Money for your documentary podcast; podcast reviews; and how bad is iOS11's podcast app really?

Whicker’s World Foundation write: “We are a non-profit organisation who have recently opened applications for our documentary funding and recognition awards. We are particularly interested in encouraging audio documentarians to apply, since two of our three awards are for audio. The RAFA (Radio and Audio Funding Award) is for those who have a documentary idea that they would like to be funded, whilst the DARA (Documentary Audio Recognition Award) is to recognise those who have recently made an audio documentary. £14,000 is available across both awards and they are both free to enter.” - and it’s open internationally, as I understand it. Here’s more information and how to enter.

If you’re looking for “rigorous in-depth quality criticism of narrative podcasts and radio documentaries” then you probably want RadioDoc Review, which has been going since 2013. Founder Siobhán McHugh says “I founded RDR in 2013 to bring top international audio producers together with academics in order to develop (a) a canon of the best works to review and (b) a sophisticated understanding of audio storytelling, with critiques to rival those for film.” An international board includes folk from Radiotopia, the Australian ABC, and UK indies. You might start with their rationale in this editorial.

Launched earlier this month, Sound Vault (“a radio space for all”) describes itself as a “new community-drive podcast and online audio network, bringing a 'sound collective’ of producers and volunteers together”. Sound Vault aims to craft a collection of shows by giving anyone the opportunity to pitch a show idea, and if successful, work with them to produce it and help get it to a wider audience via the network. It’s based in Surrey and Hampshire in the UK, and has volunteer experience from a wide range of media companies including the BBC, Sky, CNN, NBC, and universities. Their website has launch shows and more details.

A correspondent writes: “I’m not able to find anyone who has written about this but the IOS11 update to the podcasts app is terrible. Lots of tweets about how bad it is and its many problems.” - how bad is it? And, more importantly, have you seen any decrease in consumption since its launch? I’d be keen to hear - james@crid.land (and I’ll publish a set of responses).

In AdNews, Wil Anderson (an Australian comedian and podcaster) says big businesses are 'ruining’ podcasts. “I love Richard Fidler’s Conversations, but it’s not a f*cking podcast. It’s a radio show.”

A long piece about how to monetise your podcast. “Above all else, your podcast should be optimized to move your listeners off of the podcast platform to somewhere easier to engage reciprocally with them (and market to them). Somewhere like, say, your website, and from there, your email list.”

Why podcasts need structure - as a radio DJ discovers that with the blank canvas of a podcast, he’s nowhere near funny as he thought he was.

Actual data showing that people who make podcasts consume podcasts differently to people who listen to them. “For historical reasons, most current podcasters are Apple-centric. For historical reasons, most current [listeners] are Apple-centric, but less so.”