It took a bit longer than projected, but NPR has named its new chief executive to take over the role from semi-retiring Jarl Mohn. It is John Lansing, currently CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media which runs Voice… Continue Reading
Radio on-air talent, as a survey cohort, expressed mostly positive sentiment about podcasting in new research released yesterday by Jacobs Media in a webinar hosted by Fred Jacobs. Click through for the breakouts. Continue Reading
The Chinese podcast app Ximalaya, and the Himalaya offshoot app which mounted a presence at Podcast Movement last month, are both in the news recently. Ximalaya has stated that the app has “about 500-million users,” according to this report in Abacus News. Himalaya, which can be regarded as an English-language spin-off of Ximalaya, overstated its launch funding, according to reporting in Axios. Continue Reading
In an earnings report issued this week, Australian group Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) released interesting numbers which chart progress in podcasting. CEO Grant Blackley spoke with Radio Info in Australia, laying out a growth story in creative output and revenue. Continue Reading
Stream listening gained about 4% month-over-month in April, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. As always, RAIN views the information through the lens of 6am – midnight, Monday through Sunday. The key metric is Average Active Sessions (AAS), which measures the average number of simultaneous listeners. Continue Reading
Zeno MediZeno Media is announcing today the launch of Zeno.FM, an online directory of streaming radio stations around the world. Zeno specializes in providing local-radio listening to diaspora communities that cannot access broadcast signals from their native homes. Visitors to Zeno.FM can quickly scan stations from Jamaica, Brazil, Mali, Ghana, Haiti, South Africa, India, Senegal, Mexico, Nigeria, and other far-flung territories. Continue Reading
If True Crime is the poster child category of podcasting, its fans now have a daily touch point. Today in True Crime is a new show from Spotify-owned Parcast, the premise being a “this day in history” historical podcast. Continue Reading
Swarms of podcasters populated the Rosen Shingle Creek resort hotel in Orlando, FL this week for two full days of learnings, plus some spillover before and after. As RAIN has attended year after year, we observe the mood becoming more serious and determined as the podcast industry’s challenges become as widely apparent as its opportunities. Continue Reading
Podtrac has attained certification from the IAB Tech Lab for its podcast measurements, as compliant with the IAB’s V2.0 guidelines and de facto industry standard. The news stands out because of Podtrac’s role in the industry as a prominent ranker of podcast audience metrics for publishers and podcast shows. Today’s announcement also contains two unique certifications of tricky measurement scenarios that Podtrac solved. Continue Reading
ART19, the hosting, distribution, ad-serving, and audience measurement podcast company, is announcing today that its targeted podcast marketplace includes over 200 ongoing shows. This announcement is a follow-on from the company’s well publicized recruitment of Lex Friedman and Korri Kolesa from Sticher/Midroll in April. Continue Reading
Libsyn, which self-identifies as the first-ever, and largest podcast hosting company, is announcing today that it has been granted IAB certification for its podcast analytics. Libsyn has been applying the IAB guidelines since 2017; the certification signals to advertisers that Libsyn’s audience measurements do officially apply the guidelines correctly. Continue Reading
Focus 360, and audio marketing solutions company, is increasing its podcasting focus with an investment in Lipstick & Vinyl, the podcast network that focuses on delivering underrepresented voices, especially women. Focus 360 will provide advertising representation as part of the new arrangement. Continue Reading