Podfest 2019 will take place on March 7-9, 2018, at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. Podfest announced that their new website is now live. It is where to go to keep up with news about Podfest 2019.

Podfest Expo is a community of people who are interested in and passionate about sharing their voice and message with the world through the powerful mediums of audio and video. We’re proud to unite as many people as possible to learn, get inspired, and grow better together.

Podfest wants to elevate the podcasting community with these 3 Pillars:

World Class Education: Whether you’re just starting out and want to launch your podcast, or want to discover the latest, cutting-edge and data-driven success strategies for growing your audience, we facilitate learning on a whole new level.

Inspiration & Ideas: Podfest has a focus and dedication to bring speakers and workshops that will both inspire you and spark new and innovative ideas in the way of creativity, content, creation, audience growth, monetization and more.

Community & Networking: Podfest enhances to their community with dedicated mingling time, an outstanding (and proprietary) networking event, and after parties.

Speakers have not yet been announced. Visit the Podfest 2019 website for more details when they are released.

Tickets are available for purchase now. Choose from: Creator Ticket ($277), VIP Ticket ($497), or Inner Circle Experience ($1,500). Each comes with specific benefits.

Workshops include:

Podcast Startup Workshop: This is a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn exactly how to launch and grow your podcast! It is a full-day workshop on March 7, 2019.

Boss Lady Workshop: Facilitated entirely by women podcasters, for women who want to podcast! This is a half-day workshop on March 7, 2019.

Pecha Kucha Sessions: 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each, creating a unique and fun take on delivering value very quickly! This is a half-day workshop on March 7, 2019.

Vidfest Expo: This year, PodFest 2019 is featuring an entire day dedicated to Youtube and video content creation education facilitated by experts! This is a full-day workshop on March 7, 2019.

Stitcher announced that they have a new look. They are no longer using their previous logo, and have replaced it with one that has new colors. Stitcher has also been investing in its app, and has become the primary brand for E.W. Scripps Company’s podcast operations.

The new look embodies our history and where we’re headed in the future. The bars are reminiscent of sound. The colors are meant to be energetic and exciting, and together they demonstrate our commitment to all listeners, all creators and all types of podcasts. Used as mirrors of one another, they can create a “window” that opens up into the podcast world.

Stitcher has been investing in the Stitcher app. Their newest iOS release literally moves the app’s navigation options to your fingertips, making it easier for you to get what you want with fewer taps. Similar updates are on their way for Android.

Midroll Media announced the following on the Midroll blog:

Stitcher, a leader in podcast content creation, distribution, and advertising, today unveiled a new logo and brand identify, reinforcing its place as a leading player across the podcast ecosystem as it becomes the primary brand for The E.W. Scripps Company’s podcast operations.

The same blog post says that Stitcher is now the parent company to Midroll and Earwolf. Other networks of original content also fall under the Stitcher umbrella. Stitcher is a wholly owned subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company.

With over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners in the U.S., and over 131 million social followers, iHeartMedia has the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet in America. Recently, iHeartMedia announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Stuff Media, LLC, the leading for-profit publisher of entertainment and informative podcast content, which includes HowStuffWorks (HSW) podcasting platform.

iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s all-in-one digital music, podcast, on demand and streaming radio service, is already partnered with all major publishers and features more than 20,000 podcasts ranging from NPR to WNYC to ESPN and Gimlet, and the iHeartRadio Podcast Network hosts more than 750 iHeartRadio Original shows.

The acquisition will enable iHeartMedia to leverage Stuff Media’s original content, programming, and experienced podcast management team and to further expand its podcasting platform. The Wall Street Journal reported that a value for the deal of $55 million. The transaction is subject to bankruptcy court approval.

Conal Byrne will join iHeartMedia as head of its podcast division. Stuff Media’s podcasts will maintain their branding and remain headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with Byrne continuing as President and CEO of that studio as well. Byrne will report to Darren Davis, President of the iHeartMedia Networks Group and iHeartRadio.

Chris Peterson has been promoted to EVP of the podcasting division for iHeartMedia, and will oversee the full slate of iHeartRadio Original podcasts, as well as manage the affiliate relationships for the company, and will report to Byrne.

Twitter announced that they are launching audio-only broadcasting on Periscope (on iOS). In other words, they are enabling podcasters to use Periscope as a way to do live podcasts for their listeners. It doesn’t appear that this was Twitter’s intended use for the audio-only broadcasting feature – but that’s how I suspect it will be used.

Richard Plom, Staff Engineer of Periscope, wrote the following on Medium:

Broadcasting with audio only in Periscope is something the community has been asking for, and have been doing already by covering the camera lens. Sometimes people are not comfortable being on camera, but they still want to broadcast and interact with others via Periscope’s powerful chatroom feature. It was requested that we build this feature for #HackWeek, but after some research and focusing on the core of the problem we realized we could get it done in three days.

His Medium post also has a brief explanation of how audio-only broadcasting on Periscope works:

The iPhone microphone produces the audio stream and we continue to use that as-is. The camera produces a video stream that we immediately discard, and instead we create dynamic video animations informed by the audio data that we render on the iPhone in real-time. The audio stream is sent to the audio visualizer renderer which takes the raw audio bits and generates the waveform and volume levels indicator. This new stream is sent to backend instead of the one from the camera.

And, there you have it. Periscope made it easy for podcasters who don’t use video to do an audio-only podcast on Periscope. I don’t think most podcasters will decide to switch to Periscope exclusively as a result of this new feature. But, I can see the Periscope audio-only broadcasts being used as something “extra” for fans to enjoy.

Sometimes you just want to talk, without being on camera. We’re launching audio-only broadcasting, so your followers can hear, but not see you.

Rolling out now for iOS. pic.twitter.com/tBsm37NcdH

— Twitter (@Twitter) September 7, 2018

Anchor has introduced smart background music that can be used in podcasts that are on Anchor. There are 100 background tracks to choose from that intelligently mold to your audio. In addition, Anchor added brand new Sound Effects and Interludes tools.

Anchor points out that the perfect blend of voice, music, sounds and transitions in a podcast can be difficult to pull off. It takes time to find the perfect music and to ensure that you have the rights to use it. Not everyone knows how to create unique sounds or to properly edit a podcast. This is why Anchor has added smart background music.

The smart background collection library had over 100 beautiful, podcast-ready background tracks, free to use with no restrictions. A lot of the new tracks come from Blue Dot Sessions. The library can be browsed by mood, name, or keywords.

Each track will intelligently adjust in volume so that it sounds natural with your recording. Here’s how it works: the background song automatically starts at full volume. Then after an intro, the music dips and your recorded audio comes in. The song loops until your segment is done, and then at right at the end, the music swells back up, and fades out. This means your background music sounds really polished, never outshines your voice, and takes just a second to apply.

The new Sounds and Interludes include sound effects or musical interludes. Many of the interludes are short “stingers” that match the background tracks. Anchor says that you can also import your own background music, sounds, or interludes to easily reuse whenever you want to.

Blubrry Podcasting, a podcast services leader in the industry, recently celebrated 600,000+ shows in their directory. The directory, allows for anyone, Blubrry user or not, to listen to a podcast and see a list of the show’s episodes, all for free.

The directory, which was introduced in 2006, has seen significant growth in the podcasting industry since 2014. In 2017, the directory included more than 120,000 new shows; they project over 180,000 new podcasts this year, an increase of 50 percent over the previous year.

Podcasts are updated hourly, show hosts can claim their show, which includes a link to their show’s website. As opposed to other directories, there are also multiple ways for listeners to subscribe via Android or Apple devices and most importantly share the podcast.

“Surpassing 600,000 shows in the Blubrry Podcast Directory, which has been around since we launched Blubrry, provides infinite opportunities to podcast listeners and allows us to track ongoing in the podcasting space,” said Todd Cochrane, CEO of Blubrry.

Blubrry will continue to monitor trends in the market, release data and relevant information on the podcasting industry based on discoveries made analyzing the hundreds of thousands of podcasts and the near 50,000 podcasts measured by our IAB compliant Podcast Statistics.

As much growth as the industry has seen, however, there is a great deal of room to grow in specific categories.

“Many of the typical topics are covered well by various podcasts,” said Angelo Mandato, CIO of Blubrry. “But the directory, as large as it is, shows us that there are many categories that are underserved.”

“Categories such as ‘Kids and Family’, “Games and Hobbies’, and ‘Government and Organizations’ are severely underrepresented,” Mandato said. “This presents notable opportunities for podcasters to fill these topics.”

In fact, Mandato said, “The largest category is ‘Religion’. Many congregations have gravitated toward podcasting in recent years, and made it an essential component of their service.”

PodSquad is a podcast app for growing audiences on social media. They are currently looking for podcasters who would like to be beta testers of the PodSquad app. PodSquad is for podcasters, producers, and influencers.

Engage in social media in step with your normal listening experience. Create memes and audiograms to turn social media followers into new listeners.

The founder of PodSquad is named John Lee. He is building PodSquad, a podcast app for indie podcasters to grow their audiences on social media. If you are an indie podcaster, then John is inviting you to get early access to PodSquad and help them shape the final product of the PodSquad app.

As you might expect, there isn’t a whole lot of details out there about PodSquad. That’s not unusual for something that is not yet in beta. The beta app is coming.

If you want to be a PodSquad beta tester, then you need to visit their website and enter your email address. Your email will be shared with Podo (the maker of PodSquad).

Con Before the Storm is a fun event that takes place the night before BlizzCon. Part of the Con Before the Storm event includes World of Podcasts. This year, over 55 podcasts are being represented for 2018’s World of Podcasts.

Full disclosure, I will be attending Con Before the Storm this year and representing the Shattered Soulstone podcast (which is about Diablo III) in a World of Podcasts panel. I am not being paid to attend the event. This is just for fun.

There are several World of Podcasts panels that will be happening before and after BlizzCon 2018. The first two panels will be live on Twitch.tv/conbeforestorm

Pod Before the Con – Blizzard (October 28, 2018, 4pm ET)

• The Bard’s Tavern– Jay the Bird
• Freezing Nomad Podcast– PerfectNomad
• Kulle Story Bro– Dean
• Off Curve – Steve Lubitz
• Realm Maintenance– Rho
• The Sundering– Ceraphus
• Technically PVP – Andallyn
• The Nexus Trolls– Aurumis

Pod Before the Con – Warcraft (October 28, 2018, 7pm ET)

• All Things Azeroth– Medros
• Dungeon Fables– Aliandras
• FrazlCast– Frazley
• Halfhill Report– Toshmifune
• Unshackled Fury– Berzerker
• WoW Challenges– Stone
• WoW! Talk!– Nick Zielenkievicz

BlizzCon Kickoff & Podcasting (November 1, 2018, 5pm-6pm, Anaheim Hilton)

• Azeroth Coast to Coast– Akari
• Convert to Raid– Pat Krane
• Well Met!– J.R. Cook
• Dark Moon Herald– Kevin Oldscratch
• Lagging Balls– Thyst
• The Starting Zone – Spencer Downey
• Westmarch Workshop– Leviathan

Heroes of the Storm (November 1, 2018, 6:15pm – 7:15pm, Anaheim Hilton)

• CORE– Scott Johnson, Jon Jagger, and Beau Schwartz
• Gankbush Squad– Bacon
• Heroes News– Jules Scott
• Lords of the Storm– Ryan Reider and Gizmo
• Into the Nexus– Kyle Fergusson

Hearthstone (November 1, 2018, 7:30pm – 8:30pm Anaheim Hilton)

• Around the Hearth– Adam
• Blizzlet– Stormraige
• Coin Concede– RidiculousHat
• The Happy Hearthstone– Andrew Brown
• HearthCasual– Kevin Ellis
• Legend of the Innkeeper– Espo
• Value Town– Chris Chan

World of Warcraft (November 1, 2018, 8:45pm -9:45pm Anaheim Hilton)

• Azeroth Roundtable– Ben Bumhoffer
• Countdown to Classic – Josh Corbett
• For Azeroth!– Jocelyn Moffett
• Merely a Setback– Shoeboots
• The Training Dummies– Rob
• The Tauren & The Goblin– Katie Grace
• The Worgen’s Howl– Frostee

Overwatch(November 1, 2018, 10pm – 11pm Anaheim Hilton)

• Enter the Iris– Icy
• It’s High Noon Somewhere– Blevins
• Omnic Lab Podcast – Rob May
• The Owl Recap– Andres
• Overwatch League Network– Totemlydrunk
• Watchpoint Radio-Bob Schissler

The Storm (November 2, 2018 – Time and Location: To Be Announced)

• Behind the Avatar – Leeta
• The Cavalry– Melisaa Schissler
• Corpse Run Radio– Grandnagus
• The Game Case– Cuddles
• Hero Power – Zerotio
• PWNCast– Belle
• Shattered Soulstone– Jen
• Twister Nether Blogcast– Hydra

Buzzsprout is a podcast hosting company that makes it easy for podcasters at every level to upload, share and track a show, without any technical training. Buzzsprout will transcribe episodes of podcasts for podcasters who have a paid plan.

Buzzsprout allows people to get started on a free plan, which provides hosting for 90 days and allows 2 hours of upload each month.

All of Buzzsprout’s paid plans include:

• Unlimited Storage
• 250GB Bandwidth Per Month
• The Podcast Migration Tool
• No Advertising
• Hosted Indefinitely

The $12/month plan allows 3 hours of uploads each month. Overage costs $4 per hour. The $18/month plan allows 6 hours of uploads each month. Overage costs $3 per hour. The $24 plan allows 12 hours of uploads each month. Overage costs $2 per hour.

Those with paid plans, and who have their podcast on Buzzsprout, can have their podcast episodes transcribed. The process starts via the Buzzsprout dashboard. First, select the episode you want transcribed.

It gets sent to Temi. They will send you an email when your episode has been transcribed. After that, the podcaster can update their Buzzsprout site to let people know that a transcript is available.

Transcripts are billed at 10 cents per minute. The charge will appear on your next Buzzsprout invoice.

SiriusXM Holdings and Pandora Media today announced a definitive agreement under which SiriusXM will acquire Pandora in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $3.5 billion.

The combination of these two companies creates the world’s largest audio entertainment company. The combined company will engage in cross-promotion between SiriusXM’s base of more than 36 million subscribers across North America and 23 million-plus annual trial listeners and Pandora’s more than 70 million monthly active users.

The acquisition will enable leveraging of SiriusXM’s exclusive content and programming with Pandora’s ad-supported and subscription tiers to create unique audio packages while also utilizing SiriusXM’s extensive automotive relationships to drive Pandora’s in-car distribution. The press release mentioned “expanded monetization opportunities through both ad-supported and subscription services in and out of the vehicle.”

The press release says: “Following the completion of the transaction, there will be no immediate change in listener offerings.” I think the key word here is “immediate”. This is not a promise that things will not change.

The acquisition could bring up some issues for people who canceled their SiriusXM subscription because they strongly disagreed with the hiring of Steve Bannon. It may also be problematic for the people pushing SiriusXM to cancel Pearl Jam Radio. People who don’t want anything to do with SiriusXM, but who do want to continue using Pandora, face a moral dilemma.

Now might be a good time to find out if your favorite podcasts that are on SiriusXM or Pandora are available somewhere else. That will make it easier if the podcast disappears after the acquisition is final.

The Kim Komando Show is seeking a talented podcast writer/producer. The project is described as “not for beginners”. Applicants should be someone who knows how to write conversationally for the ear, and is a true storyteller.

We provide the topic (tech-related), you research it, interview the appropriate people including nationally recognized newsmakers or experts, write it, edit the audio and copy, and prep it for V/O. We put all the elements together on our end.

They need someone with experience “writing around actualities”, and they do not have time for major rewrites. The ideal person is intuitive, resourceful and knows now to honor deadlines. The final podcast time averages 16-18 minutes.

It is worth knowing that the position(s) are for freelancers. The pay is $275 for each approved script with actualities. The freelancers would have to sign an agreement to insure ethical standards and best practices, and would also have to send them an invoice.

For more information, including what they would like you to send them in a cover letter, please visit the Kim Komando Show website.

BuzzFeed is cutting its in-house podcast production team and is shifting to creating original shows similar to the ones it produces for Netflix, Twitter and Facebook. This was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Vice President of News and Programming at BuzzFeed News, Shani Hilton, said in a memo to staff that most of Buzzfeed’s podcasts would be shutting down. This includes See Something Say Something, The News, and Reporting To You.

See Something Say Something was hosted by Ahmed Ali Akbar. In the podcast, he covered everything that American Muslims are talking about right now. Topics included misrepresentation in the media, equality in the mosque, Asahd memes, and much more.

The News was hosted by BuzzFeed News reporters, who released a show every Saturday about the latest news. It was described as “news that’s smart, not stuffy.”

Reporting to You was the Buzzfeed News daily news and culture debrief. It was hosted by the BuzzFeed News team. New episodes were released every weekday with a summary of what you need to know.

On September 19, 2018, Tracy Clayton (@brokeymcpoverty), who hosted Another Round with Heben Nigatu, tweeted: “ADDITIONAL INFO RE: BUZZFEED’S PODCAST CUTS: i am also being let go. as of october 21, my position is being eliminated, and i will be leaving the company. as my name was not in the internal email detailing this fact, i was only now made aware through clarification.”

On September 20, 2018, the BuzzFeed News PodSquad posted a tweet that included the following: “@BuzzFeedNews has made the decision to dissolve our team and end most of our shows with it, including The News, Reporting to You, and @seesomething. @ThirstAidKit will continue through the rest of its season.” The next tweet in the thread included: “Our producers are now looking for work.”

Thirst Aid Kit is hosted by Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins. They explore the public ways that women express their desire, particularly in this moment when we are all asking more pointed questions about Hollywood, representation, and opportunity. The show included an examination of why we desire who we desire, original fanfic, and fantasies “that take us by surprise.”

The Wall Street Journal article stated that the cuts would only affect “a handful of employees”. BuzzFeed News still plans to continue producing podcasts, but without a dedicated in-house production team (according to a representative from BuzzFeed).

I noticed that the hosts of See Something, Say Something, Another Round, and Thirst Aid Kit are all people of color, four of whom are black women. It wasn’t clear to me who was hosting The News or Reporting to You.

The Sporkful is a podcast about food. It isn’t for foodies, it’s for eaters. The Sporkful is hosted by Dan Pashman of Cooking Channel’s “Your Eating It Wrong” and the book “Eat More Better”. This podcast is a Stitcher Production. Stitcher is seeking an Associate Producer to join The Sporkful in NYC.

The ideal candidate will have at least two years of experience in creating, producing and editing compelling audio programs, a passion for innovative storytelling, and familiarity with the current podcast landscape.

The Associate Producer will:

• Pitch ideas and research show topics
• Cut host tracks and interview
• Identify, pre-interview and book potential guests
• Research and write detailed interview prep for host. This includes: offering editorial feedback to Senior Producer/Host, helping manage social media accounts and listener engagement, producing live events, participating in weekly editorial meetings, and more.

Requirements:

• At least two years of experience in a deadline-driven media environment
• Superb organization and time management, ability to work with remote teams
• Proficiency with audio editing
• Creative problem-solving in editing stories and interviews
• Experience working with diverse populations preferred
• Proficiency with a range of social media
• A love of eating is required, but deep knowledge of food is not

For more details, including how to qualify for an interview, please visit the Scripps website where the Stitcher job posting is located.

International Podcast Day is on September 30 every year. At the time I am writing this post, there are Australian podcasters participating in the live stream event. Anyone who is interested can watch 30 plus hours of free online sessions.

International Podcast Day is September 30th and is an international celebration of the power of podcasts! The celebration is a great opportunity to connect with fellow podcast listeners, podcast enthusiasts, and leaders in the podcast industry.

There are several ways to get involved with International Podcast Day:

• Use #InternationalPodcastDay to engage with others worldwide talking about the event
• Grab your mic and camera and ask someone about their favorite podcast. Share the response on social media!
• Join in numerous events in your region and around the world
• Promote by posting the official banner image on your website
• Explain to someone what a podcast is and get them hooked
• Subscribe to a new show and talk about it using #InternationalPodcastDay

There is an official International Podcast Day streaming schedule you can check out.

Saturday, September 29, 2018:

• 9:00PM – 10:00PM PDT – Freedom of [Creative] Speech – Taku Mbudzi – Australia
• 10:00PM – 11:00PM PDT – India, Podcasting and Change – Chhavi Sachdev – India
• 11:00PM – 12:00AM PDT – Forget About the Email List… I have a WhatsApp List that Subscribes to my Podcast – Bijay Gautam – India

Sunday, September 30, 2018:

• 12:00AM – 1:00AM PDT – How to Monetize Your Podcast in an Underdeveloped Podcast Scene – Giorgio Minguzzi – Italy
• 1:00AM – 2:00AM PDT – Podcasting the World’s Museums – Hannah Hethmon – Poland
• 2:00AM – 3:00AM PDT – Building the Middle East Podcast Scene for the First Time – Hebah Fisher – United Arab Emirates
• 3:00AM – 4:00AM PDT – Podcasting Politic: Bringing People and Politics Together – Cláudio Fonseca – Portugal
• 4:00AM – 5:00AM PDT – Let’s Have Brunch! Using Live Events as a Podcast Growth Strategy – Ileane Smith – United States
• 5:00AM – 6:00AM PDT – Life Behind the Mic – Why I Can’t Live Without My Podcast – Joanne Sweeney-Burke – Ireland
• 6:00AM – 7:00AM PDT – Global Platform, Local Focus – Ian Farrar – United Kingdom
• 7:00AM – 8:00AM PDT – Building a South African Podcast Network – Tayla Welsch & Quintus Potgieter – South Africa
• 8:00AM – 9:00AM PDT – Why International Brands Should be Paying Attention to France’s Growing Podcast Scene – Lory Martinez – France
• 9:00AM – 10:00AM PDT – GOLD SPONSOR – PODCAST SUCCESS ACADEMY – Top Tips for Growing Your Show You Haven’t Thought Of Yet – Jessica Kupferman from Podcast Success Academy – United States
• 10:00AM – 11:00AM PDT – The Unexpected Benefits and Value Gained from Podcasting – Rob O’Donohue – Ireland
• 11:00AM – 12:00PM PDT – PLATINUM SPONSOR – BLUBRRY – Podcast Best Practices and Common Mistakes – Todd Cochrane from Blubrry – United States
• 12:00AM – 1:00PM PDT – 5 Pillars to Creating The Ultimate Podcast Brand – Stephen Hart – Jamaica/USA
• 1:00PM – 2:00PM PDT – La Fraternidad del Podcasting en Español – Pato Lopardo – Argentina
• 2:00PM – 3:00PM PDT – The Power of Podcasts in Education – Chris Nesi – United States
• 3:00PM – 4:00PM PDT – Reasons to Podcast – Brian Crawford
• 4:00PM – 5:00PM PDT – How to Conduct Better Podcast Interviews – Annamarie Cross – Australia
• 5:00PM – 6:00PM PDT – 13th Annual People’s Choice Podcast Awards Ceremony – Todd Cochrane – United States
• 6:00PM – 7:00PM PDT – PLATINUM SPONSOR – BLUBRRY – Growth Focus for your Community – Todd Cochrane from Blubrry – United States
• 7:00PM – 8:00PM PDT – Podcasting is Just the Start … How to Market Yourself & Your Podcast – Sean Callanan
• 8:00PM – 9:00PM PDT – Audio Fiction as a Diverse Gateway to Podcasting – Elena Fernández-Collins – Puerto Rico
• 9:00PM – 10:00PM PDT – How Podcasting Has Exponentially Grown in the Phillippines & How Filipinos Are Now Telling Stories Through Podcast – Issa Perez – Philippines
• 10:00PM – 10:30PM PDT – International Podcast Day Wrap Up – Podcast Day Team & Platinum Sponsor – Steve Lee, Dave Lee, Todd Cochrane from Blubrry, Daniel J. Lewis – United States

Overcast 5 has been improved for Apple Watch. Marco Arment, creator of Overcast, stated in his blog post that: “Overcast’s previous Apple Watch app really sucked.” He was able to make improvements to it after watchOS 5 was released.

Some improvements include:

Auto-Sync to Watch: This feature automatically tries to send your most recent podcasts to your Apple Watch whenever it gets a chance. “Just pick up your Watch and go”. This feature prevents the problems of having to manually sync anything and waiting for slow transfers.

Watch-crown volume control: The new design maintains the same scrollable pages of the previous version of Overcast 5, but they are now obvious, tactile cards. This design is more discoverable.

Search: You can search your podcasts and current episodes from the main screen, or go into a podcast’s screen to search its entire archive.

Siri Shortcuts: and support

For full details, you should go check out the blog post by Marco Arment. He suggests that you update your devices and then go get Overcast. I think these improvements have the potential to make life much less frustrating for people who like to listen to podcasts on their Apple Watch.

The winners of the 2018 People’s Choice Podcast Awards have been revealed! The announcement was made during the International Podcast Day Live event.

Here is a quick look at the podcasts that won each of the categories:

• The Adam Curry People’s Choice Award:Fantasy Football Today
• Arts: We Like Drinking
• Manager Tools Business Category: Extraordinary Women Radio with Kami Guildner
• Comedy Category:2 Girls on a Bench
• Grammar Girl Education Category: Our Fake History
• Rob has a Podcast Entertainment Category: We’re Drunk & We Know Things
• Games & Hobbies: Trivial Warfare
• Government & Organizations: Democracy Works
• Health: A Better Night’s Sleep
• Kids & Family: Cool Facts About Animals
• Feast of Fools/Fun LGBTQ Category: Derek and Romaine
• Mature: Turn Me On
• Coverville Podsafe Music Category: The Modern Vinyl Podcast
• The Majority Report Politics & News Category: Consider This
• Religion & Spirituality: For the Love with Jen Hatmaker
• The Skeptics’ Guide Science & Medicine Category: Curiosity Daily
• Society – Culture: Travel Oddities
• ESPN: Fantasy Focus Football Sports Category: The Fantasy Footballers
• This Week in Tech Technology Category: Why’d You Push That Button
• TV & Film: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fan Podcast

Please visit the Podcast Awards website to see lists of all of the other podcasts that were nominated for each category. You can also check out lists of past winners from previous years. A video of the 13^thAnnual Podcast Awards 2018 Ceremony is available on the website.

Spit is among iHeartRadio’s newest podcasts. It is from 23andMe, a company that makes direct-to-consumer DNA tests. Genealogists take these kinds of DNA tests in order to find out more about their ancestry as well as the health related information found in their DNA.

Spit is an iHeartRadio podcast with 23andMe where host Baratunde Thursdon sits down with the most interesting cultural influencers of our time to explore how DNA testing gives us a new perspective on who we are and how we are all connected.

For those who are unaware, the name of the podcast relates to how 23andMe’s DNA test kits work. The participant fills a vial with some of their saliva (also called “spit”). That sample is used by researchers who extract the person’s DNA from the cells in their saliva sample. The genetic data is then analyzed, and the person will receive a report about what was found.

At the time I am writing this blog post, one trailer and four episodes of Spit have been released. Episode one features John Legend and Anne Wojcicki. Episode two features Wyclef Jean and Alven Tillery. Episode three features Melissa Etheridge and Sara Lamm, and episode four (the most recent episode) features Pete Wentz and Dr. Green.

Each episode delves in to interesting topics and concepts relating to genealogy and genetic testing. Some topics include:

• How Are We All Related
• What Does it Mean to Be “Family”
• Does Race Really Exist or Did We Create It?

The 23andMe blog that talks about Spit says that more episodes are to come. I think this podcast will be popular with genealogists, family historians, and people who took one of 23andMe’s DNA tests. It was smart of them to include famous people in the episodes because that will attract listeners who aren’t especially interested in DNA testing.

Werk It 2018 will take place at venues across New York City from November 12, 2018, through November 17, 2018. It is a Women’s Podcast Festival that is produced by WNYC Studios.

Join Werk It: A Women’s Podcast Festival, the inimitable annual gathering for women shaping the future of podcasting!

Werk It is for women+ in all stages of their careers working in or hoping to break into audio and digital media. Past attendees have come from 23 states and 13 countries. They have been producers, hosts, writers, reporters, editors, engineers, social media managers, marketers, sound designers, video producers, and more.

Although Werk It is focused on empowering women, they encourage podcasters and podcast fans who identify as genderqueer, non-binary, or other who feel inspired by what we’re doing to join them at the festival and be a part of their community.

Werk It launched in 2015 with a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to expand women’s voices in podcasting. At the time, research showed that only 20% of all podcasts in the iTunes top 100 chart were hosted by women. Their mission is to get to 50% or more. By giving women opportunities to learn new skills and make professional contacts, Werk It is one way we will get there.

Visit the Werk It 2018 website to see their long list of this year’s presenters. In addition, you can also check out the 2018 Conference Schedule. It includes things happening on their Main Stage and Second Stage, as well as some Sessions.

Anchor announced that it now has a Cover Art Creator. This was made possible because of a partnership between Anchor and Unsplash, a website that has a vast library of high-quality images that people are allowed to use for free.

Anchor points out that having eye-catching artwork for your podcast is an impactful way to attract new listeners. Anchor’s partnership with Unsplash enables people who are not artists, photographers, or designers, to easily create great cover art for their podcast.

The Cover Art Creator can be accessed by people who have their podcast on Anchor. It provides a curated image library. Anchor says that this library is “totally free to use even if you’re monetizing your podcast.” The Cover Art Creator also provides customizable fonts and layout of your podcast name on top of the image that you have selected.

To celebrate this new feature, Anchor will be sharing on Twitter and Instagram all podcast cover art made with the Cover Art Creator. They will use #AnchorxUnsplash. Anchor and Unsplash will select the very best 10 podcast covers and promote their respective podcasts on social to get those podcast in front of even more listeners.

There is a brand new podcast produced by Night Vale Presents called Adventures in New America. It is described as: “the first sci-fi, political satire, Afrofuturistic buddy comedy, serialized for New Americans in a new and desperate time.”

Set a few years in the future, Adventures in New America follows the escapades of two mismatched African-New-American best friends – fat, lonely curmudgeon IA and lesbian sneak-thief Simon Carr – who take on a series of increasingly high-stakes heists to get quick cash to pay for IA’s medical treatment while attempting to survive the wilds of New New York City… and a secret cabal of Tetchy Terrorist Vampire Zombies from outer space.

Adventures in New America stars Paige Gilbert, Bryan Webster, Pernell Walker (The Deuce), Starlee Kine (Mystery Show), Stephen Writer, and many more.

The first episode is called “The End”. It comes with an interesting, yet disturbing, description. “New American citizens are terrorized by supernatural beings. A man with cancer who has given up on life is saved by a younger sociopathic girl he meets outside of a poke bowl restaurant. Somebody’s baby is crying: is it yours?”

I highly recommend that you take the time to visit the Adventures in New America website. Underneath the player for the first episode, there is a list of all the characters and the people who played them. You can also find out who wrote and directed the episode, the theme song, other music included in the episode, and the people behind the scenes.