Podcaster ordered to pay $964m

• Podcaster Alex Jones has been told to pay $964.2m in damages after repeatedly telling harmful lies. Alex Jones’s show Infowars was removed from Apple, Spotify, YouTube and Facebook in 2018 for promoting violence and hate speech, though is still available via RSS. He’s indicated he’ll appeal; his company has filed for bankruptcy.

• First look: In Canada, sports media company Playmaker has signed a monetisation and distribution deal with Acast.

• Stats from the Google Podcasts Manager seemed to have frozen on Sep 28, according to a number of readers. We alerted Google, who tell us it’s now been fixed. (While Google’s play numbers are low, the SEO advice it gives is helpful: here’s where to claim your feed.)

• Want to speak at Podcast Movement Evolutions in Las Vegas? You’ve until Fri Oct 28.

• Brain Bump is a new app that helps people retain ideas from books and podcasts.

• Live365 streaming stations will now be able to be distributed to 30 million listeners on TuneIn. Live365 deals with music licensing and monetisation; the company’s owner, SoundStack, was launched in April and also sells podcast ads.

• Podvine, a hosting platform and player, shared an investor update. The company’s podcast hosting platform is achieving 3.2m downloads monthly.

Thank you to Paramount, reaching more than 4.3 billion people across more than 180 countries, for becoming our latest gold supporter today. We’re grateful for your support. (You can be like them!)

Get your ticket now for Podcast Futures New York - 19th October!

Paid content

If you work in podcasting—or call the shots on your own podcast—you’ll benefit from this full day of specialist panels, stage sessions and keynote speakers. All included for $55.

Oh, and the networking. The heartbeat of a podcasting event!

Discussion points include the future of podcasting and…

• Gen Z
• in-car listening
• getting discovered
• the value of ad tech
• 'how to’ on podcast networks
• and spotlights on creators who do it differently

10am - 5pm, Wednesday 19th October. Hosted at Javits Center in New York. Learn more and buy your tickets to Podcast Futures today

Moves and hires

• Fyona Smith, formerly Head of Radio & Podcasting for AFTRS, is moving to Ireland to be Managing Editor for Today FM.

Tips and tricks

• Writing about Podcasting’s paradox of choice, Steven Goldstein suggests making your show easily scannable by getting the description right.

• Want to become a podcast editor? Podbean is running a free online event on Thu Oct 20.

Podcast News - with Lemonada Media

From Lemonada Media: Raised by Ricki looks back on and re-examines the groundbreaking Ricki Lake Show. Hosted by award-winning talk show host Ricki Lake and television personality and digital creator Kalen Allen.

Proper Australians wear R.M.Williams every day (and so does our Editor even if he’s just a pom). R.M.Williams OUTBACK Great Australians is hosted by OUTBACK Senior Associate Editor Terri Cowley, and has in-depth interviews with some great Australians away from the bright lights of Australia’s cities.

Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord is new today from Lionsgate Sound, G-Unit Audio and iHeartPodcasts. Speaking publicly for the first time ever with co-hosts Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and investigative journalist Charlie Webster, Chicago-born identical twins Jay and Peter Flores let listeners into how they went from dealing $2 billion worth of drugs to government informants who brought down the infamous drug lord, “El Chapo.” The trailer is available now.

Avery Trufleman’s Articles of Interest is back for a new season, called American Ivy. “I was only planning on making one episode devoted to preppy clothing,” says Trufelman. “But, this story ended up being so surprising, so impactful, and so resonant, that it changed my entire idea of what trends are and why they spread.” The seven-part season starts on Oct 26.

Podcast ads (kind of) in the wild

Pod Bible magazine issue #23 (read it here) has a very excellent page 25. Sponsored by Audible and Acast, it’s 36 pages of excellent podcasts, and half a page of hastily laid-out advertisement for your favourite daily podcast newsletter.