A new manager for The Signal Awards

• Exclusive: Jemma Rose Brown has been named as the new General Manager of The Signal Awards. She joins from work x work, and was Director of On Air Fest, the creative festival for podcasters. Submissions are open for this year’s awards; the closing date is Jun 28.

• Podcast production budgets have been slashed over the past year, reports Bloomberg’s Ashley Carman. In her piece in Bloomberg, she notes that distributors and advertisers have tightened their spending.

• Podmob is a new podcast player that provides AI-generated summaries, highlights, and key quotes for any episode. We gave it a go for last week’s Podnews Weekly Review. It’s free for your first two shows.

• Podcast advertising is a thing in China, according to the website Dao, showing some examples of how brands have embraced the medium.

• Podcast hosting company RSS.com has launched “podrolls”, a way to recommend shows that you think your listeners might enjoy. A Podcasting 2.0 feature, it’s supported on RSS.com websites, supporting podcast apps, and Podnews podcast pages.

• “You’re 4x more likely to succeed with a business than a podcast. If you’re podcasting to make money, stop!” So says the PodMatch June 2024 “actively established podcast report”.

• The New York Times has added a listen tab to its app, with articles read by an automated voice.

• Certified Crucial, a customised merch company, has launched. The company offers personalised items including vinyl pressing and fulfilment.

• True Native Media has partnered with Airwave to represent the network’s growing podcast slate.

• In Sydney NSW, Australia, Pro Podcast has opened two new podcast studios.

• Podcast app Podcast Addict version v2024.9 improves new episodes for private feeds.

• iHeartMedia could go bankrupt again if the company doesn’t restructure its debt, warns Seeking Alpha. The company currently has $5.3bn of debt, and needs to repay $3.1bn by 2026. It emerged from bankruptcy in 2019. Meanwhile, Audacy has settled a $1.4mn unpaid tax claim brought by a Pennsylvania township. The company is emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Thank you to POW PR, the UK’s first and only podcast PR agency, for becoming our latest supporter. The company has launched multiple No.1 podcasts in both the UK and category charts and worked on a multitude of award-winning podcasts and productions. Supporters are very valuable to us (and you get a logo in every edition): here’s where to support us

Moves and hires

• Reggie Risseeuw has joined media sales company Amplitude Media Partners (AMP). He’ll lead both the company’s publisher relations and programmatic efforts.

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• Want live captions while you’re chatting to someone on Squadcast, Riverside, Cleanfeed or Streamyard? Chrome has live captions built-in: you just have to turn them on.

Podcast News

Health Hacks with Mark Hyman, M.D. is new today from PAVE Studios and OpenMind. The show will deliver science-backed facts, break down myths and misinformation, and provide you with the tools you need to live a longer, healthier life.

#1 Dad launched yesterday from iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players Network. The 10-episode limited series follows the hilarious and heartfelt true story of comedian Gary Vider and his #1 Dad, Manny Vider, a con man, whose schemes and lies span over 4 decades.