The Podcast Academy has released its choice to receive the first Governors Award to WTF with Marc Maron, an indie podcast which launched in 2009 as an outgrowth of Maron’s radio career.
The Governors Award is attached to The Ambies — the Academy’s podcast awards program which will hold its first ceremony on May 16. (See the nominees HERE.)
Maron’s podcast has elevated him to a level of celebrity and influence he hadn’t attained as a stand-up comedian. Although WTF with Marc Maron is categorized in Apple as a comedy, the format is a mostly serious interview program recorded in Maron’s garage. Over the years the guest lineup has covered a broad and deep swath of over 1,200 media celebs. Typically, Maron walks them through their lives and careers, eliciting introspective storytelling that cannot fit into the tone or pace of TV promo appearances. The interviews, paired with an introductory monologue by the host which itself has an intimate, sometimes confessional tone, have made Marc Maron one of the most important personalities in today’s media landscape. WTF set the template for innumerable podcast interview shows which followed its trail.
One outstanding highlight of the show’s long run was the guest appearance of President Obama in 2015, a media event which not only burnished Marc Maron’s reputation, but elevated podcasting in the media universe.
The Governors Award will be accepted by Marc Maron and the show’s producer Brendan McDonald, who has worked that role for the entire run.
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