First Episode: New podcasts about intense news; longevity hacking; pilot TV shows

A Friday podcast discovery feature spotlighting new and almost-new shows. It’s Friday. Get listening.

Target USA: With a first episode that dropped yesterday, Target USA is a joint production of PodcastOne and D.C. news-radio station WTOP, one of the top billing stations in the country. A short program (nine minutes in the debut), the focus is on terrorism threats to America, hosted by JJ Green, whose first guest is Director of National Intelligence. For a short program, the full-minute audio montage which introduces it seems rather lengthy, though well-produced. The meat of the program is about six and a half minutes, followed by an AP news headline segment. (The PodcastOne/AP deal reported here.) So, after a harrowing description of a diverse array of forces intent on damaging the United States, you get a report of Romney and Trump calling each other names. It’s not the podcast’s fault. [LISTEN]

The Journal by Kevin Rose: “This is a new podcast … to go really deep on certain subjects and talk to a variety of different people from different professions.” That’s Kevin rose, introducing his first podcast episode which launched March 1. The program is an extension of a newsletter, and while not primarily an advertisement for it, the opening included a lengthy description that got our fingers tapping restlessly … but he is talking partly to existing customers and fans, so fair enough. At slightly past the two-minute mark, you finally get the guest’s name —  Dr. Rhonda Patrick. It’s a “longevity hacking” episode, and by the 3:20 mark, things start getting really interesting. The interview begins at four minutes, and the whole show is 75 minutes long. Kevin Rose isn’t rushed. [LISTEN]

Pilot Co-Pilots!: Hosted by Maya Boudreau and Evan Watkins, this new show scores celeb and semi-celeb guests, mostly comedians, to talk about pilot TV shows. The first episode (January 27) features George Wendt (Norm on “Cheers”) and Anna Drezen who discusses “Angel From Hell,” a new CBS show. Middling production value is overcome by the charm, knowledge, and enthusiasm of the hosts. The show hasn’t found a rhythm yet, with three shows on the books so far. We hope for more. [LISTEN]