Search for ‘Podbean’

Podbean has returned to the list of companies certified to the IAB Podcast Measurement Guidelines. The company is now certified to v2.2.

22.7% of shows started on Spotify for Creators in January haven’t posted a new episode since the end of February - that’s better than the average, as is 20.4% for Ausha, 18.9% for Megaphone, 12.6% for Podbean and 12.3% for Libsyn. As you’d expect, podcast hosting companies with well-publicised free trials show the highest levels of podfade, including Spreaker (40%), RSS (71%) and Hubhopper (83%).

Norma Jean Belenky has left Podbean, as part of a number of changes at the company. She was Head of Events for the company, and had worked with them for almost four and a half years.

Statistics in your podcast host - We asked a variety of podcast hosts. Ausha, Buzzsprout and Spreaker will correctly list this as Apple Podcasts. Omny Studio lists this separately as an Apple Podcasts website play. Captivate, Podbean, Megaphone, Spotify for Podcasters and RSS.com will list this as a browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc).

Podbean has launched a new blog-to-podcast feature, which will automatically take a blog post, convert it to audio, and automatically publish it as a podcast.

Ausha has achieved ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for security of customer data. It appears to be the first hosting platform to receive it; Podbean, Chartable, Megaphone, Riverside and Veritonic all have SOC 2 Type II certification, a US equivalent.

Podcast hosting company Podbean has launched “in-app AI functionality”, pre-populating titles and descriptions, and processing the audio.

Further Reading: Norma-Jean Belenkey from Podbean writes her takeaways from The Podcast Show ... Castopod’s Benjamin Bellamy wrote a piece about podcasting to create, distribute and interact (and there’s video of a talk on that page, too)

Podcast hosting company Podbean has launched a YouTube Video to Podcast feature, allowing you to turn a YouTube playlist into a podcast. Blubrry launched a similar service in March.

Spreaker is now the #2 podcast hosting company by new episode releases, according to Livewire. (Since Spreaker now supports podping, Livewire can more reliably see all new episodes released on the platform). Spotify for Podcasters is still the most popular; the rest of the top five are Buzzsprout, Omny Studio and Podbean.

Podcast hosting company Podbean has been also removed from the list of IAB compliant companies. They were last certified in 2020. The IAB’s Compliance Certification Guide states (p12) that a company must submit for certification at least once in the past twelve months.

AdsWizz has successfully recertified for v2.1 of the IAB Podcast Measurement program. Podtrac and Simplecast also recertified in March. On the IAB TechLab website, there are still a number of companies only certified to v2.0, who haven’t recertified in more than three years: Anchor (now Spotify), Buzzsprout, Captivate, Chartable, Libsyn, Megaphone and Podbean.

New feature: if your podcast app understands an OPML feed, this is for you. Every page with a list of podcasts, like The Ambies winners or Edison Podcast Metrics top 25 for the UK for example, now comes with an OPML feed so you can import all those shows straight into your podcast player. Find the OPML feed linked at the bottom of the page: they work with Pocket Casts, AntennaPod, Overcast, Podbean, Castro, GoodPods and more.

A significant jump for Spreaker is seen in the share of new podcast episodes in March, according to Livewire. Spreaker’s use of Podping, a simple mechanism to advertise new published episodes, may be the reason why. Podbean overtook Spotify’s Megaphone to claim #6.

Podbean has launched Podbean AI, a set of AI enhancements for its podcasters, from EQ balancing and noise reduction to transcripts and chapter generation.

Ten podcast companies are still not certified for the latest version of the IAB’s podcast measurement guidelines v2.1, in spite of being asked to do so by the end of 2022. More than a year later, the IAB’s list of compliant companies still shows AdsWizz, Anchor (now Spotify), Buzzsprout, Captivate, Chartable, Libsyn, Megaphone, Podbean, Podtrac and Simplecast as only compliant to v2.0 of the guidelines, something that means “they will lose current status”, according to the IAB Tech Lab.

What’s the future for IAB Podcast Measurement? In November 2022, we reported that the IAB’s v2.0 certification would no longer be valid after Dec 31 2023. As of today, some of podcasting’s largest names are still only compliant to v2.0, and all will lose their claim to certification by the end of the year unless recertified: Adswizz, Buzzsprout, Captivate, Chartable, “EmpireStreaming” (now Soundstack), Libsyn, PodBean, Podtrac, Simplecast, and “Anchor” (now Spotify Creator Studio).

Podnews's Editor, James Cridland, is taking part in a free event for Podbean: Revitalize Your Podcast in the New Year With AI Podcasting Tools. It's free, on Dec 12.

Podbean's Norma Jean Belenky is one of the featured speakers at Radiodays Asia next week. The event's podcast track, Podcast Day Asia, will be co-hosted by Podnews's Editor, James Cridland.

Apple launched enhanced analytics for paid subscriptions; until now, creators had to download spreadsheet data directly. Apple Podcasts also announced more Delegated Delivery partners to allow you to upload premium content directly to Apple Podcasts: Podbean is the first of those to go live today.

Naughty step, part 1: Podcast hosting company Podbean is misleading Google users searching for its competitor, Captivate. A search for "Captivate FM" returns (in third place when we looked) a paid result from Podbean impersonating the company, against Google Ads policy and US trademark law. Podbean didn't respond to Podnews's enquiries this week; the misleading ads are still running.

Podcast Day Asia has been announced in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sep 6. A preliminary schedule has been announced, and features Podnews writer Guang Jin Yeo, our Editor James Cridland, Podbean's Norma Jean Belenky and others. It's part of the Radiodays Asia conference.

Podcast Launch Agency and AppSumo will put on a free 12 hour live event on Monday featuring a new industry leader every 30 minutes. Our Editor is speaking, along with leaders from AppSumo, Podopolo, Capsho, Podbean and others: find out what tools they are using, how they are leveraging AI and Web3 to engage new audiences and get access to a thriving community of experts helping each other succeed.

Podbean has achieved SOC 2 Type II Certification, a data security accreditation.

Deals: ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Australia has renewed its representation deal with Audioboom as a "multi-year partnership". … PodcastOne has acquired two shows - a hit rewatch show Causing a Scene, previously known as The Netchicks on Libsyn, and I've had it, which was formerly on Podbean … Syntax has been acquired by Sentry, a code analytics product, on the occasion of its 600th show. "We personally loved Scott and Wes’ ad reads for Sentry, but going forward the podcast will be free of paid advertising".

At the NAB Show, a number of podcast companies including Blubrry, Podbean and Libsyn are exhibiting among the plethora of equipment manufacturers. The event has a podcast conference track: among the speakers: our Editor, James Cridland, interviews Valerie Geller in Podcasting in 2023: Where Are We & Where Are We Going? (11.30am, N255/N257)

Testing: Anyone want a 50-hour podcast episode to test their player on?

In this week's Podnews Weekly Review, James managed to record the show on his inbuilt MacBook Air microphone (see how that's fixed in post-production), and he's joined by Courtney Kocak as co-host after Sam decides he's going skiing. The guest is Norma-Jean Belenky from Podbean.

Rob Greenlee has left Podbean, and is starting his own podcast network consultancy business, Spoken Life Media. "For me to be a trusted partner I need to be seen as unbiased in my view on distribution and monetization tools", he writes in a statement.

Podbean has announced a new invitation-only VIP platform for podcasters with larger audiences, to connect them to the company's ad marketplace.

Podcast host RSS.​com is the first podcast host to have released fully free automatic transcripts for all its customers. The transcripts appear on episode pages on the RSS website, and should also appear within supporting podcast apps (like Podverse, Podbean or PodcastAddict). Users can choose different qualities, depending how fast they want the transcripts adding, and can also edit them before publication. The tool was built in-house and has been under development for a year; initially transcripts are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Catalan, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese and Turkish.

Podbean's podcast app (on both Android and iOS) supports transcripts/captions via the new podcast namespace. Listen to the Podnews Daily for an example.

For Black History Month, Podbean has announced a free live event with a panel of podcasters talking about their experiences.

How would you start your own podcast network - and what's the point? The CEO of The Pharmacy Podcast Network, Todd Eury, is in a free webinar tomorrow from Podbean.

Podbean's Rob Greenlee makes a guest appearance on The Sound Off Podcast - but don't worry, there are "No Podcast Predictions, Just A Look Forward". There's a transcript available on the website.

The winners of the Asian Podcast Awards were announced. Almost all are in English; and they are: Best podcast: 1920, within the YES 933 Radio Drama feed (Mediacorp, in Chinese / Omny Studio) … Best podcast host: Adulting with former children (Zodapop, SYRUP Media / Anchor) … Best narrative storytelling or fiction podcast: Creepy Twisted Asians (ZAG / Castos) … Best science, tech or business podcast: Inside China: Coronavirus Podcast, within the Inside China feed (South China Morning Post / Acast) … Best comedy, entertainment or lifestyle podcast: A Brief Case: true crime in Asia (Indie / Podbean) … Best arts, society or culture podcast: Miss Conduct (IVM Podcasts / Omny Studio)

In further evidence that we live in unprecedented times, where nothing that we thought we knew remains constant, Podbean's Rob Greenlee is now running an Apple Mac. The impromptu appearance of the device caused The New Media Show co-host Todd Cochrane to temporarily lose all power of speech, before exclaiming: "Are you kidding me? Wow". Greenlee added "I can truly be ambidextrous: Windows on this hand, Mac on this hand".

Rob Greenlee is now SVP, Content and Partnerships, at Podbean. A podcast hall of famer, he'd been at Libsyn since 2019.

Apple says podcasts don't need email addresses in their RSS feeds any more to combat spam, but the Canadian Podcast Awards is not having it. The removal of email addresses from RSS feeds "isn't one we agree with, or will support," the organisation says, adding "we do not have any plans at the moment to support feeds without contact information". Buzzsprout, Podbean and Canada's Transistor are among those who have removed email addresses by default from feeds.

Want to become a podcast editor? Podbean is running a free online event on Thu Oct 20.

She Podcasts and Podbean are to host a live panel on Sep 9, focused on supporting more women and marginalized genders to get involved in podcasting.

Podbean is turning its focus onto sports podcasts, with a free panel discussion on Aug 30, featuring two creators of BBC sports podcasts.

Blubrry has partnered with Descript to allow Descript users to publish their edited podcasts directly from the app. Blubrry joins Buzzsprout, Captivate, Castos, Hello audio, Podbean, Podcast·co and Transistor with this functionality. Blubrry publishing is also available directly from Hindenburg.

iOS 16 has published its second public beta. As we get closer, a reminder that iOS 16 brings with it the ability to set a correct user-agent for your iOS podcast app, removing "Apple Core Media". We see a number of podcast apps, including Pocket Casts, Playapod, Castro and Podbean's app, gaining from this new API.

PodBean has announced more virtual events - one today at 6pm ("Building Your Audience From the Ground Up"), and one in a week's time ("Branded Audio: The Best Marketing Tool You’re Probably Missing"). The blog post includes details of two more in August.

Podbean has announced a livestreamed event focused on Stories of Pride. The free event is on June 28, and will offer perspectives and insight from LGBTQIA+ podcasters.

Transistor's Justin Jackson has reported Acast to Canadian law enforcement and to Acast's email service provider, after the company targeted Transistor customers. Acast's email provider says that Acast's use is against its terms of service, and Jackson - who has previously worked for an email company - considers the emails are illegal under Canadian law. The company has recently targeted customers from Podbean, Captivate, Blubrry and others, using competitor's logos, and sending multiple follow-up messages to each podcaster. A spokesperson for Acast tells Podnews that the emails are "part of our continuing marketing strategy, which we don't currently plan to change".

In May, Omny Studio overtook Podbean to become the #5 podcast hosting company, measured by new episodes. Anchor is still #1, with 24.3% of all new episodes - a figure that dropped by over 6%. Amazon Cloudfront is still the most popular podcast CDN (including us!); Cloudflare a distant second.

Podbean has added single-click submission to iHeartRadio, Player FM and Samsung Free. (We list all the podcast directories, and submission details).

More than a quarter of new podcast episodes published in April were on Anchor, according to data from John Spurlock: Spotify's free podcast host was responsible for 25.8% of all new podcast episodes in April, breaking 25% for the first time. The rest of the top five were Buzzsprout, Spreaker, Libsyn, and at #5, Podbean which overtook Omny Studio last month. More ranking detail in The Tech Stuff, below.

Podbean appears to be seeing a large number of migrations away from the service, according to our sample: a large amount making their way to Anchor. Worthwhile also noting AfterBuzzTV switching from Anchor to Megaphone; and our sample continuing to see iHeart podcasts shifting from Spotify's Megaphone to iHeart's Omny Studio.

Podbean has extended the deadline to their Start Advertising on Podcasts contest. The competition is offering $2,000 of cash and promotion for your podcast, for making a creative-sounding ad.

Want to ask a question to a journalist (and podcaster) on Ukraine's front line? Podbean is running a livestream today at 12pm Eastern (about five hours from when you get this email), with Yuriy Matsarsky from Fighting for Ukraine.

Host your show with Podbean? Use their podcast websites? They're retiring old themes on Mar 1; you'll be switched to a new theme called "elegant" at that point if you've not chosen a different one.

A website using Google Fonts has been fined for breaking GDPR privacy rules, since it leaked the visitor's IP address to Google without their permission. Of the top ten podcast hosts websites, Anchor, Buzzsprout, Spreaker, Libsyn, Podbean, Omny Studio and Captivate are all using Google Fonts in this way. This website lets you self-host Google Fonts. Podnews phased out use of Google Fonts for privacy reasons more than two years ago.

Podcasting Smarter, Podbean's podcast, is getting relaunched for 2022. We're promised short, weekly episodes and a longer monthly show. - read more

Podbean has published a list of their live events for Q1/22. Expect speakers from the BBC World Service, Sounds Profitable, and Pacific Content.

Podbean has switched all its RSS feeds from unique domains like podcastname.podbean.com/feed.xml to feed.podbean.com/podcastname/feed.xml. This is good news for privacy: domain names are never encrypted, so you can be tracked as a listener to a specific podcast every time your phone checks the RSS feed for a new episode. Libsyn is now the only major podcast host still using unique, trackable domain names for its feeds.

The Verge reports that RadioPublic, which was purchased by Acast in February, is broken for many users, and has been for months. We reported in early October that it wasn't updating some shows.

The current #3 podcast in the UK on Spotify is The RSK Podcast. Podnews can reveal that, hosted on Podbean, it consists of 50 pirated episodes of Ricky Gervais podcasts from 2005-2013, from a user who "just made this as I wanted a way to listen to these myself on Spotify". Some episodes have been downloaded more than 150,000 times. A search for "Ricky Gervais" on Spotify reveals that podcast, as well as another pirated copy of his XFM shows.

Podbean has announced a Corporate Podcast Summit, to be streamed on LinkedIn on Nov 9. It's focused on branded and internal podcasts.

Auphonic now has a native integration with Podbean. The service applies sound levelling and noise reduction.

RadioPublic, the Podbean app, and TuneIn are among those that have not updated any shows hosted on Anchor since Sep 30. We suspect this is related to the expiration of an old root certificate for Let's Encrypt. Podnews's webserver also failed to connect to Anchor RSS feeds from Oct 1 (or our own internal tools which also use Let's Encrypt); we had to patch our server. The fix is for RadioPublic, Podbean and TuneIn to implement, not Anchor.

Podbean has announced Storytelling Podcast Week, a livestream and podcast event focused on audio drama, non-fiction and narrative podcasts. It's normally $49 to attend; Podnews readers get in free with this link, or use code PODNEWS.

Podbean Live has unveiled a number of upgrades to its social audio platform. The app allows recording of podcasts in a live app, with a live chat function and quality enhancements.

Podbean is to host a livestream and podcast event focused on podcast production. How to Start a Podcast - LIVE is June 10-12. A full pass is $39, but register with the code podnews for a complimentary ticket.

Podbean have new embedded players.

In Podland, James Cridland and Sam Sethi talk to Jake Warren from Message Heard, Benjamin Bellamy from Ad Aures about the recommendation tag, and Norma Jean Belenky from Podbean about Podcast Finance Week and their livestreaming tool.

Next week, Podbean is to run a Finance Podcast Week: a week-long livestream and podcast event focused on finance podcasts (with many podcasters lined-up to speak). A full pass is normally $39, but use the code PODNEWS and you can get in free.

Buzzsprout, Podbean, Spreaker and Captivate were all subject to a denial-of-service attack. The same attackers appear to have been involved. We were wondering why they've targeted podcast hosts: so we talked to the group behind the attacks.

The Verge asks "Can anyone moderate podcasts?" - following up on the story that Steve Bannon's War Room podcast is still available on Apple Podcasts. Interviews suggest most podcast apps are trusting Apple to choose what's acceptable and what isn't; and the story claims that podcasting "isn't ready for moderation".

ProPublica is the latest publication to highlight that "Apple Podcasts" is being used by people banned from other platforms to reach large audiences. Steve Bannon's podcast, Bannon's War Room (hosted by Podbean), is highlighted.

Also from that data: just seven companies host 75% of all podcast feeds in Apple Podcasts: Anchor, Buzzsprout, Feedburner, Libsyn, Podbean, SoundCloud and Spreaker.

BEST COVERAGE OF COVID-19 RELATED ISSUES: A Better Life? (Podbean)

Podbean have announced Podcast Wellness Week, a week of daily panels and speakers about mental health, meditation and a positive mindset from November 30 to December 4. The event is free to watch live.

Spotify, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have all pulled an episode of the Podbean-hosted Steve Bannon's War Room podcast, after Bannon called for the beheading of Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI director Christopher Wray. Twitter have also permanently suspended Bannon's account. The episode in question is still available via Apple Podcasts and the Podcast Index.

Podbean, the second-largest professional podcast host, is now IAB Certified. The company achieved certification last week, and it means that Podbean is using a standard measurement for podcast downloads. Here's a full list of podcast hosts, including those that are IAB certified.

The 2020 Latin Podcast Awards is being sponsored by Libsyn and also by Podbean, a set of press releases have announced.

Podbean has launched a new Unlimited Business Plan for secure enterprise podcasting.

Yesterday, we uncovered that Google Podcasts is now the most popular Android podcast app. (We've added Podbean to the list too).

Podbean Live has launched 'Unlisted Mode', allowing invitation-only streaming, and remote recording, with co-hosts and guests. It can be used for teaching or discussion groups, as well as patron-extras.

Podbean is offering free audio live streaming as well as a discount on podcast hosting for non-profits and educational establishments.

Unstructured is two years old, and its host, Eric Hunley, posted its 200th episode on the anniversary. On March 11th, it posted an interview with Blubrry's Todd Cochrane. (Podbean)

Podbean has published its top livestreamers for January, based on engagement scores (indicating listenership, listener interaction and support). The top livestreamer was Les Millionnaires des Diamants, a daily French-language podcast.

Fiction podcast Six Cold Feet, which returns from its midseason break in a few weeks, has released a soundtrack EP featuring original songs from the fictional rock star Juliet Knives. (Podbean)

Our personal supporter Eric Hunley is host of Unstructured: and is the subject of an article in SquadCast's website. Here's how he produced 100 episodes in one year - while still juggling a day job! (Podbean)

We don't use the censored titles in Podnews, so you can compare this Anchor podcast on Apple with our naughtier listing of it; or this Podbean title on Apple with our listing. In both cases, the artwork contains the potty-mouthed word, though. The naughty words are not censored in Castbox, Overcast, Luminary, Podchaser, RadioPublic and Spotify; and this one isn't censored in Google Podcasts either.

Apple Podcasts's market share tumbled by 10% in 2019, according to Podbean, which has posted a Big, Fat 2019 Podcast Statistics and Trends Roundup with all the numbers from the podcast hosting platform. The company has also posted a number of "top 10" lists based on their data.

Flawless makes the case that a music album is Flawless (whatever that means), and the hosts decide whether or not they’re right. They've just hit fifty episodes (featuring Queen's A Night At The Opera at 50). (Podbean)

The Do You Even Blog podcast has, as its guest this week, Podnews's editor, James Cridland. The show's called "Podcasting, Google, and why audio reigns supreme". (Podbean)

Resonate Recordings highlights their new one-click posting feature for Libsyn, Podbean and Buzzsprout, in a video featuring two impressive beards .

The sold-out ShePodcasts LIVE event will be streaming live via Podbean, it's been announced. The full schedule for the live stream has been posted on the Podbean website.

Out Of Work is a new show, aimed at helping real people with real problems they face in today’s job market. (Podbean)

A new podcast for Halloween, Cryptids tells the story of a conspiracy radio show host and an avid listener who go in search of an afterlife. Instead they find a truth beyond their wildest nightmares. A female-driven scripted scifi drama, it's releasing a new episode until the end of October. (Podbean)

Fiction podcast Six Cold Feet returns for its second season with a party on October 10 in its home town of Brisbane QLD, Australia. Part of an upcoming episode will be recorded at the event. (Podbean)

Fantastic Noise, a podcast for budding broadcasters from the University of Bedfordshire, is back for season two. (Podbean)

Dopey, a podcast about drug addiction and recovery, is highlighted in the Hollywood Reporter. The podcast has spawned its own DopeyCon. (Podbean)

A third of us have an allergy of some kind. Allergy Today is a new podcast "about allergies, asthma and eczema and everything else you’re itching to know" (Quidem Productions / Podbean)

Similar decreases were flagged by Podtrac in May, Podbean in June 2018, Audioboom in Jan 2018, and Libsyn in Sep 2017 along with many others.

The Road to a Simple Life, a podcast from a UK car retailer, has been released. A three-part series with Vernon Kay, it contains details of how to simplify your finance, family and food lives. (Podbean)

Unstructured today features a conversation between our Editor James Cridland and podcaster, producer and editor Jason DeFillippo about dynamically inserted ads and whether they're the work of the devil. (Podbean)

Public Comment are a series of open-ended essays blending memoir, politics, and culture. Its host, Sean O'Connor, hopes they are "a commitment to thinking with clarity, elaborateness, and depth". (Podbean)

Acast, Buzzsprout, Transistor, Podbean, Captivate and Megaphone are some of the publishers that have switched on the new Apple podcast categories for their users. (We've also shifted to using News > Daily News in our podcast as the primary category.)

Fancy a podcast consisting of nothing but birdsong? The Radio Birdsong Podcast is just that: first heard on UK radio station Classic FM's test transmissions. (Podbean{

Husk, a sci-fi audio fiction podcast, is returning for a second season. "The truth behind Dmitri’s disappearance comes to a head". It boasts a cast of fifteen actors from Portland OR, USA. (Podbean)

Smashed prawns in a milky basket is a podcast about the work of "comedy writer/ performer/ director/ all-round genius Julia Davis", and was on BBC Radio's Podcast Hour last week along with New & Noteworthy. (Podbean)

The Media Insider Podcast is a look inside the UK media industry, interviewing commissioning editors, writers and producers, to help you pitch stories to them. (Podbean)

True Crime Chronicles promises a new true crime story every week. Episode 1 is titled “Little Sky Gone”, and investigates the disappearance of 2-year-old Sky Metalwawa outside Seattle in 2011 and the bizarre circumstances that have baffled law enforcement trying to solve the case; Episode 2, titled “Mr. X”, looks into the largest cluster of strangulations in American history, in the Atlanta area and why dozens of murders are still unsolved. (VAULT Studios / Podbean)

Pass it on is a new podcast containing very old household tips, from the Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post in the 1950s. The tips (you can see one above) have been turned into a book, and now a podcast. (DC Thomson Media / Podbean)

Podbean has unveiled PodAds, an ad management system for podcasters, which can be used to ensure ads appear on the right days (and in the right places, thanks to geo-targeting). Unlike others, the service does not take a cut of ad revenue.

The latest episode of Unstructured seeks to answer the question: "should podcast guests pay to be on podcasts?" Christopher Lochhead and Super Joe Pardo have opposing views. (Eric Hunley / Podbean)

Boardroom Bound focuses on inspiring and preparing the next generation of board directors - the tips, tactics, and strategies they need to bring their best selves to the boardroom. (Podbean)

Filling a void in podcasting and online culture, Derek mansplains it all contains a white man explaining things to people who aren't like him. (The white man in question: New York City-based stand up comedian Derek Humphrey, is actually using this to understand other cultural groups, but don't let that get in the way). (Podbean)

A new vertical podcast app has launched: bitcast·fm is a social podcast app, allowing you to tag, clap and share your favourite bits of tech podcasts. Also, Podbean has updated its app: it now works on Apple Carplay.

The Pensky Podcast is our newest supporter, and we like new supporters. It's an attempt to analyze hundreds of hours of Star Trek, and aims to provide a unique blend of humor, misinterpretation, and conspiracy theory. (Podbean)

Masala Jones claims it's the first-ever Asian-American scripted podcast, and touches on themes of race, representation, and sex positivity. (Khrisp Audio, Pleasure Podcasts, Podbean)

Podbean, a podcast host, has unveiled audio recording and editing features in its app. It also offers background music and other enhancements - it's for both iOS and Android.

Podbean have published their top podcasts of 2018 according to listens in their own app. The company has also upgraded its statistics platform, and has posted a set of screenshots of the new functionality.

Podbean has released a new PodAds affiliate program, with commissions for referring podcast advertisers and up to $100 credit to referred advertisers. PodAds is Podbean’s smart podcast advertising platform.

We note that the RSS feeds for most PokerNews podcasts have been removed (they use a mix of hosts including AudioBoom and Podbean). PokerNews Romania still exists at the time of writing, hosted on Podbean, and the latest episode starts with Bennie Goodman's Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing).

Profoundly Pointless, by news anchor Nick VinZant, is a show in two parts. "The Profound part features fascinating interviews with everyone from athletes and celebrities to professional domintrixes and dinosaur hunters. The Pointless part seeks to answer life's greatest questions." (Podbean)

Podbean was recognised with the first Latin Podcast “Global Diversity” Award.

In The Word from Mouth, Debbie Pace of The Show up Show (everything you need to emerge as a powerful and healthy leader in your life, business and relationships), Fabiana Lowe of The Short Gal Show (standing tall to challenges), and Richard Liebespach of the Self-Protection Essentials podcast (How to stay safe from people who would physically harm you).

Here's another reason why Google Podcasts may claim 2m podcasts: Google Podcasts is indexing paid-for versions of podcasts. A Redditor spotted, among others, premium podcasts from Randi Rhodes and Dan Savage appearing in Google Podcasts' catalog. We've spotted these appearing in other podcast apps too (notably Castbox and Podbean).

Podbean has announced that it will migrate to secure podcast feeds, including helping their customers who use custom domains. Apple said it will require secure feeds at some point in the future. You can check whether your podcast feed is secure by searching for it and hitting the 'technical details' button.

Podcast host Podbean have launched PodAds, a programmatic ads platform which the company likens to AdSense for podcasts. Podcasters hosting with Podbean can opt-in for free. Advertisers are promised a simple three-step process. (Podbean has over 160,000 podcasts listed).

Podcast host Podbean has released what the company calls a "fully IAB-compliant" stats system. Podcast stats from the company will probably appear 10-20% lower, they say. (Who isn't, yet, compliant?)

Thank you to PodBean for becoming one of our supporters.

From Friday, the podcast hosting service and app Podbean will have editorial recommendations from podcast recommendation website Stabl. "Stabl aggregates podcast recommendations from a variety of choice sources into one clear and concise feed, and this move sees Podbean take the selection weekly." Podcasters will have the opportunity to feature in the weekly list on the app in the near future.

How podcast show notes display in different apps has been updated to correct our coverage of CastBox, show Podbean without a bug, and adds Castro (spoiler: 5/5).

Podbean launches a service for podcasters to manage their own dynamic ad insertion. "Just pay $99 per campaign" - very much, then, aimed at the large professional podcasters.