Study: AI-generated episode titles and descriptions v humans

• The Australian ABC has published its findings from a project where the broadcaster used AI to try to optimise episode titles and descriptions. AI isn’t better than humans, the research discovers; but it can be useful for summarising and inspiration. Highlighting cultural differences, it also appeared difficult to stop AI from using a US English style of writing.

• Podcasting Made Simple Live is a virtual event taking place this Thursday, from 11.30am to 4pm Eastern. There are a number of speakers aimed to help podcast creators grow influence, revenue, and expertise. Tickets are normally $97, but follow this link to get in, free, thanks to Podnews. (You’ll even get replay access, too!)

• In Australia, the 35th Australian Commercial Radio & Audio Awards (ACRA) announced its winners, including a set of podcast prizes. Hannah’s Story won Podcast of the Year.

• Why aren’t podcasters being taught the craft of audio storytelling? Podcasting isn’t a technology problem, says David Hoffman, starting a new series of articles for Podnews from members of the Podcast Professionals Association.

• iHeart’s Inside Radio writes about an NAB Show panel focusing on changing technology inside podcasting: and how Crooked Media and 770 WABC use tools to help.

• Our Editor has written a personal opinion piece about public service broadcasters and exclusive podcasts - suggesting that the two shouldn’t go together.

• LexLib is a list of (Amazon affiliate-linked) books mentioned on the Lex Fridman podcast.

• In France, new data was released about French podcast consumption (summarised here by Ausha), which has increased year-on-year. The research looks at “native podcasts”, which are distinct in the country from radio podcasts.

The Tech Stuff - with RSS.com

• Got an .io domain name for your podcast? Because the British government has given up sovereignty of of the Chagos Islands, and given them to Mauritius, the .io domain name will, eventually, disappear, possibly.

• How many people feel strongly about the spam they get from the email address in their RSS feed? Not very many: the podprotect.email service, which forwarded emails after spam-checking them, is to close, says the developer - our Editor. The service cost a total of $6.15 a year to run: $6 for DNS via Route53, and literally $0.15 for the (static) website and email forwarding service (via AWS Lambda and SES). However, the fancy domain cost $70 per year.

• Whisper-cpp has been updated to v1.7.1 and now deals with the new large-v3-turbo model.

• The podcast:funding tag is now valid at the channel and the item level. The tag, which is widely supported, helps podcasters add a link to a support mechanism, like Patreon or (in our case) a donation page.

• For phase 8 of the podcast namespace, our Editor is proposing an extension to the podcast:location tag, allowing for location of the creator as well as of the subject matter of a show, and a simple, pragmatic country code. The aim is to produce a JavaScript tool which can build location tags automatically.

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• Bandrew Scott instructs us to shut off your air conditioner for recording.

• Clipwing tells us how to launch a youtube channel or podcast with evergreen content

Podcast News

American Tributaries says it is the first podcast to have hosted a guest from all fifty states. The show has conversations with everyday folks with different backgrounds, living in different areas and/or pursuing different livelihoods.

Small Ball with Kenny Beecham is now with Vox Media. The show is hosted by YouTube star and NBA superfan Kenny Beecham, and provides year-round basketball coverage and publishes weekly on Fridays during the NBA season, Beecham will share his unique insights through game analysis, player stories, and more. Vox Media will look after sales, marketing, and distribution; the show was formerly with Captivate.

UNBIASED has moved to the fwd. network, the innovative media brand championing female creators. Hosted by South Florida attorney Jordan Berman, the show offers straightforward, fact-driven insights on current events and legal matters—cutting through the noise of opinion and spin.

Skincare and Beyond is launched today - a beauty podcast from a UK online skincare company, Face the Future. Expect episodes featuring interviews with global beauty brand founders, dermatologists, as well as experts in the skincare and haircare space discussing and demystifying a range of topics from adult acne to menopause and sustainability in the beauty industry.

Covering the fascinating world of mathematics education, Strength In Numbers is back for a third season. Produced by the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, the podcast serves as inspiration and brain food for teachers across Australia who teach that most divisive of subjects: mathematics.