“You’re Wrong About” wins iHeartRadio Podcast of the Year

In the beautifully produced (virtual only) iHeartRadio Podcast Awards, You’re Wrong About won the Podcast of the Year prize. It is produced by journalist Sarah Marshall, who partners with guests to reconsider a person or event that’s been miscast in the public imagination. Click for competing nominees with their publishers and number of episodes. Also a link to catch-up watch. Continue Reading

Live365 reaches distribution agreement with iHeartRadio, placing internet radio stations

Internet radio station provider and listening platform Live365 has announced that some of its stations will be carried on iHeartRadio starting this week. Six stations to start, and more added from Live365’s 3,000-plus webcasters. Live365 promises more distribution expansions to come. Click for history of this venerable venture. Continue Reading

Will Packer Media partners with iHeartMedia for new podcasts

Will Packer Media is entering a formal and longer-range partnership to create a slate of scripted and unscripted podcasts for iHeart. Will  Packer is a Hollywood producer. James Lopez is his production partner in the Fight Night podcast, a true crime show which was placed in iHeartRadio in 2020. The first spawn of this new arrangement will be an urban drama scripted series centered in present-day Oakland, California. It is set to launch in the second quarter of 2021. Continue Reading

iHeartRadio introduces 3D / binaural audio for podcast production

iHeartRadio is announcing the launch of iHeart 3D Audio, using binaural recording and production techniques. The company will debut a new slate of podcasts in this new category of experiential media — Aaron Mahnke will be involved in that effort. Bonus episodes of The Ron Burgundy Podcast will also be created in 3D mode. Click through for a link to a demo reel. Continue Reading

iHeartRadio and NPR demonstrate key network strategies (Podtrac Top Publishers)

In the December 2020 Top Podcast Publishers report from Podtrac, iHeartRadio held the #1 slot and NPR maintained its #2 ranking — those two networks remaining invulnerable to competitive infringement in the entire history of Podtrac’s ranking. As we have noted before, iHR and NPR pursue opposite audience concentration strategies. A glance backward shows that each of these two juggernauts has doubled down on its strategy. Click through for numbers and an illustrative chart. Continue Reading

iHeartRadio Podcast Awards 2021 (virtual) — all the nominees here

iHeartRadio announces today that its Podcast Awards program will continue in 2021, in a virtual format. In past years the January event was staged at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, CA. The 2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will be on January 21, streamed on iHeart’s Facebook and YouTube locations, the iHeartRadio app (naturally), and broadcast or streamed on some iHeartMedia radio stations and virtual sites. Click through for a complete list of categories and finalists. Continue Reading

Bill Rosenblatt: The Axis Collision of Amazon Possibly Acquiring Wondery

by Bill Rosenblatt
Guest columnist Bill Rosenblatt speculates a podcast world in which Amazon has acquired Wondery, fulfilling that rumor. A certain bifurcation would become evident in that scenario, pitching an Amazon/Spotify axis pushing for exclusivity of content, and an iHeartRadio/NPR axis pushing for ad revenue. A must-read column. Continue Reading

Podtrac Top Publishers ranking shows monthly drop, yearly gain

Podtrac released its monthly Top Podcast Publishers ranking for november. The company noted that global unique streams and downloads decreased for the Top 10 publishers by 10% from October and increased by 40% over November 2019. This makes sense, as the long Thanksgiving weekend might disrupt podcast listening routines, while the overall category growth over a year made November a growth story over that longer time frame. In the numbers: A large catalog disparity, in which iHeartRadio operates ten times as many podcasts as NPR does, illustrates different strategies of two powerhouse podcast networks. Continue Reading