Jottings of note:
Freelance reporter Jake Kring-Schreifels has assembled a feature for Time: The 100 Best Podcasts of All Time. A project like this carries unavoidable conceit, that one person’s enjoyment matches a gigantic standard of excellence — but that, of course, is the very job of critics. In this case, the author avoids the pitfalls of ranking by not ranking: It is an unranked collection, not really a list in the normal best-to-worst manner. In this feature the 100 podcasts are presented alphabetically. No date constraint here; the feature is packaged as “The most innovative, influential, and informative listens in the history of the medium.” Perhaps that goes beyond normal conceit into a realm of insufferability, but we think all lists are interesting, and worthy discovery resources. So, HERE it is. H/T: Podnews.
Edison Research has released The Podcast Consumer 2025, the company’s latest effort in tracking the continued rise of podcast listening in the U.S. This work was revealed to a live webinar audience yesterday (RAIN coverage HERE.). 
The headline metric is the rise of podcast consumption to a new level in the U.S., where 73% of people 12 years and older have consumerd at least one podcast, 50% have listened in the last month, and 40% in the last week. All those metrics represent new high-water marks. Perhaps the most impressive stat revealed by Edison is this: Since 2015, the total time spent with podcasts in the 13+ population has grown by 355%, to 773 million hours per week. Video podcasting is covered also, as a redefining force in podcasting. There’s much more, and the presentation deck is offered as a free download HERE.
July 24, 2025
