Podcasts from the Epstein Files

• Joe Rogan has plenty of fans - including one who, in 2017, asked a friend “Could you introduce me, I think he’s funny”. That person? Jeffrey Epstein. Today, Podnews looks at the Epstein podcast files - shows he listened to, that he was recommended, podcasts he was asked to help pay to make, and even the video podcasts filmed in his house.

• Cheap and relatively dumb flip phones are selling well, for people who want to quit their smartphone addiction: but they don’t have a podcast app on them. Step forward PodLP, which has launched a version of its podcast app for so-called dumbphones. (From today, Podnews podcast pages link to PodLP, too - here’s what our daily podcast looks like).

• The EarBuds Podcast Collective is nine years old today - and its founder and curator Arielle Nissenblatt is celebrating by launching a reader survey to help plot the next nine years.

• PodcastOne released its latest financial results. For the quarter, revenue was up +25% year-on-year. The company is nearing profitability, making a small loss of $153,000 (it lost $1.6mn this time last year).

• Spotify invited women podcasters to make jewellery in a “Galentine’s Day” celebration in Los Angeles.

• A “video podcast” on Netflix from Pete Davidson has secured a SAG-AFTRA agreement. In spite of only being available on Netflix and not available on other podcast platforms, the union appears to have “executed a podcast agreement”, thus suggesting that it’s a podcast and not TV. That can mean lower production payments for teams filming it.

  • Meanwhile, some people are taking exclusive podcasts from Netflix, and pirating them onto YouTube.

• Podstats, a podcast analytics platform is to close at the end of this month “due to lack of use”. The tool gave AI-generated analysis emails - here’s a recent one - and used OP3 for data collection.

• In France, Médiamétrie reports 182mn downloads or plays of podcasts in January. The #1 podcast was Les Grosses Têtes (“The Bigheads”) with 18.5mn downloads; it’s a radio show compilation from RTL.

• Happy World Radio Day. For ad-supported audio, radio is listened-to more than three times longer than podcasts, according to Edison Research’s Infinite Dial. We’ve plenty of growth to go!

• Further reading: Businesses in Charlotte are using podcasts as a key marketing tool … Barrett Media asks “is a podcast on Netflix still a podcast?” … Headliner shares five tips for podcast growth

Thank you to Lindsay Bowen, a lawyer for podcasters, for becoming our latest personal supporter. He’s worked for some of the biggest names in podcasting, and says “I really enjoy hearing what people in the industry are up to,” which is probably why he’s supporting us since that’s our job. It’s people like Lindsay who are paying for Podnews for everyone, so we can keep Podnews free. You can become a supporter here. We also discover that Bowen was once a professional basketball player for New York Liberty - he kept that quiet. We trust that Google hasn’t got confused with another Lindsay Bowen.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: In November 1940, the Royal Navy launched one of the most audacious carrier operations of the Second World War—a nighttime air attack on the Italian fleet anchored at Taranto. History of the Second World War is telling the story of the planning and preparations behind Operation Judgement.

In the Podnews Weekly Review this week, we speak with Tony Doe about podcasts in Nigeria: and learn that Anchor is still very much missed by the country’s podcasters for one obvious reason.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival has launched a brand new podcast, called The Callback - a show celebrating the moments that make comedy – and the Festival itself – truly special.

In the latest episode of Niche to Meet You, Leslie Eiler Thompson jumps into the ropes to explore the joy and tradition of Double Dutch jump roping. The episode tells the story of how the sport grew up alongside hip-hop (only to be forgotten), visits meetups in Nashville and New York City where it’s being kept alive, and explores why something that looks like play carries profound cultural gravity.

The Interface is new from the BBC - a fiercely informed, fast and funny take on how tech is changing everything. Hosted by three leading tech journalists whose work covers every aspect of the subject, each episode unpacks week-by-week the unfolding story of how technology is shaping all our futures. No guests. No jargon. Just three sharp voices debating the tech news stories that matter - whether they shook a government, broke the internet, or quietly tipped the balance of power.