Quick Hits: Insights from Entercom, podcasting history, podcasting’s present, and a Pandora CEO interview

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Entercom exec’s audio snapshot: Elizabeth Mozian, Entercom’s SVP & GM of revenue operations and digital audio, penned a piece about the current status of the audio industry. She cited some of the top trends in the field, such as more audio consumption in homes and more possibilities emerging for marketers. “Whether it’s driving in your car with the radio turned on, exercising with your headphones in or cooking dinner while Alexa plays your favorite station, we are spending more hours in the day listening to audio content than ever before,” she writes.

A podcasting history lesson: 9to5mac reflects on a small but critical change in the course of podcasting courtesy of Apple. “June 28th, 2005 might go down as one of the biggest days in the history of media. It was the day Apple announced they were taking podcasting mainstream by including support for Podcasts in iTunes 4.9 and with syncing to the iPod.” Offers some insightful context for how much the industry has grown, and how central Apple remains to its health.

Best podcast episodes of the year (so far): Need something new to fill your headphones? Indiewire has compiled a list of the year’s best individual episodes so far in 2018. The round-up includes shows that are likely familiar to the dedicated podcast fan, such as Wolverine: The Long Night, Caliphate, Ear Hustle, and Reply All, but there are some lesser-known titles to explore as well.

Roger Lynch’s Bloomberg interview: Bloomberg interviewed Pandora CEO Roger Lynch about all the latest developments at the audio company. The conversation covers podcasting, smart speakers, the acquisition of AdsWizz, and a partnership with Snap.

Brad Hill