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Podcasts Now Do Los Angeles “Upfronts”

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Podcasts Now Do Los Angeles Upfronts

Television industry folks are familiar with “upfronts,” where networks present their new slate of shows to clients and advertisers. They are a big deal. Yesterday, podcasts did their own Winter Podcast Upfronts, at the Los Angeles talent agency UTA.

This is significant because large advertisers are spending more and more money on podcasts.  According to Edison Research’s Tom Webster, podcasts’ share of total audio consumption has doubled since 2014. This equates to tens of millions of hours of listening time, according to this nice recap from Digiday.

The Winter Podcast Upfronts included presentations from major players like ESPN and NPR.  Capitalizing on the rampant success of their 30 for 30 documentary series turned podcast, the sports network will unveil a podcast later this year about Donald Sterling. You may remember his wife made him sell the Los Angeles Clippers amid mountains of controversy.  NPR’s Serial, a longtime podcasting leader, will look at the public education system this fall.  The key takeaway here: Major media companies are investing time and money in podcasting, and it’s here to stay.

The Digiday story also mentioned dynamic ad placement, and its importance with time sensitive content, such as new movie releases.  Podcasts are often time-shifted. Listeners consume shows days or weeks after publication, so large companies rely on technology to place targeted ads in podcasts.   I still believe the best ads for podcasts are live reads and “evergreen.”  Ads gain credibility when read by hosts.  That’s because it’s in the voice and style of the rest of the show.  Don’t believe me? Look no further than the clowning around the guys from Pod Save America do in their ads for Stamps.com, the Cash App, Sleep Number, and more.  These companies may not love the hosts’ foul language, but the ads gain a level of authenticity.

Bottom line: Podcasts are becoming more relevant and mainstream by the day.  If you or your company would like to start a podcast, I can create it for you.

Spotify Buys Gimlet Plus Anchor

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Spotify Buys Gimlet Plus Anchor

Spotify has taken its biggest dive into podcasting yet. The purchase of Gimlet was long suspected, but the acquisition of Anchor caught many industry insiders by surprise.

Here’s some background. For some time, Spotify has been the #2 player in the podcast space behind Apple.  We thought Google would leapfrog them, but despite promises made at Podcast Movement 2018, the internet titan has not prioritized the space.  Google’s lag, however, could be Spotify’s gain.

Gimlet Media is a content creation company. It began 5 years ago in New York and creates a number of successful podcasts, including Reply All and Homecoming, the latter of which has become an Amazon Prime TV series.  Spotify has long been in the business of audio distribution of other people’s content. Now they will own a piece of the content creation process. How important was this purchase to Spotify?  The Swedish media streaming platform spent $230 million to buy Gimlet.  This surprised one writer, especially when you consider that iHeartMedia only spent $55 million on Stuff Media, creator of How Stuff Works.

The Gimlet deal was long rumored, but Spotify’s acquisition of Anchor raised eyebrows this morning. Anchor prides themselves on being a one-stop-shop, DIY podcast creation platform.  Novices can record audio directly into their phone, tablet, or PC, syndicate it to all the various podcast apps (including Apple, Google, and Spotify), and even accept donations from avid fans.  The platform is free for users right now; I wonder if that will continue when they are under the Spotify umbrella.

Spotify has now vertically integrated their podcasting strategy. They have a media company (Gimlet), a hosting platform (Anchor), and a distribution network (Spotify). One of the biggest players in the audio work is all in on podcasts.

Are you?

Podcast Promotion Needs Variation

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Podcast promotion is always one of the biggest discussion topics in the industry. Apple still remains the 800 pound gorilla in this space. Consequently, podcasters often make those Apple Podcast charts their sole focus.  There are even companies out there that promote their ability to manipulate Apple’s algorithms and vault you to the top. This often works, that is, until Apple finds the loopholes and updates their algorithm.  Then what? You may have had some short-lived podcast promotion, but then it’s back to the drawing board.

Podcasting blossomed in 2018; some would even say it’s the year podcasting went mainstream. Saturday Night Live did a spoof awards show called “The Poddys,” complete with impressions of Serial’s Sarah Koenig and The Daily’s Michael Barbaro.  Yes, the sketch played on some of podcasting’s stereotypes, but SNL dedication of a sketch shows that podcasting is both relevant and mainstream.  Next weekend, the nation’s largest radio company will put on the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.  I’ve blogged about this before, but iHeart’s investment in podcasts (including one they are launching with Ron Burgundy) will only add to overall podcast promotion in 2019.

Podcast promotion is not a one-trick pony. Any marketing authority will tell you that your promotion eggs shouldn’t all be put in one basket.  Evaluate your audience, and go where they go.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others can all be valuable vehicles to draw attention to any business or product. The same goes for podcast promotion.

Most podcast hosts, such as Libsyn and Simplecast, will give you links to share on social. Also, you’ll often have access to an embeddable player for use on your website.

Don’t forget about video! Yes, it may seem counter-intuitive to use video to promote audio. But there are a number of services, like SpareMin/Headliner and Audiogram that will turn your podcast into video.  Simply take your logo, or any static image, and upload a clip from your latest episode. It’s the same way radio morning shows would do daily promos.  Now the clip is video (even with a static image it’s still a video, usually with a moving waveform). Your video is now post-able on Instagram, and more favorably viewed by Facebook.  Here’s an example of an Audiogram from a show I currently co-host, The Quizzo Cast:

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We spent a lot of time talking #Michigan #beer on this week’s @quizzodetroit #podcast. Search The Quizzo Cast in your favorite podcast app to hear more.

A post shared by JAG In Detroit Podcasts (@jagindetroit) on

Here’s the bottom line. If your podcast promotion strategy is solely to reach the top of Apple’s charts, you are limiting yourself. Consider all available avenues to maximize your exposure. More and more people are listening to podcasts every day. They are using more than just charts to discover them.

Podcasts for your Thanksgiving Travel

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Podcasts for Thanksgiving travel are a great way to pass the time during your trip. The podcast space has exploded this year. With thousands of topics, there truly is a podcast for everyone.

Travel forecasts predict 2018 to be one of the busiest travel holidays in recent memory. Combine that with bitter cold, and a long trip can be a less than pleasant experience. Most of us will face long delays sitting in traffic (or weather), or we will get to enjoy the “hurry up and wait” aspect of flying.

Before You Leave:

If you’re driving, most cars make it extremely easy to play podcasts.  You can connect via Bluetooth, or an Auxiliary or USB cord. (The USB connection will also charge your phone – be sure to have a way to charge your phone if you’re on a long road trip). If you have an iPhone, some cars even support Apple CarPlay, allowing you to navigate your phone’s menu from the screen in your dashboard (please be careful not to be distracted while driving, of course).  Also, if you’re concerned about data plans (especially if you have kids with you), download the shows at home over your Wi-Fi before you leave. Podcasts don’t use nearly as much data as video, but if you find yourself worried about your data consumption at the end of every month, every megabyte counts!

If you’re flying, you’ll of course want to download your shows and episodes before boarding.  You may not be able to stream audio when your phone is in airplane mode. Sure, most flights have WiFi (for a fee), but those networks are often unreliable.

How Do I Listen?

New podcast listeners should know you need an app to listen to them. If you’re traveling with an iOs device (iPhone, iPad, etc), the Apple Podcasts app (formerly part of iTunes) is the easiest, most simple way to listen. The app is already on your phone. For Android users, Google Podcasts (already on your phone) has made great strides in recent months, but if you have any issues, you can use third party apps. Spotify is the most popular podcast app behind Apple, and you may already use it to listen to music. They’ve been improving their podcast functions. You can also try other apps like Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.

Show Suggestions:

Here are some podcasts for Thanksgiving travel that will make your trip feel much shorter. Follow the links, or simply search for them in your favorite podcast app.

Serial – this is considered the “gateway” podcast for many podcast listeners. It was created by the folks at NPR affiliate WBEZ-Chicago, and it’s now in its 4th season. Each season follows a true crime case, and it really takes a deep dive into the offense, the ensuing trial, and much more. Think of it as the “Law and Order” of podcasts. Serial has won virtually every broadcasting award out there.

The Daily – This New York Times offering is a must-listen for me every weekday morning as I walk my dog.  Now, before you scream “Fake News,” know that The Daily tackles one big story every day. Yes, many times they delve into politics. However, as I write this, their last three episodes have been in-depth looks at the war in Yemen, El Chapo’s journey from Mexican drug kingpin to an NYC court, and an expose on what Facebook knew and tried to hide.  Each day, host Michael Barabaro interviews a prominent Times reporter. These reporters are experts in their fields. Earlier this year, they did a special series called Caliphate, that was an outstanding glimpse into ISIS.

My Dad Wrote A Porno – now, this clearly will not be for everyone (especially if you are traveling with children), but this should disprove the podcast stereotypes that all shows are about news and politics and are delivered by a sloooow-speaking National Public Radio anchor. MDWAP is up to 2 million downloads per episode. It’s also the reason my neighbors think I’m crazy. I frequently listen in the afternoons while walking my dog. Sometimes I get funny looks when I walk down the street seemingly cackling with laughter for no reason.

Here’s the premise. An Englishman named Jamie is the host, and his dad has (very poorly) written an erotic novel. Each week, Jamie reads a chapter to his female friend Alice and his gay friend James.  They dissect the writing, including author “Rocky Flintstone’s” lack of knowledge of anatomy and often poor word choice.  I believe their English accents make their reactions even funnier.  In fact, the show became so successful, it inspired “Rocky” to write several more books in the series. I’m just getting into Season 2, and I’m trying to proceed slowly. I want to have enough left for my drive from Michigan to New England over Christmas.

WTF Podcast with Marc Maron – one of the 800 pound gorillas in the field, Maron is a 20 year stand-up veteran. He routinely has A-list celebrity guests. He even did an episode with Barack Obama. This show is very well-regarded in the podcast community.

Cheap Plugs:

I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug a few shows that I’m directly or even tangentially involved with.

The Quizzo Cast: I’ve spent the last 18 months hosting bar trivia in and around Metro Detroit for local company Quizzo! Currently, I’m co-hosting a bi-weekly show in which we play trivia with guests and talk about events we are doing with the company.

Spiro Avenue: Mainly a long-form Detroit sports-talk podcast, I helped Justin Spiro re-launch last week with a spirited political discussion. We took two very good friends from opposite sides of the aisle and debated all things right, left, Trump, race, and more.

The D Brief: For a year, I worked with Seth Resler and Becky Scarcello on this show, which showcases the burgeoning Arts and Entertainment scene in and around Detroit. Worth a listen.

Bottom Line:

Podcasts for Thanksgiving travel will make your week much more enjoyable. There’s something for everyone. Open your favorite app and search for knitting, gaming, Constitutional Law, Friends, or whatever your heart desires. Audio is much more portable than video (especially if you’re driving), and there’s an intimacy and companionship to having a “friend” along for the ride.

iHeartRadio Podcast Awards Elicit Mixed Feelings For Podcasters

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Last month, iHeartMedia, the parent company of iHeartRadio, announced their latest venture, the first iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.

This could be a great thing for the podcasting industry. iHeart has a massive reach in terms of their radio stations and streams. Podcasting has been around for 15 years, but it’s only recently caught fire.  This megaphone could prove very beneficial.

There should be no debate about terrestrial radio’s interest in podcasting. The burning question is what iHeartMedia hopes to accomplish with their Podcast Awards. The company’s track record with big events gives me pause.

Former iHeart Ventures:

I worked for iHeart (and its former incarnation, ClearChannel) 3 times.  The first iHeartRadio Music Festival was in 2011. I was working for the company in Detroit at the time. It seemed like a great idea – put an A-list group of artists together and send a hundreds of listeners to an amazing concert in Las Vegas.  There was a ton of buzz. Despite some technical issues, the show was successful.

Years later, ClearChannel rebranded themselves as iHeartMedia. They were attempting to shed the negative connotations associated with the ClearChannel name. They also wanted to capitalize on the app and the festival. This may have even been a bit too successful. I was then with the new company in New Orleans. My anecdotal evidence suggested that when people heard the term “iHeart” – they thought of a Vegas concert first, and an app and radio company second.

The iHeartRadio Music Festival reached it’s 4th, 5th, and 6th years, and ticket sales dropped off.  However, corporate continued their mandates. Local stations had to spend disproportionate amounts of airtime promoting the event.  The company asked its employees to post about the show on social media. The show, though, had little social media buzz outside air personalities, artists, and festival attendees.  Stories emerged of CEO Bob Pittman chumming around with U2 backstage. Rumors of a giant boondoggle for iHeart VIPs and big-ticket clients subsisted.

iHeartRadio Music Awards
(Image Copyright iHeartMedia)

An even bigger fail was the iHeartRadio Music Awards, designed to compete with the Billboard Music Awards. Credit the company for trying to diversify its entertainment options, but nobody cared.  iHeartRadio corporate pushed its stations to promote the event, leaving less room for compelling content.  (For example, every plug I did for the show was a missed opportunity to talk about a Mardi Gras parade.) Program Directors like me groaned. We had to get creative to honor our corporate mandates without sacrificing the quality of our radio stations.

Conclusion:

Naturally, iHeartMedia set up the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards to benefit their parent company. They wouldn’t do it, otherwise. But questions remain for Mr. Pittman and his team.

  • Are you actually going to raise the profile of an up-and-coming medium, or only your own company?
  • Are you seeking a legitimate content creation and distribution partnership?
  • Will you once again ask your stations and personalities to endlessly promote another major iHeart event, at the expense of their own compelling content?
  • Will you have an honest awards process, or will you only promote shows you have (or hope to have) a vested interest in?

Bob Pittman is a brilliant guy who has helped run everything from MTV to AOL in their heydays. He inherited an impossible situation with ClearChannel and its massive debt load, and his leadership team have worked hard to transform the company.  I have a number of friends that remain with the company. They are passionate, creative radio people.

Naturally, terrestrial radio has a much, much larger share of listening and revenue than the podcast industry. But in an on-demand world, they are trending down while podcasting is trending up. It’s my hope that an honest partnership between the two industries can help the long-term viability of both.

Seeking Personality and Content, Corporate Radio Buys In to Podcasting

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Large corporate radio is buying in to podcasting. Some would argue it’s the podcaster equivalent of a band “selling out for a record deal.”  Others would say it was inevitable. Here’s how we got here. It all started with this device:

Nielsen Portable People Meter PPM
Portable People Meter (image via Wikipedia)

History:

In large markets, the PPM device (above) replaced the old diary based ratings system. Previously, ratings relied on respondents’ memory (and human error). Now, the Arbitron (later Nielsen) ratings people could track actual listening, minute by minute.

  1. The PPMs showed massive tune-out when DJ’s spoke too long or were not compelling.
  2. Radio companies erroneously thought this data meant listeners hated all DJ’s.
  3. The edict came down for on-air personalities to “shut up and play the music,” outside morning drive, news, talk, and sports.
  4. This turned radio stations into jukeboxes, which was fine until services like Pandora and Spotify took hold.
  5. Listeners started listening to their own curated playlists, rather than one put together by some radio programmer.
  6. Radio lost the very thing that differentiated it from other music sources: its personality.

Podcasts began to fill that personality and creativity void, while radio remained dominated by nationally syndicated and prerecorded voices. Podcasters have a passion for specific content, and it shows.  When I attended the Podcast Movement convention this summer, I was struck by the presence of all the major radio companies.  iHeart was there; so were CBS/Entercom, Beasley, and others.  It was obvious why they were there. They saw the personality and growth of podcasting, and they wanted in.

Radio Jumps on the Podcasting Train:

Dan Granger, a Detroiter and iHeartRadio expat like me, wrote an outstanding piece for The Drum, discussing the re-invention of radio. This new dawn comes on the heels of seismic change in the industry. Entercom purchased CBS Radio, making them the second-largest owner in the nation. The biggest, iHeartMedia (formerly ClearChannel), recently filed for bankruptcy protection under $20+ billion in debt.  Here’s the part of Dan’s piece that jumped off my screen.

The radio giants did not go quietly into the night. Quite the contrary. In the last two weeks, I’ve spoken directly with executives at Entercom, Westwood One, and iHeart. They are now in an arms race for on-demand audio content, and do not care if it comes from existing radio talent, launching new podcast talent, or acquiring existing Podcast talent that has already achieved leadership on the charts. Westwood One has emerged from bankruptcy. Entercom is newly empowered as a major player with an appetite to scale into the future. Then there’s iHeart. The industry leader is chomping at the bit, soon to emerge from their Chapter 11 bankruptcy and bucking the gates, poised to go on a content tear. Meanwhile, Panoply shuts down its programming arm, in favor of focusing on their tech platform, while BuzzFeed and Audible both close down their podcast creation efforts.

Granger also shared this Podtrac chart of Top 10 publishers (updated since his piece). He also reminds us that iHeart (still in bankruptcy) just bought HowStuffWorks. PodTrac Podcast Publishers

There should be no debate about terrestrial radio’s interest in podcasting.  They hope to find great content and give it a bigger microphone (so to speak).  The biggest piece of evidence is iHeart’s announcement of their iHeartRadio Podcasting Awards, which I’ll tackle in my next post.