Industry News

Podtrac Releases June’s Top Podcasts, Podcast Publishers

PODTRAC LogoAccording to Podtrac’s latest stats, the average U.S. “Unique Monthly Audience” for the Top 20 publishers dipped 3% month-to-month, but improved by that same percentage compared to June 2022. “Total Global Downloads” for the Top 20 publishers remained steady month-to-month; however, it declined 3% versus this time last year. The combined audience for the Top Sales Networks was up 5% month-to-month. The top ten podcasts by US Unique Monthly Audience (June 2023) are: “The Daily” (New York Times); “Dateline NBC” (NBC News); “Morbid” (Wondery); “Up First” (NPR); “NPR News Now” (NPR); “SmartLess” (Wonderly); “The Ben Shapiro Show” (Daily Wire); “Stuff You Should Know” (iHeartPodcasts); “Pardon My Take” (Barstool Sports); and “The Dan Bongino Show” (Dan Borgino). With a US “Unique Monthly Audience” of 31,625,000 (and 833 active shows), iHeartPodcasts is the top podcast publisher. It is followed by Wondery; NPR; NBC News; New York Times; Daily Wire; The Walt Disney Company; Barstool Sports; Vox Media; and PRX.

Industry News

“NPR News Now” Maintains #1 Spot in Triton Digital Podcast Ranker

Triton Digital releases its May 2023 U.S. Podcast Report that ranks podcasts listened to in America based on weekly average downloads and NPR’s “NPR News Now” is again the #1 podcast on the ranker. At #2 isim audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie,” followed by Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Ben Shapiro Show,” which rises from #4 to #3. Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” was steady at #7, while the company’s “The Matt Walsh Show” climbed two spots to #19. The Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” fell two spots to #21. See the complete ranker here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

In three weeks (6/24), NPR White House correspondent/“NPR Politics Podcast” co-host Scott Detrow will become weekend host of the network’s “All Things Considered.” Vice president of news programming Eric Marrapodi comments, “With Scott at the helm, we’re going to be experimenting with the sound of the show and the way we produce it. We want to further integrate the ‘Consider This’ podcast with the weekend show. We also look forward to Scott bringing his original enterprise reporting on a range of topics. His experience on the White House beat had him chasing the president around the country and the world to bring our audiences great reporting with good humor. He’ll bring that same energy and commitment to bringing home stories for ‘All Things Considered’ audiences.”

“Choice Words With Samantha Bee” launched yesterday (Thursday, 6/2) via Lemonada Media. In her weekly podcast, the former host of TBS’ “Full Frontal” and correspondent for Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” will interview celebrities, politicians, and others about the choices they’ve made in their lives. Topics will reportedly range from what to eat for breakfast and which subway car to take, to who someone is voting for and what they do with their body. Bee’s initial guests were Judd Apatow and Rosie O’Donnell.

After debuting their “Aarthi and Sriram Show” in December 2020 on Clubhouse, technologists Aarthi Ramamurthy and Sriram Krishnan are bringing their weekly (Saturday) program to iHeartPodcasts. According to iHeartPodcasts president Will Pearson, “Aarthi and Sriram have created an impressive show featuring insightful conversations with top minds across industries. These two have built a highly engaged community. We are thrilled to welcome ‘The Aarthi and Sriram Show’ to iHeartPodcasts and help the show reach an even wider audience.”  

Free hourly, 60-second updates live from Wimbledon will be offered by Radio News Hub during next month’s tennis tournament (7/3 – 16). The John Cushing-hosted updates will be fed between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm (BT). Head of programming David Prever notes, “Wimbledon is one of the most highly anticipated events in the global sporting calendar and always serves in terms of drama, atmosphere, and sporting achievements. Broadcasting from the heart of the event will allow listeners to get a true sense of anticipation and excitement before, during and after each day’s events. We are once again delighted to offer this enhanced, free service to stations across the world and continue to show the quality of coverage Radio News Hub provides.”

 Five-time Emmy winner Wayne Brady will receive the “Service to America Leadership” award from the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation during the Celebration of Service to America Awards next Tuesday (6/2) in Washington, DC. NABLF president/chief executive officer Michelle Duke remarks, “Wayne Brady’s multifaceted career has showcased his unique talent and hilarious personality on-screen, on stage and on-the-air to the delight of audiences for decades. He has also used his immense gifts to support numerous charitable endeavors, raise our spirits and shine a light on worthwhile causes. NABLF and broadcasters across the country look forward to recognizing his generosity and compassion at the Celebration of Service to America Awards.”

Industry News

NPR News Now Keeps #1 Spot on Triton Digital Podcast Chart

Triton Digital releases its ranker of the top 100 U.S. podcasts for April 2023 based on Weekly Average Downloads and NPR’s “NPR News Now” stays at #1, followed by audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie” at #2, andim NPR’s “Up First” at #3, bumping Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” to the #4 rank. Other commercial radio-related podcasts ranking high on this month’s chart include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” (#7), Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” (#17), and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Matt Walsh Show” and “Mark Levin Podcast” at #21 and #22, respectively. See the complete ranker here.

Industry News

Triton Digital Releases March Streaming Rankers

Triton Digital releases its rankers of the top streaming publishers for March 2023 (Mon-Sun 6AM-12MID), based on Average Active Sessions. iHeartRadio remains in the #1 spot with 310,462 Average Active Sessions,im followed by NPR Member Stations at #2 (76,679 AAS) and Audacy at #3 (57,595). Cumulus Streaming Network was #4 (42,504 AAS). Beasley Broadcasting Corporate ranked #6 (19,635 AAS), Hubbard Broadcasting was #8 (15,635 AAS), and Salem Communications ranked #11 (8,738 AAS). See the complete ranker here.

Industry News

Twitter Removes Government-Funded Label from NPR

NPR is reporting that last Thursday (4/20), Twitter removed the “government-funded” label that had been applied to NPR’s account (after switching from the previous “state-affiliated media” label). The story says that Twitter CEO Elon Musk told NPR reporter Bobby Allyn that Twitter dropped the labels after a suggestion from author Walter Isaacson, who is reported to be writing a biography of Musk. NPR said it was suspending use of the Twitter platform as a result of the labels. NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara says the company has nothing new to say on the matter. Twitter also put the labels on the BBC, PBS and Canada’s CBC. Read the NPR story here.

Industry News

Triton Digital Publishes March U.S. Podcast Report

Triton Digital releases data from its March 2023 U.S. Podcast Report that ranks podcasts published in the U.S. based on weekly average downloads for publishers that opt-in for measurement. NPR’s “NPR News Now” remains in the #1 position, with audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie” rising two places to the #2 spot, and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” gaining three spots to take the #3 position. Some of the other radio company-related podcasts of note in the March report include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” steady at #7, Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” down four spots at #19. See the complete ranker here.

Industry News

Edison Research & NPR: “Hit Play, Boomer!”

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

“They have the time and tools to listen, they like spoken word contest,” and Edison Research president Larry Rosin reminds us, they’re big-money consumers.

Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964 – are now age 59-77.  Those 55+ comprise 30% of total USA population.

Per Edison’s ongoing “Infinite Dial” research, and with data and listener videos captured for this study done with NPR:

— 55+ consume more than 3 hours and 39 minutes of audio PER DAY. And 78% own a smartphone. And “Boomers listen to way more radio than do their children and grandchildren.” And they’re “adopting online audio.”

— Nearly 2/3 of Boomers’ audio is consumed at home. “Only about a third of that group is still working…they have the time to listen to podcasts.” And home is the #1 podcast listening location.

— But compared to 25-54s, they’re podcast consumer laggards. Rosin sees opportunity: “They’ve entered the top of the sales funnel.”

Compared to 25-54s, Boomers are podcasting laggards.

— Many Boomers think podcasting is a time-shifted radio show.

— “Overwhelmingly,” 55+ podcast listeners prefer news-related podcasts.

— We need to explain how-to-listen better than “available as a podcast” and wherever-you-get-yours.

Broadcasters and podcasters: Know how busy you are, I don’t make this recommendation casually. It’s well-worth your time to see the on-demand replay of this informative webinar.

Now I’m off to fabulous, fabulous Las Vegas for the 2023 NAB Show. Look for my convention notes here next week.

Talkers contributor Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author “Multiply Your Podcast Subscribers, Without Buying Clicks,” and the E-book and FREE on-air radio features “Inflation Hacks: Save Those Benjamins;” and.  Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Industry News

NPR to Stop Using Twitter Feeds

NPR’s David Folkenflik reports that the public media organization will cease putting up fresh content on its 52 official Twitter feeds after the social media platform labeled NPR as “state-affiliated media” which it also uses to label propaganda from places like China and Russia, before changing the label to “government-funded media.” NPR has responded to the new label saying it is “inaccurate and misleading, given that NPR is a private, nonprofit company with editorial independence. It receives less than 1 percent of its $300 million annual budget from the federally funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting.” NPR CEO John Lansing is quoted saying the company is “protecting its credibility and its ability to produce journalism without a shadow of negativity. The downside, whatever the downside, doesn’t change that fact. I would never have our content go anywhere that would risk our credibility.” Read the full story here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

RAB, BMI, and Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc announce that the 15th annual Rising Through the Ranks program is open for applications. It begins on August 1 with one virtual event from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm ET prior to the participants meeting in person August 8 – 10 in Nashville. As in years past, BMI will offer 20 scholarships for this year’s program. The scholarships will cover the cost of the professional development course, which is geared toward fostering and educating the current and emerging female radio managers in broadcast radio. MIW board president Ruth Presslaff says, “Rising Through the Ranks continues to be a foundational part of the professional development of so many women. It is a transformative experience that MIW is so proud to be part of, along with the RAB and BMI. It’s also a whole lot of fun. Once again, we encourage women to apply for this wonderful opportunity and stay focused on rising through this industry.”

WBUR announces that NPR’s Beijing correspondent Emily Feng is the winner of the 2022 Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize for her “The Black Gate” story that debuted on NPR’s “Up First” podcast. For the story, Feng worked with language rights activist Abduweli Ayup and producer Phoebe Wang to examine China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim groups by following one man’s quest to reunite with his wife and children who’ve been detained by Chinese authorities.

Industry News

NPR Angered by Twitter’s Classifying it “State-Affiliated Media”

NPR is protesting the move by Twitter to label it “state-affiliated media” to Twitter users – a move previously reserved for media outlets in places like China, Russia and North Korea. According to the AP report by David Bauder, Twitter describes state-affiliated media as “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.” Twitter owner Elon Musk replied to NPR’s protestations with two words – “Seems accurate.” NPR president and CEO John Lansing said the company was disturbed to see the “state-affiliated Media” tag slapped on its tweets and calls it “unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way.” Read the complete story here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Salem Media Group is promoting its planned coverage of the booking of former President Donald Trump in Manhattan today (4/4). Salem Radio Network talk personality Mike Gallagher leads the Special Report coverage streaming on the Salem News Channel at 2:00 pm ET.

Edison Research, in partnership with NPR, is presenting a webinar on April 13 at 2:00 pm ET titled, “Hit Play, Boomer! Podcasting’s Age 55+ Opportunity.” Edison says, “Forty-two percent of Baby Boomers in the U.S. – those age 55+ – have ever listened to a podcast. Attend the webinar to learn more about what has shaped Baby Boomers in the U.S. and what their media habits look like today. Learn how they consume audio and which podcasts index the highest for listening among Boomers.”

The National Association of Broadcasters announces its new campaign highlighting the importance of AM radio in the car for news, community engagement, entertainment and vital public safety information. The campaign includes a website with a grassroots call to action and new tools for stations to highlight the importance of AM radio. This campaign is being launched as some automakers have stripped AM radio out of certain vehicle models.

Industry News

NPR Cancels Four Podcasts Amid Staff Cuts

As reported by NPR’s David Folkenflik and Mary Yang, the public media giant has dropped four podcasts as part of a companywide move to cut costs. The podcasts “Invisibilia,” “Louder Than a Riot” “Rough Translation” and “Everyone & Their Mom” are being dropped in order to close what’s being reported as a budget gap of $30 million. NPR CEO John Lansing says, “We literally are fighting to secure the future of NPR at this very moment by restructuring our cost structure. It’s that important. It’s existential.” The report notes that “NPR intends to cut back its workforce from approximately 1,200 to about 1,050 employees. The nonprofit network’s layoffs represent its largest reduction in staff since the 2008 recession.” In other moves, NPR is bringing its newsroom and programming divisions together as Lansing notes the “current separation artificially cleaved NPR’s journalism and editorial creations.” At this time, none of the NPR radio programs have been canceled. Read the full story here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

— NPR promotes Michel Martin to new a role as co-host of “Morning Edition.” Martin, who has been the host of the weekend edition of “All Things Considered” since 2015, takes over for Rachel Martin who is exiting to pursue other media opportunities. She begins working alongside Steve Inskeep, A Martínez and Leila Fadel on March 27.

The Los Angeles TimesJames Rainey writes a profile piece this week about Tavis Smiley, former PBS personality and current owner of KBLA, Los Angeles – a talk station targeting the Black community. The piece addresses Smiley’s legal battles with PBS after he was accused of sexually harassing multiple women, the court case he lost and one he’s still involved in. It also looks at his efforts to reach the Black community via KBLA and its talk hosts. Read the LA Times story here.

— Edison Research is presenting a four-part series through its Edison’s Weekly Insights exploring the “power of traditional AM/FM radio in the U.S. This week’s edition reports, based on Edison’s Share of Ear study, “Listeners age 13+ in the U.S. spend 59% of their daily, ad-supported audio time with AM/FM radio, more time than with all other ad-supported audio sources combined, including YouTube, podcasts, and ad-supported streaming services. AM/FM radio is the top ad-supported audio source for all ages in the U.S., including Gen Z (age 13-24) who spend 33% of their daily ad-supported audio time with AM/FM radio, more than for any other ad-supported platform.” Read the story here.

Industry News

NPR Announces Workforce Cuts

As reported by NPR’s own David Folkenflik, the public radio corporation is announcing it will trim its workforce by about 10%. NPR CEO John Lansing revealed the plans to staffers in a memo. Folkenflik reports that the laying off of at least 100 staffers is due to “the erosion of advertising dollars, particularly for NPR podcasts, and the tough financial outlook for the media industry more generally.” Lansing writes, “When we say we areNational Public Radio - Logo eliminating filled positions, we are talking about our colleagues – people whose skills, spirit and talents help make NPR what it is today. This will be a major loss.” The story goes on to state, “On an annual budget of roughly $300 million, Lansing says, revenues are likely to fall short by close to $30 million, although that gap could reach $32 million.” Folkenflik notes, “The layoffs are in keeping with an increasingly grim landscape for media companies over recent months. Vox Media cut jobs by 7%; Gannett and Spotify by 6%. The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, eliminated its Sunday magazine and a handful of other jobs. After becoming part of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN cut hundreds of jobs and killed off its brand-new streaming service, CNN+.” Read Folkenflik’s piece here.

Industry News

Edison: SXM Podcast Network Tops Based on Reach

Edison Research’s latest ranking of the Top Podcast Networks in the U.S. based on total network reach for Q3-Q4 2022 among weekly podcast listeners age 13+ is released and SiriusXM Podcast Network (formerly SXM Media), Spotify, and iHeartRadio take the top three spots, respectively. This ranker – measuring reachLogo - Graphics as a percentage of the weekly podcasting audience – is based on total audience reach from Edison Podcast Metrics, and Edison says the Q3-Q4 ranker includes increased sample size implemented last year and is based on surveys of 10,579 weekly podcast listeners age 13+. The rest of the top 10 are: 4) Wondery/Audible/Amazon Music, 5) Audioboom, 6) The New York Times, 7) NPR, 8)Audacy, 9) Acast Creator Network, and 10) Cumulus Podcast Network.

Industry News

Edison Research to Present Boomer and Gen Z Podcast Reports

The company announces that it will present two podcast studies in the first quarter of this year. “Hit Play, Boomer: Podcasting’s 55+ Opportunity” from NPR and Edison Research focuses on podcast listeners age 55 and older. The study explores what Edison terms “this oft-overlooked but highly influential demo” and theirLogo - Graphics podcast listening behaviors. “The Gen Z Podcast Listening Report” from SXM Media and Edison Research “provides an in-depth look at the podcast habits and motivations of the elusive and much-desired Gen Z listener.” Edison vice president Megan Lazovick says, “Everything we do at Edison Research works to drive the audio space forward with the highest quality data. We believe these two studies will help advertisers understand the opportunities for audio to reach these two important generations and of course help the media companies who can deliver these audiences.”