by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro unleashes an epic list of lists — 32 media brands which released end-of-year “best podcasts of 2020” roundups. From Esquire to Vanity Fair. From Town & Country to Teen Vogue. Dive in now; thank Jeff later. (Or blame him; your choice.) Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. In this edition, a rundown of four online courses and webinars for getting a better understanding of podcasting issues and skills. Also — Sirius XM and Howard Stern. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. Megafy? That’s mega-Spotify. Also, a review of three radio quarterly earnings reports. Continue Reading
In this week’s third-quarter earnings call, iHeartMedia executives preached digital, podcasting, and the recent acquisition of Voxnest. Click through for quotes. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia announces today that it has accomplished a partnership with Pushkin Industries, the audio production company founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg in 2018. The alliance makes iHeartMedia the exclusive sales partner for Pushkin podcasts. Beyond the sales effort, the two companies will co-produce new shows, with a project timeline stretching over the next two years. Two of those shows are sketched out in today’s announcement. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. Also, he claims to have listened to non-political podcasts … for one day. Continue Reading
The consolidation trend which has defined and accelerated enterprise podcasting for the past four years has a new story to tell today. iHeartMedia has reached agreement to fully acquire Voxnest, parent company of the Spreaker hosting and technology platform. Technology is the main impetus for this alignment, from iHeart’s perspective. Voxnest self-describes as “an audio technology company, specializing in podcasting solutions.” Click through for details, perspective, and quotes. Continue Reading
Titles You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton, the ex-Secratary of State is down for hosting an iHeartRadio Original Podcast. It’s too facile to say this project was inspired by Michelle Obama’s show on Spotify, but it does optically represent a counterpoint. Launching september 29, it’ll be a conversational program, featuring what we think is a pretty interesting lineup of guests. Click through for details and to hear the trailer. Continue Reading
In what it calls a historic joint venture, iHeartMedia is announcing a partnership with Charlamagne Tha God to create The Black Effect network. This alliance and initiative are clearly well developed at launch, with 18 shows in the pipeline for undated launches. In addition, Charlamagne’s nationally syndicated radio show, The Breakfast Club, will bring its replay podcast to The Black Effect Podcast Network as its flagship show, effective immediately. Click through for the list of launch shows, and quotes. Continue Reading
This appears to be a short-term partnership, at least to start — iHeartMedia and The Recount plan to launch three new political podcasts focused on the upcoming election. Perhaps the podcasts will continue post-election, but the stated launch rationale is “to inform voters’ decisions and actions leading up to this historic moment.” The Recount is a media platform best known for its The Daily Recount video series. Click through for descriptions of the new shows. Continue Reading
In last week’s iHeartMedia (IHRT) earnings call, CEO Bob Pittman discussed podcast strategy, podcast strategy, and podcast strategy. And a bit of radio. The financials included the entire business, and the COVID effect. But the go-forward mission leans heavily into on-demand audio, both as a stand-alone advertising business, and a synergistic opportunity with the largest array of commercial radio stations in the U.S. Click through for quotes. Continue Reading
Tenderfoot TV, which produces for television, film, and podcasting, is partnering with iHeartMedia in an agreement that will create nine original shows for the iHeartRadio Original Podcasts division. The upcoming podcast slate will focus on limited series as well as several weekly shows, a new strategy for Tenderfoot TV, who has garnered over 500 million downloads for its true crime hits since the company’s launch in 2016. Some of the collaborative shows will be completely new; the two companies will also co-produce new seasons of existing shows. Continue Reading