Podcasts are getting shorter

• Podcasts got shorter in 2019, according to research from Dan Misener. The average duration has reduced by around seven minutes since the beginning of 2017. We’ve added this, and more research data, to our article on how long a podcast should be.

• Robert Krulwich is to retire from Radiolab, he explains in an open letter. Boo. The show will, of course, continue. Yay!

• The Podtrac (US) podcast publishers list has been released for November. All publishers saw a decrease in unique audience, due to Thanksgiving. NPR, iHeart Radio and the New York Times are the top 3: the figures are opt-in and incomplete.

  
  Aug 19 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Acast have opened new offices in Dublin, at least one room of which appears to have a tree inside it. Micheál Scully has been hired as Key Account Director: he joins from Google and DoneDeal. He’ll work with Jennifer Dollard, who is Podcast Manager for Ireland.

• SoundCloud, which some people use as a podcast host, has decided not to change their free upload limits, after their users objected.

  
  Aug 19 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
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• TuneIn and Sony/Warner are both appealing a UK High Court decision made last month that has, effectively, stopped TuneIn from listing non-UK radio stations in the country. “We hope to overturn this latter point on appeal as we believe that it is fundamentally bad for freedom of expression on the Internet and cultural diversity,” a TuneIn spokesperson tells Podnews, adding “the Court of Appeal will now have to grapple with this complex case, which looks at whether we should be allowed to provide our UK users with access to hyperlinks to music radio stations that are freely available on the Internet.”

• Got questions for our Editor? He’s running an AskMeAnything on WhatPods, today at 7.30pm EST. Pop along and ask some questions now, so he doesn’t feel as if nobody cares.

  
  Aug 19 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

Tips and tricks - with Acast Open

• Running a successful live podcasting event is hard work, but can be very satisfying (and can bring your podcast to a new audience). We Edit Podcasts has tips for how to host a live podcast event.
• WebSub gets your episodes published quicker. Does your podcast host, or favourite player, support it?

Podcast News - with Spreaker Prime

Spreaker Prime: Owl Post is a Harry Potter podcast that walks you through every chapter of the Harry Potter saga. The show touches on the characters, themes and storylines as they dissect J.K. Rowling’s wondrous series one chapter at a time. They’re using Spreaker Prime to increase exposure and maximize monetization.

The Podcast Rodeo Show from Dave Jackson promises a different podcast episode every time, and asks “how long will he listen before he bails?” We like his latest review - it’s of a very familiar podcast indeed… (Pinecast)

What A Day, launched in October, is “a funny but incredibly informative news source”, according to their publicist (and we’re not going to argue). On Dec 3, the hosts, comedian Akilah Hughes and Gideon Resnick, interviewed presidential candidate Julian Castro. (Crooked Media / Megaphone)

The Munk Debates, a Canadian debating event, has launched its own podcast. The first season started a few weeks ago, and runs weekly until June 2020, including speakers like Steve Bannon, Stephen Fry, Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens. (Antica Productions / iHeartRadio / Omny Studio)

Questlove Supreme has launched season three with an interview between Questlove and US late-night chat show host Jimmy Fallon. In case you’re wondering how he got that interview, Questlove is the frontman for the in-house band of Jimmy Fallon. That’s how. (iHeartRadio)

Storybound treats you to your favourite authors and writers reading some of their most impactful stories, designed with powerful and immersive sound environments. Original music was composed for each episode, too. Season one includes Mitch Albom, Caitlin Doughty, and Podnews reader Jack Rhysider! (Lit Hub / The Podglomerate / Megaphone)