iOS 18 out next week; with enhancements to chapters

• The release of iOS 18 has been announced for next week. New in Apple Podcasts - hold down the playback bar to scrub forward and back, and you’ll notice that you can now see chapter points and chapter titles. More reason to add chapters to your shows before next week when everyone will see them: many podcast hosts have direct support for them, or you can use tools like Forecast or Hindenburg to add them.

  • In the many announcements Apple made yesterday - all the iPhone 16 range will support Apple Intelligence; the release of AirPods 4 which now have a model with noise cancellation; AirPods Max get a new colour-set and USB-C charging; and AirPods Pro 2 will include - later this year - a hearing test and a way for them to act as clinical hearing aids.

• Steve Goldstein looks back at his “View from the Top” session at Podcast Movement, and gives us some key takeaways from folks like Ross Adams at Acast and Elsie Escobar at Libsyn.

• “Brand Safety is Broken”. Oxford Road has released a new report on the challenges and opportunities for audio advertising. The report highlights 2024’s podcast deals, the growth of video, and digs deep into the current state of brand suitability after the dismantling of GARM.

• The Australian podcast publisher for women Mamamia has announced Butter, a new strand of content that is surprisingly underrepresented in podcasting. We can’t easily tell you what it is without getting this newsletter blocked by corporate email systems, though - but we can on the website.

• Podtrac released its rankers for August. The Ezra Klein Show was a new entry for the biggest podcasts; NPR has jumped from #6 to #4 in the publisher ranker. The list includes participating publishers only.

• Podcast host RSS.com has released new podcast analytics. The new analytics are more accurate, offer geo-location down to episode level, and show trends, too.

• Buzzsprout’s iOS app now has lock screen widgets - to put today’s download numbers, or your progress towards the next milestone, on your iPhone’s lock screen.

• Headliner has added a new tool to help you transcribe, caption and clip YouTube videos.

• Podcastpage has added paid membership features to its podcast website builder. The tool is built-in; and is charged based on the number of members you have.

Moves and hires

• Steve Lehman has been named Vice Chairman of PodcastOne. Among other things, he’ll be working on mergers and acquisitions efforts, overall strategy, and increasing shareholder value. He was founder, Chairman and CEO of broadcaster Premiere Networks, which is now part of iHeart.

• Nicole Op Den Bosch has been promoted to Vice President, Operations & Publisher at Pushkin Industries. She’s been with Pushkin for two years, joining from Audible.

• Our podcasting jobs board is free for everyone - please let your HR folks know. Your vacancy gets free promotion in front of over 32,000 subscribers.

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Podcast News

Season four of Tink Media’s Feed the Queue is new this week - hosted by a different member of the Tink Media team each week, giving a unique glimpse into the podcasts that have captured their hearts. It will also feature guest appearances and the stories of how team members fell in love with audio, the types of podcasts they cherish, and their dream podcast projects if given a million-dollar budget.

More than 4 in 10 Gen Zers say they are a lot less optimistic about their futures and careers. Most Likely To has been launched for middle and high school students, especially those of color and from underrepresented backgrounds and identities. The podcast aims to empower middle and high schoolers by helping them hear from leaders who look like them with stories that sound like their own. It’s new this week from DonorsChoose.

Thanks Dad with Ego Nwodim is new today from Headgum, and Saturday Night Live’s Ego Nwodim. Ego has funny, heartfelt conversations with a range of guests about their experiences with their own dads and as parents themselves. Each episode wraps up with her getting practical advice from her guests such as how to get the best deal when buying a house, how to know you’ve found “the one,” and how to perfect your jump shot.

The Story Goes is brand new from Sophia Bianchi, an executive coach who has worked with companies like Amazon, Uber and Meta. Her podcast tells tales of resilience and self-discovery, revealing the extraordinary within the ordinary. Guests from all walks of life share stories about grief, child abuse, eating disorders, wedding planning, career changes, immigration, music, humanitariansim and more, to offer the opportunity to learn from the everyday.

Let’s Talk Offline is new from iHeart and LinkedIn - aimed at Gen Z to help them get into work. Each Tuesday, LinkedIn early career development editor Gianna Prudente and community manager Jamé Jackson Gadsden will speak directly to and with Gen Zers about what it takes to thrive in the early years of your career, without sacrificing your values, sanity or sleep.

Empire City is new from Wondery and Crooked Media this week. It takes a critical look at the largely invisible history of the New York Police Department to illuminate its impact on New York City and modern-day law enforcement in the United States. It’s hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalist Chenjerai Kumanyika.

Crime Beat: Most Wanted is new today from Canada’s Curiouscast - a limited-edition 15-episode series chronicles the stories of Canada’s most elusive fugitives who are still at-large, offering listeners unprecedented access to in-depth interviews, rare archival footage and more. It’s inspired by the award-winning Crime Beat podcast.

Knead To Know is back for a new season - describing itself as the #1 baking entertainment podcast. It’s a collaboration with Heritage Radio Network, and aims to attract fresh, compelling voices helping to shift the way we think about food.

Lava for Good’s Wrongful Conviction has returned for a fourth season. The series continues its mission of giving listeners unparalleled access to the harrowing stories of the wrongfully convicted, delivering intimate and powerful conversations that expose the devastating impacts of miscarriages of justice and the remarkable power of the human spirit.