Quick Hits: Third Coast, questioning podcast analytics, and too much merry music

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Highlights from the Third Coast: The Columbia Journalism Review reflected on the Third Coast International Audio Festival in Chicago. The event featured Ira Glass as the keynote speaker, and participants had an air of energy and excitement towards further growth for podcasting in the coming year. This feature pointed to three takeaways: interest in narrative news; shows providing history and context; and powerful investigative reporting.

How much do analytics matter in podcast advertising? Russell Lindley, owner and co-founder of Ad Results Media, penned a guest post for MediaShift about advertising in podcasts and the complicated role analytics play. “While podcast metrics might help shed light on podcast listenership and how podcasts are consumed, determining which ads will be successful, and where, is more of an art than a science,” he opines.

Too much of a good thing…: …which in this case, is Christmas music: Holiday shopping season is officially off to the races, which means a non-stop soundtrack of carols and festive songs whenever you leave the house. But this year, spare a thought for the retail workers who must listen to that jolly soundtrack all day or night long. A study by Soundtrack Your Brand has found that a quarter of American retail workers have lost their festive spirit due from overexposure to the likes of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” “In what can be a highly stressful job at this time of year, it’s important to consider whether a store’s soundtrack is actually increasing stress among its staff,” founder Ola Sars said.

Anna Washenko