“Cinematic” podcast studio opens in Hollywood

• A new “cinematic podcast studio” has opened in Los Angeles. Goldmine Podcast Studio features an adaptable set, an engineer on-site and same-day ready-for-edit files. It’s in the heart of the Hollywood Media District in Seward St.

• YouTube’s changes to views are concerning, suggests Glenn Rubenstein from ADOPTER Media. The changes were seemingly rushed through in August, with creators given less than a week to prepare. “Sure, now it makes it look like every video has more views, but each counted view now means less,” Rubenstein says, calling on all networks to commit to using the older “engaged views” metric (despite YouTube never actually explaining what that is). “Spotify testing a “skip ad” button and YouTube’s lowering of the bar are counterproductive to the growth of this industry. We need to improve measurement, not loosen it,” he adds.

• AudienceLift has launched a new service, “preferred apps & players”, which is designed to give podcast networks control over where their audiences grow: driving listeners to the apps driven by creator strategic choices.

• Northflow, a content operations platform for podcasters and creators, launched Northflow Flux, a fully rebuilt second version. The app was rebuilt after consultation with users, adding AI agents as teammates to help with collecting information and initiating follow-up. There’s more information on the company’s blog. (Podnews’s Editor is an advisor).

• News we missed: UK podcast production company Mags Creative closed earlier this year. Sisters Hannah and Faith wrote a piece on the company’s Substack in April explaining the reasons.

• Ausha has renewed a partnership with SoundCast for its French-language podcast creators, allowing them to earn revenue from podcast advertising. (Any French-language podcast can participate.)

• In Australia, the SONARR Awards released its finalists. One category didn’t receive any finalists - the Marketing for Audio award. It was, says the organisers, “a sign that entering marketing work isn’t yet second nature to the industry, despite the calibre of campaigns already out there”. The awards will be announced on Oct 15.

• The New York Festivals 2027 Radio Awards are now open for entries - despite the name, there are plenty of opportunities for podcasts to win. This time around, there are two new categories - kids & family podcast, and crime drama podcast. You have until Jan 31 to enter.

• Tickets for the International Women’s Podcast Awards ceremony, Oct 8 in Toronto, are on sale. The awards “recognize moments of audio brilliance in podcasting and the women that produce them”; entries were received from countries around the world, from those who are self-taught and producing shows solo, to those who form part of larger teams at established audio companies.

People News

• The CEO of the Pocket Casts and Wordpress owner Automattic, Matt Mullenweg has been placed on mandatory administrative leave by the company’s board of directors, after returning from Burning Man. He will be replaced by interim CEO Mark Davies. Mullenweg has initiated a number of legal quarrels over the past year, and lost more than 150 employees. He claims he was “conspired against”.
• Steve Ackerman has been appointed as a non-exec Director for SupaPass, an audience membership platform. He was formerly Head of Global Podcasts for Sony Music.
• Bee Thomas has started as PR for Apple Music, Podcasts and the Apple TV platform across the UK and Europe. She joins from Columbia Records and Warner Music Group.
• Jim Lally has joined Airwave as VP of Partnerships and Business Development. He joins from WNYC, Audioboom, Libsyn Ads and PodcastOne among others.

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Movement NYC

• Podcast Movement is just round the corner - if you’re a New Yorker with some tips and tricks about what to do and where to go while we’re in the city, let us know!
• Want to know what Podcast Movement feels like? Here’s the highlight video from 2017. We spy Pat Flynn, some very young Buzzsprout folks, Aaron Mahnke, Max Cutler posing for a camera, Captivate’s Mark Asquith, Tom Webster and Rob Walch, and plenty of others. Nobody has aged a bit. Except Max Cutler.
• Want to embed a podcast player in your website? We have written a full guide on how - it’s a really easy way for people to hear you.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Philosophize This! For anyone interested in an educational podcast about philosophy where you don’t need to be a graduate-level philosopher to understand it. In chronological order, the thinkers and ideas that forged the world we live in are broken down and explained.

We Don’t Have Time For This has signed with NOVA Podcasts. The award-winning parenting show has been running a sold-out live show across Australia, and has, according to NOVA’s Network Director of NOVA Podcasts Rachel Corbett, “has created an incredibly loyal community who don’t just listen to the show, they feel part of it.”

Media Bubble is brand new today - asking what’s really happening inside Australian media? Hosted by Irene Hulme, Ben Willee and Peter Whitehead - three experienced media operators who see the industry from very different sides.

Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club is back for a sixth season today - we’re promised a star-studded lineup of fellow bookworms as they discuss the weird and wonderful world of books. Produced by Plosive, the first show looks at what they’ve been reading all summer.

What are the hidden costs of the food we eat? Edible Empire is now out in full, exploring food imperialism and the hidden connections between food production, labour, migration, environment and power. The show draws on conversations with 18 world-renowned expert guests from across research, journalism, advocacy and food systems.

In Surviving Trump this week, host Bella Goode kicks off Season 3 — nine episodes tracking the 2026 midterms week by week. Episode 1 lays out sixteen threats to the election drawn straight from Project 2025, alongside new polling showing Trump’s approval at record lows. From there, the season breaks down the closest House and Senate races, the candidates running in them, nationwide voter suppression efforts, and where donations matter most — closing with a final episode two days before Election Day.

In Everybody Knows But Me this week, Holly is joined by Emmy-nominated writer and comedian Laurie Kilmartin to talk all things death. A Conan writer for all 11 seasons, Laurie has performed stand-up on Conan, The Late Late Show, and Comedy Central, was a Last Comic Standing finalist, and this year earned two Emmy nominations for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Oscars. When her father was dying in hospice, she did what she does best — found the funny, live-tweeting his final days and turning it into a stand-up special.

On Plot Lab, you’ll hear a guest author get handed a headline they’ve never seen and brainstorm an original story with hosts Kristi Leonard and Beth Uznis Johnson. Part game show, part writers’ room, it’s story creation as a spectator sport. New episodes drop every two weeks, and if you want to keep the creativity going, you can join the Prompt Incubator community and turn those same prompts into stories of your own.