BBC makes open call for podcast commissions on its audio app

The BBC has been revitalizing its approach to podcasts in the modern listening landscape, and a focal point of its strategy is the new BBC Sounds app introduced earlier this summer. Now, the broadcaster has begun an open commissioning process seeking out new podcasts for the app. It has outlined four potential briefs for podcast proposals:

• Funny, Quirky Odd
• Dramatic Storytelling
• Discover, Explain
• Pop Cultures, Sub Cultures

It has also listed details of the commissioning timetable, from idea generation to evaluation by Podcast Commissioning Editor Jason Phipps and his team to clarification and then final evaluation. The BBC also presented a list of eleven “commandments” for podcasting to guide the submission process. The top takeaway seems the most pointed for any and all aspiring podcasters: “A podcast is not a radio programme even if radio programmes are consumed as podcasts.”