Insights, tools and research to advance journalism
Washington Post’s popular weather blog Capital Weather Gang is partnering with D.C.-area NPR member station WAMU to deliver morning weather forecasts on the station. The partnership is starting with a three-month trial, with the goal of “explaining the why about the weather.” As WAMU re-examines some of its coverage, the partnership “represents a run at […]
When Atlanta Journal-Constitution managing editor Bert Roughton got hooked on Serial, he brought the idea back to the newspaper. AJC’s new weekly podcast Breakdown follows a case involving the murder of an elderly woman in a western Georgia town and the man who was convicted of the murder and maintains his innocence. Bill Rankin, the […]
You might have heard: Podcasts are “back,” with several factors contributing to their recent attention, including better podcast apps and faster connections But did you know: Podcasts aren’t in a bubble, writes Farhad Manjoo: Audiences for podcasts are growing slowly, a rarity for the technology industry. But its advertising business is working, with both large […]
Eric Nuzum, NPR’s outgoing programming VP, has big plans for the future of Audible.com in his new role as its senior VP for original content. His ideas range from a documentary series to a game show, but he also wants Audible to help audio producers do groundbreaking work. Nuzum says he wants Audible to become, […]
In terrestrial public radio, 87 percent of NPR’s audience is white — but that number drops to 67 percent for NPR podcasts. Podcasts are also tending to grow faster with more digitally savvy audiences, which also tend to be more diverse, signifying a breakthrough for public radio in terms of attracting more diverse listeners. NPR’s […]
Pop culture podcast Crossing the Streams is a collaboration between film news site Moviepilot and humor magazine Cracked, representing a growing tend of competing publications joining for a podcast. By collaborating, the financial risk is shared and multiple audiences are brought to the podcast, as well as being able to share existing infrastructure.
You might have heard: Mobile is now the majority of traffic for most news sites, but it leads to less time spent on site But did you know: To get mobile users to spend more time on site, Time magazine is using audio to get users to stick around. Time and other publishers such as […]
Slack, an office chat platform, is moving into the rapidly growing podcast market with the launch of “Slack Variety Pack.” The first episode of the podcast premiered Monday, and Slack CMO Bill Macaitis says the idea behind Slack Variety Pack is “stories about work and life, told in a very human voice.” While Slack has […]
As podcasts continue to grow in popularity, advances in technology and drops in pricing have made it easier than ever to create high-quality audio. Start by choosing a good microphone, and choose one that can focus on small areas. Record in a quiet environment, and use editing software to edit out coughs and pauses for […]
This American Life host Ira Glass says public radio is ready to join the free market and accept more traditional forms of advertising. At an “upfront” meeting with advertisers, hosted by NPR, WBEZ and WNYC, Glass said his hope for public radio is that it can move away from the model of asking listeners for […]