TED uses dynamic audio insertion to make a random episode

• Think dynamic audio insertion is only good for ads? In April, TED Talks Daily released a “mystery episode”, using PRX Dovetail, the company’s dynamic audio insertion tool. The show played a random episode to listeners. They documented the process, and what it did in terms of total audiences. (For another bit of run with dynamic audio insertion, try PodClock.)

• Paradiso Media, a French podcast production company, has received a series A funding round. Variety suggests the funding was $5.9m. The company launched a show on Spotify Greenroom yesterday.

• MailChimp has been bought by Intuit, the owner of TurboTax, for $12 billion. MailChimp has never raised money, been profitable from day 1, and famously was the podcast sponsor for Serial's first series.

• Now ordered by total monthly listeners, the Australian Podcast Ranker for August has been released. Hamish & Andy remains #1 podcast (919,000 listeners); ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia remains #1 publisher (3.4m listeners - or 15% of all Australians). Total downloads increased in August to 49m.

• River Radio, a radio station in the UK, is working with podcast company Whooshkaa to be a “podcast-first radio station”. The station has around twenty subject-focused hour-long shows.

  
  Sep 7 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Podspike, a podcast promotions company, has launched a “Podcast Clinic” to help podcasters gain more listeners.

• PodcastPage has integrated with Podchaser to display ratings and reviews.

  
  Sep 7 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Vurbl, “the world’s largest streaming audio database”, has a new look. The company says it’s the result of “deep research on how our listeners interact with the platform”.

• Brittany Hall, formerly of Sony Music, Pandora and Megaphone, is the new Head of Sales at podcast analytics and attribution company Chartable. The company has also recently hired Lhanzi Giambrone and Rae Knopf as Account Managers.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Sep 7 2023

• Deborah Parenti has been promoted to President of Radio, TV and Podcasting at Streamline Publishing. The company publishes Podcast Business Journal.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Sep 7 2023

• Are there too few black men in podcasting? Cornelius Gould is interviewed by Blubrry.

Thank you to Polymash, who have become our newest supporter. Their website includes many different resources to help launch a podcast, including an SEO-optimized podcast show notes guide. You can join them in supporting Podnews.

Tips and tricks

• DiscoverPods post 11 Ways To Increase Podcast Download Numbers, including consistency and being active in the community.

• WIRED magazine highlight 'how to make podcasts better for people with hearing loss'.

• All podcasters should have some knowledge about storytelling, says Mike McVay, president of McVay Media. He speaks to Audry.

  
  Sep 7 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

Podcast News

Launched last month, Truth Detective is a new indie podcast from Stephanie Lee - questioning everything about culture, society, people, places, our justice system, and corruption in private corporations and government agencies.

What do people in advertising do Besides Ads? A new podcast launches today about people in advertising who do remarkable things outside of advertising; it’s created and hosted by Marc Hartzman.

Big Natural Talents is one of four new podcasts to create what DM Podcasts claim is 'more female-focused media’. The others include podcasts focusing on sports and relationships.

Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey is a new podcast from TYT, as a result of their partnership with Acast. It launched on Monday, and comments on the top news stories about criminal justice, politics, social justice, policy and racism and welcomes a Conservative into 'The Bullpen’ for a fiery debate.

The Fault Line: Dying For A Fight is a new season of the investigative journalism podcast from Somethin’ Else. It examines the still unsolved 2019 homicide of Sean Kealiher, a prominent face of the anti-fascist movement in Portland.