Acast Studios New York opens

• Acast Studios New York have officially opened. The first person to use them: one of the best-selling music artists of all time, Ariana Grande, who is on today’s episode of Shut up Evan with Evan Ross Katz. The facility - in the heart of SoHo - is a fully multimedia space with the highest-quality audio and video capabilities, plus bespoke branding opportunities, and is available for Acast creators.

  • We spoke with CEO Greg Glenday on the Podnews Weekly Review in September.

• The Golden Globes eligibility list, announced at the beginning of this month, was actually the second top 25 list put together by Luminate, after the first one didn’t contain some of the biggest shows. That’s according to a scoop from the Like and Subscribe newsletter. Some of those eligible, the piece says, aren’t even bothering to enter.

  • The piece also contains screenshots of the $75,000 “Variety Creative Impact Award in Podcasting”, built to promote a podcast to judges in a “For Your Consideration” event. (Pensky Media owns Variety, Luminate, and the Golden Globes).
  • Joe Budden, who is not on the eligibility list, is to highlight the Golden Globes on his podcast over the weekend - making the point that industry awards “continue to overlook successful, independent Black creators”. He’ll also take out some billboards in West Hollywood, with Patreon, to highlight the issue.

• Triton Digital released its US podcast ranker for September. It shows a dramatic rise for The Charlie Kirk Show in the month, up to #3. The list measures participating publishers only.

  • Edison Research digs a little deeper into The Charlie Kirk Show’s audience growth, noting that much of the growth occurred after Kirk’s death on Sep 10.

• Comedy podcast network Headgum laid off around six staff earlier in the month, Variety reports, including their head of video, Casey Donahue. The company is ten years old.

  • Meanwhile, Santa Monica’s KCRW has cut 10% of its staff, including replacing several of the station’s music DJs.

• US Adults 18+ spend 20% of their time with ad-supported audio listening to podcasts. That rises to 31% for 18-34s. The data is from Edison Research’s Share of Ear Q3/25, quoted in Nielsen’s website.

• Another day, another agreement between a TV streamer and a podcaster: this time, it’s the NYT’s The Athletic, which launches The Athletic Show on Amazon Fire TV this Saturday.

• Blue Wire has announced nine new shows, including two shows moving from The Ringer.

• An update on a story we reported on in August, that toy-maker Mattel was suing a five year-old political podcast called Coffee with Ken. The NY Post reports that Mattel has dropped the trademark case, on the condition that the podcast doesn’t talk about dolls and is aimed at an adult audience. Not-blonde Ken Biberaj, the host of the thought-leadership show which interviews US Senators and billionaires and doesn’t talk about dolls, has agreed.

• A faith-based podcast network and community, the Imagine Media Podcast Network, has been launched, working with Godcaster. The network provides a coaching-based membership and growth features.

• A new audiobook has been released by Jeff Ostroff. The book, “6 Great Global Opportunities For This Decade”, is based on some of the best guests and interviews from the podcast Looking Forward.

• John Wordock went to the NAB Show New York, and everything was about AI, he writes.

Season 2 of Turkish Airlines Series Invites Listeners on New Journeys

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Turkish Airlines has launched Season 2 of its acclaimed Turkish Airlines Series podcast, continuing its mission to inspire global travelers through sound. The new season takes listeners from Istanbul’s bustling bazaars to Tokyo’s lively streets and journeys themed around wellness and wanderlust.

Each episode transforms audio into a sensory journey, enriched by real stories from travelers, creators, and Turkish Airlines team members who share their unique perspectives on discovery and connection. New episodes also explore sustainable tourism, digital tools for modern travelers, and behind-the-scenes insights into Turkish Airlines’ global operations.

Produced in both audio and video formats, Turkish Airlines Series showcases how travel meets technology and imagination. Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and watch video episodes on the Turkish Airlines YouTube channel.

People News

• Adelicious and Audioboom UK sales operations have merged, and the company has made a number of senior leadership appointments including Gemma O’Brien, Shaun Wilson, Lora Elliott, and Mike Newman.

Tips and tricks

• How much do YouTubers make? Stephen Robles should know; and he’s written a piece on Riverside about it.

• Apple Podcasts has published a new article: a “Subscription launch checklist” should you be interested in launching a paid subscription within Apple Podcasts. The strategy part is valid for any paid subscription, however.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Unpacked by Afar tackles one tricky topic in travel each week. Whether you want to hack your points and miles, figure out where to travel next, or need advice on an ethical dilemma, this show is your expert travel guide. Because the travel world is complicated, Unpacked is here to help you unpack it.

Inside the Life is new from the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. The show is hosted by former elite undercover agents Giovanni Rocco and Dutch McAlpin; the season premiere features Justin “Mooch” DeLoretto sharing his firsthand experiences inside one of the country’s most infamous motorcycle clubs.

The Divide is new today - a British spy thriller in twelve parts. Set in 1964, former MI6 officer Paul Wilder is a man caught between two worlds. Unable to explain his escape from East Berlin, he’s tried to put his old life behind him. Dragged back into a secret world of new enemies and suspicious allies, can Wilder come to terms with his past or does he risk losing his mind? The show features actors from the Globe theatre, the West End, radio and TV drama, and one that lends his voice to a clay dog movie star called Wallace (who has a dog called Gromit).

Launching today, catskull is a gritty Singaporean neo-noir thriller adapted from Myle Yan Tay’s award-winning novel. It follows Ram, a young man overlooked by everyone, as he searches for meaning. When his best friend becomes trapped in an abusive home, Ram takes justice into his own hands - but what he finds is something even more dangerous than revenge: the pull of finally mattering. Produced by the award-winning team at Andas Productions.

Step inside the rooms where women are redefining artificial intelligence on WOMEN x AI. Each episode brings you bold, unfiltered conversations with the founders, investors, and product leaders shaping what’s next in tech. Hosted by Jenny Kay Pollock and Reut Lazo, you’ll hear how real women are building smarter products, leading ethical AI, and opening doors for the next generation.

Podcast Promotion in the wild

To London, and the slightly grim surroundings of Moorgate tube station, where this poster for Table Manners was spied by Podnews reader James. These platforms, for Circle line trains, have mobile coverage - making the QR code a useful feature for this poster (it goes here, a rather nice landing page). Moorgate station was opened in 1865, but the station was modernised in the 1960s.

Podcasting will grow more if we market it more. Seen a podcast being promoted somewhere in the wild - other than on a podcast? Let us know by hitting reply.