subscriptions, and alternative revenue models• Some independent creators with just 1,200 downloads per episode are making six-figure incomes from their podcasts• Advertising remains strong, but subscription models are gaining significant traction across the industry• Organizations like AIR (Associat...
2025-08-1540 min
Radioland, with James Cridland - radio futurologistSo long, James WhaleRead this over here: https://james.cridland.net/blog/2025/so-long-james-whale/
2025-08-0604 min
Podnews Weekly ReviewTurning Podcast IP into Multi-Platform RevenueWe have interviews with James Burtt from the newly-launched Pivot Productions; Liam Heffernan from Mercury Podcast Network who has just announced a new partnership with the Student Radio Association; and founder & CEO Will Malnati of At Will Media on taking IP from podcasts into other platforms.Plus - weekly podcast listening in the US has reached a staggering 773 million hours according to new data from Edison Research. This robust metric provides a more meaningful measurement than percentage reach, showing the growing intensity of podcast consumption while enabling better cross-media comparison.• Audioboom acquires UK podcast company Ad...
2025-07-181h 41Podnews Weekly ReviewSpotify supports Podcasting 2.0! Plus, research into kids podcastsSpotify is supporting the new podcast namespace. Who'd have thought it?!Plus, we speak with Elena Tsakakis and Molly Bloom about kids podcasting, and what they learnt from their latest research.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-06-131h 08
Podnews Weekly ReviewAcast Intelligence, and video in open RSSWe speak with John Burgess from Acast, and Gautham Raj Anand from Hubhopper, and look at the week's podcast news.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-05-301h 49
Podnews Weekly ReviewBuzzsprout's new tools, and Acast launches talent-voiced adsWe speak with Michael Bayston about Acast's new initiative; plus, Alban Brooke on new tools for Buzzsprout podcasters everywhere - even us!Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-05-162h 11
Podnews Weekly ReviewJason Carter, Ruth Fitzsimons, and Spotify - what are they "play"ing at?Ahead of The Podcast Show in London, Jason Carter spills the tea about what'll be there. Not literally.Also, Bauer Ireland's Ruth Fitzsimons. And, we look into Spotify's new play counts, and whatever they are.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-05-092h 30
Podnews Weekly ReviewPodcasting in the Arab states and in India; plus the two billion US industryWe speak with Stefano Fallaha from Podeo on podcasting in the Arab states, and Gotham Raj Anand from Hubhopper on Indian podcasting after YouTube. Plus, all the latest news from the podcast industry.We use chapters here, so skip through stories if you're a lightweight.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-04-251h 45
Podnews Weekly ReviewSpotify video - we speak to Maya Prohovnik; plus Crossed Wires and podcast consumptionOur special guest this week is Maya Prohovnik, VP and Head of Podcast Products at Spotify, who joins James Cridland to share insights on Spotify's latest innovations and what’s next for podcasters on the platform.Meanwhile, industry leaders Dan Granger (Oxford Road) and Dan Misener (Bumper) have advocated for an Open Measurement Protocol for Podcasting—a call for interoperable, privacy-conscious standards and a unified taxonomy across platforms.In response, “friend of the show” John Spurlock joins Sam Sethi to introduce his proposed solution: Standard Podcast Consumption (SPC). This new data exchange format aims to facilita...
2025-04-182h 28
Podnews Weekly ReviewThe definition of a podcast: and the Independent Podcast AwardsWe chat with Emma Turner from the Independent Podcast Awards; and about the new definition of a podcast from Oxford Road.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-04-111h 11
Podnews Weekly ReviewExtra: Megan Lazovick, Edison ResearchEdison Research Vice President Megan Lazovic joins us to unpack key findings from the Infinite Dial 2025 report and explore the growing phenomenon of podcast fandom.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-03-3125 min
Podnews Weekly ReviewExtra: Chloe Straw, AudioUKAudio UK is an industry body dedicated to advancing the UK audio sector through innovation, creator support, and driving sustainable growth for podcasts, radio, and audiobooks. We talk with Chloe Straw.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-03-3119 min
Podnews Weekly ReviewAudioUK, Megan Lazovick, and YouTubeWe chat with Megan Lazovick from Edison Research, Chloe Straw from AudioUK, and Podcast Nation - and talk YouTubeSend James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-03-281h 39
Podnews Weekly ReviewPodcasting 3.0?! And the Infinite Dial 2025We speak with Matt Medeiros on Podcasting 3.0, and how to fix Podcasting 2.0. Plus, the Infinite Dial 2025, and more podcast industry news.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-03-211h 54
Podnews Weekly ReviewVideo and its part in podcasting - Annalise Nielsen from Pacific Content and Lower StreetWe chat with Annalise from Pacific Content about how video fits into podcasting, live events and shows, and women in podcasting. Plus, lots of Spotify news.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-03-141h 26
Podnews Weekly ReviewExtra: Adam Curry and Dave Jones on the GodcasterA full version of an interview with Adam and Dave about their new product.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-03-1040 min
Podnews Weekly ReviewPodimo's success; and the Pod Predictor from Coleman InsightsWe speak with Morten Strunge of Podimo about the company's success in hitting one million paid subscribers; and Jay Nachlis from Coleman Insights about their testing tool, the Pod Predictor.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-02-281h 34
Podnews Weekly ReviewSoundStack's Rockie Thomas; and has Podcasting 2.0 failed?We chat with Rockie Thomas, who is very excited about the potential of live podcasts. And, we cover new developments in the industry, including a look at one podcast that claimed Podcasting 2.0 has failed.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-02-211h 32Podnews Weekly ReviewExtra: David Bodycombe on video for podcastsJames chats with David Bodycombe on how he produces video for Tom Scott's Lateral podcast.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-02-1020 min
Podnews Weekly ReviewRiverside's AI tools; and why do video podcasting?We speak with Kendall Breitman from Riverside on their new tools; and with David Bodycombe on reasons why video podcasting is a good thing after all.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-02-071h 28
Podnews Weekly ReviewEurope's podcast growth, and the podcast numbers you should knowWe speak with Andreea Coscai from EuroWaves about Europe's growth; and talk TuneIn, as well as a ton of numbersSend James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net
2025-01-311h 15