Industry News

PodcastOne: Video Views Up 218% Year-Over-Year

PodcastOne says that after accelerating and investing in diversifying its content offerings and expanding audience reach, it has achieved a 218% year-over-year increase in video views of its programs. The company’s shows are distributed across video streaming services including YouTube, Rumble, Substack, Spotify, TikTok and Apple+. PodcastOne says it has “broadened its video production capabilities andimg distribution for its podcast offerings, enabling listeners the option to engage with content in a more dynamic and interactive way. This move has proven highly successful, leading to an explosive increase in video consumption across both its owned channels and third-party platforms.” Company president and co-founder Kit Gray comments, “We are thrilled with the success of our video distribution strategy. Podcasting is no longer just about audio, it’s about offering our audience a rich, immersive, and multi-channel experience. Expanding into video has allowed us to reach new viewers and unlock impactful opportunities for our advertising partners. PodcastOne has a unique ability to support our shows with the technology and resources needed to create best-in-class video podcasts.”

Industry Views

Monday Memo: “Kill The Feed!”

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgCorporate cost cuts continue. In a recent column here, I described 18 non-radio career options for which your skill set as a broadcaster could qualify you. In just the last couple years, several longtime TV news people I know – who had-it-up-to-here with the hours – reinvented themselves accordingly.

“But radio is all I’ve ever done!” you say? No. Radio is (or was) your platform. And – as clients are accustomed to hearing me say – “Everything we do is storytelling.” So where else can you tell yours?

Tools are available, many free. To illustrate, I wrote a novella (shorter than a novel, longer than a short story). It’s the first fiction I’ve written since a high school homework assignment, and you can download it, also free.

I had an idea for a John Grisham/James Patterson-style thriller. ChatGPT and MS Copilot were my co-authors, suggesting plot twists and critiquing, chapter-by-chapter. After ChatGPT reviewed each one, I ran it through Copilot – like having a team of writers. Both AI tools also created the images you will see on the landing page. Tell either app how you want your web page to look, and it will write the HTML code! And Google Search helped with details.

Every one of those functions was completed in five seconds or less, free. As is Audacity, if you’d rather not spend for your own copy of the Adobe Audition you use (or used) at the radio station. And before you subscribe to Microsoft Office 365, peruse the suite of lookalike tools at OpenOffice.org. Video? Premiere Pro is pricey, but Adobe Express is free and there are shareware alternatives.

im

Seen those TV ads TikTok is running to stave-off a USA ban? Storytellers share how they’re making a living there. Could you?

I hope you like my story. But even if you don’t, I hope you will experiment with new ways to tell yours. I’m not saying any of us will write a best-selling novel. But if you do, you can also voice the audiobook version.

Now, grab the armrest, for chilling intrigue, and a damning narrative about the corporate consolidation that plagues broadcasting, set in the beguiling place where we live, populated by pseudonyms (including the author’s) which some will find thinly-veiled: http://getonthenet.com/TalkersPreview.html

That’s your sneak peek. It drops on April Fool’s Day.

Next week, I’ll be reporting here from The NAB Show in fabulous Las Vegas. If you’re going, wear comfortable shoes! But even if you do – and you plan on walking from where shuttle busses drop you off at the Convention Center to the West Hall where most radio and podcasting sessions will be – pack a lunch. It’s a hike!

Better idea: Let Elon Musk give you a free ride… UNDERGROUND, in “The Loop.” He has 100 Teslas zooming through what seems like a high-tech Batcave that his Boring Company is…boring. Here’s video I shot at CES: https://youtu.be/wqqQd9vZnM0

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry News

Edison Research: Video Appeals to Podcast Fans

According to Edison Research’s Edison Podcast Metrics, 79% of weekly podcast listeners in the U.S. have consumed a ‘video podcast’ – essentially watching, or at least listening to the content on a video streaming platform. Edison Podcast Metrics further measures whether podcast listeners are actively or passivelyim watching video podcasts. Sixty-two percent of weekly podcast listeners 13+ have enjoyed video podcasts passively, with the video content playing in the background while listening to the audio. Meanwhile, the data reveals a compelling point – 72% of weekly podcast listeners 13+ have enjoyed video podcasts actively, meaning they have watched video as they listen to the podcast. Edison says, “Podcasts with video elements also allow creators to repurpose content into short, engaging clips tailor-made for social media platforms – think YouTube shorts, TikTok, or reels on Instagram or Facebook. This strategy can work to enhance a show’s digital presence, while amplifying the reach and engagement of podcasts overall.”

Industry News

Yesterday’s (5/7) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Stormy Daniels’ testimony in the NYC “hush money” trial of former President Donald Trump; Judge Aileen Cannon postpones the Trump classified records case indefinitely; the U.S. pauses a shipment of bombs to Israel as it begins its incursion into Rafeh after not accepting Hamas’ most recent ceasefire offer; the status of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s plan to force a vote on Mike Johnson’s House Speaker future; TikTok parent Bytedance sues the U.S. over its ban on the social media platform; and the severe weather affecting south central part of the U.S. were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend

The Donald Trump “hush money” trial in NYC; the presidential race; the aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan; Marjorie Taylor Greene’s threat to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson; speculation about more Iran-Israel military strikes; the tensions at Columbia University and Yale over Israel-Hamas protests; the U.S. House passes a ban on TikTok; the Supreme Court to hear arguments about criminalizing homelessness; and the Russia-Ukraine war were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (3/13) Top News/Talk Media Stories

A Georgia judge dismisses six charges in the 41-count indictment of former President Donald Trump in the election interference case; the presidential election; the House votes to ban TikTok in the U.S. unless it is separated from Chinese parent company ByteDance; the U.S. migrant crisis; the Israel-Hamas war; the China-Russia-Iran naval exercises in Gulf of Oman; the Russia-Ukraine war; and the problems facing airplane manufacturer Boeing were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Podcast producer Wondery renews its agreement with audio analytics and research platform Veritonic Wondery head of ad management Alyson Sprague states, “We choose to work with Veritonic based on their industry-leading creative measurement solutions, and their ability to deliver actionable insights at scale through an easy-to-use dashboard and UI. We are thrilled to offer this benefit to our customers, and to support insights-driven decisions around media planning and audio creative.”

Podcast advertising sales firm AdLarge announces today that “HR Besties” joins the company’s podcast portfolio. “HR Besties” is hosted by the three human resources experts who are behind some of social media’s most popular HR accounts. With followings of over 3.7 million on TikTok and Instagram alone, the “HR Besties” are known for sharing their honest yet entertaining experiences and perspectives as well as their hilarious takes on HR nightmares that “may or may not be based on true events.”

Industry News

FCC Commissioner Carr Cheers TikTok Legislation

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr releases a statement supporting the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” which would ban the TikTok app “unless TikTok genuinely divests from its ties to the Communist Party of China.” Carr comments, “TikTok’s own conduct makes clear that it is beholden to the CCP and presents an unacceptable threat to U.S. national security.im Indeed, TikTok has been caught engaging in a pattern of illicit surveillance and making false statements about personnel in Beijing accessing sensitive U.S. user data. These facts were laid bare for the world to see when the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a TikTok oversight hearing last year. And that is why there is now a broad, bipartisan consensus that TikTok cannot continue to operate in the U.S. in its current form. I want to applaud the strong, bipartisan leadership that Members of Congress have shown in advancing this bill, which would definitively resolve the serious national security threats TikTok poses by banning the app or requiring that it genuinely sever ties to the CCP. This is a smart, threat-specific bill that would address a clear and present danger. I hope that this bill will soon become law.”

Industry News

Yesterday’s (3/6) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Nikki Haley’s suspension of her campaign and the 2024 presidential race; tonight’s State of the Union address; the U.S. migrant crisis; the Alabama embryo-IVF legislation; the Israel-Hamas war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza; the Russia-Ukraine war and the attack on Volodymyr Zelensky’s convoy; the spending package to keep the federal government operating; the bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. gains steam; and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Edison Research: Moms Flocking to TikTok

Edison Research releases its latest Moms and Media 2023 report and concludes that American moms “are spending more time on the Internet, increasingly embracing digital devices, and using TikTok more.” The report states that U.S. moms self-reported using the Internet 15 minutes more per day than they did in 2022, for aim total of four hours and 15 minutes per day. Ninety percent of moms access the internet from their mobile phones. It also says that TikTok is used by 50% of U.S. moms, up from 42% in 2022, while Facebook is used by 83% of U.S. moms, down from 88% in 2022. Edison Research VP Melissa DeCesare says, “U.S. moms are heavily engaged with social media and online audio, and their time on the Internet continues to increase with the ease of mobile phone access. They are busy with children and are taking advantage of the convenience offered by wireless headphones and smart watches.” Download the report here.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (3/22) Top News/Talk Media Stories

The economy, the Fed’s move to increase interest rates again, and fears of a recession; the aftermath of the Silicon Valley Bank failure and the state of the banking industry; former President Donald Trump’s legal battles; the U.S. government’s move to ban TikTok; two staff members are injured in a shooting at a Denver high school; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the meeting between Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping; and the recent climate change report and the severe weather in Southern California were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (3/15) Top News/Talk Media Stories

The aftermath of the Silicon Valley Bank and the efforts to assure Americans about the security if the banking system; the U.S. economy. Fed policy, and concerns about a recession; Russia’s downing of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea and the Russian invasion of Ukraine; the U.S. pushes China to force TikTok sale; Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk hears arguments over the FDA’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone; the ’24 race for the GOP nomination; the 5,000 mile-wide seaweed blob headed to the shores of Florida were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (3/7) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Fed chair Jerome Powell tells the Senate Banking Committee the Fed is likely to raise interest rates much higher to curb inflation; China’s foreign minister Qin Gang threatens the U.S. with “conflict and confrontation” for trying to “encircle and suppress” China; the proposed ban on TikTok gains support from the White House; two Americans are dead after being kidnapped by Mexican drug gangs; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s cozying up to Vladimir Putin; the protests in Paris over the raising of the retirement age; controversy over FOX News’ Tucker Carlson portraying January 6 as a “mostly peaceful” event; and California’s severe weather threat changes from snow to floods were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Analysis

Moms and Media 2022

Webinar notes by
consultant Holland Cooke

 

BLOCK ISLAND, RI — JUST in time to remind the otherwise-forgetful that Her special day is just yonder, “The Research Moms” at Edison Research update their annual report. You can download it – or watch a video of Thursday’s narrated presentation – at EdisonResearch.com.
This survey defines “Mom” as having a child 18 or younger at home. Her average age 41. And her media habits are changed since – and because of – the pandemic.

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