French podcasters join demand for podcast recognition

• France’s podcast industry has called for official government recognition for podcasting. “If we want podcasting to remain a diverse, creator-driven medium, it must be recognized as a cultural industry in its own right”, the organisation said, in a statement following its AGM. This follows AudioUK asking for the same in the UK; and podcasters asking for similar recognition in Canada.

• Mission Media AI has been launched - a new content, distribution and media sales company founded by David Krulewich. Steve Smith, formerly of SiriusXM, will work on publisher relationships; George Mani will be Head of Business Development.

• CoHost has added new features to its tracking links tool, making it faster to deploy tracking links for new shows promoted on multiple platforms.

• Qling is a new iOS podcast app “that aims to find novel, inspiring and also new content tailored for each user.”

• The Sonic Dash, a competition from Silver Sound, is a competition with a difference - podcast creators are given just 48 hours to make a two-minute sound story from scratch. The winner from last week was UK-based Skadis Symphony, run by Oliver Morris & Jude Hodgson Hanna. Inspired by 1970s Italian horror cinema, Oliver and Jude turned Britain’s most beloved beverage - tea - into a twisted and darkly funny faux trailer. You can hear it in the Sonic Dash podcast feed.

• Thanks to Ryan Pownall, a Canadian social media influencer, who - after launching a podcast on Buzzsprout and getting his adult-themed podcast listed on all the platforms, promptly hired an “AI-powered anti-piracy service” called Ceartas DMCA which sent a takedown notice about us to Google because we had automatically listed his grubby podcast. We’ve appealed the copyright strike with Google, since this is literally how open podcasts are supposed to work.

Thank you to Stephanie Fuccio for becoming our latest personal supporter. Personal supporters like Stephanie, who owns podcast optimisation company Coffeelike Media, help us lower our reliance on advertising, and pays for Podnews for everyone. Never in the same place twice, Steph appears to be in Copenhagen in Denmark as we write this.

Moves and hires

• Neal Carruth has been made General Manager of Silver Tribe Media, the digital media management and production company. Carruth moves from Freakonomics Radio and NPR.

The Tech Stuff - with RSS.com

• A working prototype has been put live by the Podcast Standards Project for a demo of a podcast hosted with HLS video - and discovered that it already works in Fountain and Truefans. The benefits with HLS streaming are that it may be significantly cheaper for podcast hosting companies, and better for users. It is included in the same RSS feed as the audio feed, so is backwards-compatible with existing players.

• In the Podcasting 2.0 podcast this week, Adam & Dave are joined by Rockie Thomas of Soundstack to talk LIT, Chat and Workin’ Wood.

• There’s a new version of transcription tool Whisper-CPP available. It adds “VAD” - Voice Activity Detection, which can significantly speed up the process of transcription.

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• Making your podcast the right loudness (to everything else on your phone) is important for listeners. Here’s how to do it.

Podcast News - with Podcast Movement

Jurassic World Rebirth is coming to theaters soon, which means there’s no better time to explore the real science behind the dinosaurs. I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast is for anyone who’s ever wondered what dinosaurs were really like. The latest episode is all about Allosaurus, an iconic Jurassic predator known for living fast and dying young - millions of years before T-Rex.

A new podcast tailored for those aged 50 and over has officially launched: The Fifty Plus Club Podcast. Hosted by Brad Fanshaw and Abby Iverson, this show delivers concise, insightful episodes three times a week, each under ten minutes, focusing on topics that matter most to those aged over 50, including travel, technology, music, food, finance, and fitness.

Hey there, history lovers! History for Hot Girls deep dives into the history of people, events, items and ideas traditionally considered feminine. On today’s episode, Natalie and Michelle explore the rise in the popularity of the romantasy genre. From stories of swords to… well, other swords, they unpack what is so captivating about this genre, as well as its critiques.

The Adventures of Cowboy Bill is a new podcast series that brings biblical lessons to life through the exciting world of cowboy adventures. Perfect for young audiences and the young at heart, this series aims to inspire courage, integrity, and faith—one story at a time. The series fosters both entertainment and spiritual growth, making biblical lessons accessible and engaging for all ages.

High Notes returns for a new season of conversations around the art and business of voice, featuring the voice actors, directors and creatives who make it all happen. This season, there’s a focus on the worlds of gaming and animation. Expect to learn more about the world of voice acting: for anyone who is already working in, hoping to break into, or simply fascinated by the business.

HEMOPHOBIA - American Horror Story of podcasts - has returned for a second season called House Of Actors. Each season tells a separate long-form tale of horror and dread, a story that does more than chill your bones and give you a sleepless night – but that shakes you to your very core with some of the most visceral and frightening content to ever be depicted in RSS.

LongwoodGradCast dives deep into Longwood University’s graduate studies alumni, students, and faculty. Dr. Sarah Tanner-Anderson uncovers the inspiring, winding, and sometimes unexpected paths of their graduate alums.

Equity In Every Drop has returned for a third season, exploring the critical challenges and promising solutions in the fight for clean water. The series highlights the incredible work being done by advocates, experts, and community leaders who are pushing back against the erosion of laws and regulations, ensuring that the protection of people and the environment takes priority over corporate interests, as they safeguard our water for future generations.

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