PodMov Daily: Tuesday, June 15

Episode 451: Testing, One Two-sday

AIR's New Voices 2021 Envisions the Future of Audio

On Friday AIR Media opened applications for New Voices 2021, its annual mentorship program for underrepresented and early-career voices in public radio and podcasting. All 16 scholars in this year’s cohort will be assigned a mentor and receive a $1,000 stipend in addition to ongoing resources and networking. 

“(Re)defining Our Why: Collectively Envisioning the Future of Audio” will run from August to December, spearheaded by award-winning radio journalist Elena Rivera and Program Coordinator Casper. The organizers are hosting an information session this Thursday, June 17 at 5:00 pm CT, to be recorded and available later.

Morgan Givens (Dispatches, Flyest Fables) said of the New Voices program, “I was fortunate enough to be chosen in 2018, and it was and continues to be incredibly helpful to my audio career.” Givens was recently named one of Variety’s 10 Storytellers to Watch. Applications are due the evening of Friday, June 25.

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Lighten Up: Podcasting Parodies Worth Your Time

On a recent episode of Sound Heap, a class of seven- and eight-year-old children tackle a cold-case murder. Fiona Sturges of The Financial Times introduces this improv podcast and others parodying the medium, like The Onion’s A Very Fatal Murder. May we recommend a few other treats from the archives: 

The three-minute sketch “NPR Podcast” from “Portlandia” Season 8 (2017) couldn’t be more accurate if it were released today. “Podcasts saying literally nothing for 20 minutes,” a 60-second Twitter video by UK musician Jonathan Ogden, is another classic. Its 110,000 retweets since January are well-deserved. 

One more: According to BroBible, your Memorial Day BBQ is a place for music only. “Everyone is aware you’ve recently discovered podcasts. Yes they’re awesome and yes there are a million of them. But the last thing I want to hear while I’m trying to binge drink is Ira Glass telling a story about endangered porcupines.”

Start PM21 with a VIP Tasting Tour at Jack Daniel’s

Podcast Movement 2021 will be full of opportunity — even a chance to experience the world-famous Jack Daniel Distillery. On Monday, August 2, 20 lucky attendees and speakers will be treated to a private bus trip from Nashville down to Lynchburg, Tennessee, where every drop of Jack Daniel’s is produced. 

After a special VIP distillery tasting tour with Jack Daniel’s senior brand ambassador, you’ll enjoy a complimentary lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s. Wrap up your getaway with a visit to Jack’s gift shop. At the Lynchburg Hardware Store, gift cards are on the house.

Ready for a shot at the VIP treatment? Those over 21 can register to be selected for the perfect way to kick off PM21. Be sure to visit Jack Daniel’s in the Podcast Movement expo hall, and welcome to Tennessee.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Double date: Apple Podcasts is expected to roll out subscriptions today. The planned May launch was delayed due to a recent backend update that disrupted just about every functionality. On this second round, Apple is under pressure from creators and listeners to redeem the service.

• Fine spirits: Snap Judgment is hiring a producer for its spin-off podcast, Spooked. Applications are due this Thursday, June 17. The remote-eligible position is seasonal (runs through October 31), salaried, and requires a “voracious appetite for talking about paranormal activity.”

• Bridge partner: “We created Edit Mode to challenge employers’ assumption that narrative audio has an editor-talent pipeline problem,” write the four members of The Editors Collective. In Current, they outline the importance of training for audio editors from underrepresented backgrounds.

• Something else: Dave Chapelle’s The Midnight Miracle is not a talk-radio-style podcast, nor is it narrative, writes Carrie Battan of The New Yorker. In fact the show “bears no resemblance to the formulaic shapes that podcasts typically take, particularly those created by celebrities.”