PodMov Daily: Friday, November 8

Episode 83: Week Download Complete

Friday Guest Feature: The WUFT Student Podcast Challenge with Nora O'Neill

The inaugural WUFT Student Podcast Challenge, spearheaded by the Summer Media Institute at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, is in full swing. Program Associate Nora O’Neill attended the Summer Media Institute as a high school student and is now a journalism undergraduate at the UF.

O’Neill told our editorial team about the origins of the Student Challenge and the impact of podcasting on journalism studies. “Inspiring the next generation of student journalists is the ultimate goal here at SMI,” she expresses. Under the direction of journalism professor Herbert Lowe, the Institute emphasizes the medium’s essential role in the field.

This fall’s Student Podcast Challenge, sponsored by WUFT News and the Florida Scholastic Press Association, is open to high school students across the United States. O’Neill says that “as podcasts become more mainstream, it is up to groups like WUFT and FSPA to encourage young journalists to learn about and experience this new form of storytelling.”

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Anchor Adds Trailer Creation Capability, Tailored for Social Media

TechCrunch reports that Anchor, Spotify’s podcasting suite, has released a new promotional feature: the ability to create a trailer.

“On the Anchor app for iOS and Android, podcasters will now be able to create a dedicated trailer for their podcast that combines an introduction and some background music, then turns it into an animated video that can be shared across social media and the wider web,” writes Sarah Perez.

An important detail: “The trailer will also be made available within the podcast’s RSS feed, where it’s marked with the ‘trailer’ episode type.” Although there are plenty of audio suites that have the capability to make trailers, Anchor’s move suitably caters to its user base.  Collections of “extra, handy features” go a long way when weighing one-stop options.

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Long Distance: Filipino Diaspora Audio Series Expands to Video Documentary

Via a press release, the creators of the podcast Long Distance report that the show, “the first and only independent documentary podcast series about stories in the Filipino diaspora, and member of the inaugural Google Podcasts creator program with PRX, debuted the trailer for Long Distance TV, its original documentary video series highlighting important elements in the podcast’s stories.”

“‘Long Distance is a podcast for and about Filipinos around the world but its stories and themes are universal,’ said Long Distance host, creator, and producer Paola Mardo. ‘I’ve always loved the depth and intimacy of podcasting. Long Distance TV helps us amplify our show’s reach while adding a visual component to our storytelling.’

Each episode of the podcast will be released with a short documentary from Long Distance TV, a video series directed and edited by Patrick Epino, a producer and voice actor on the podcast.”

How would you describe your podcast in 4 words? #MyPodIn4Words pic.twitter.com/WxY0WZv7ip

— Podcast Movement (@PodcastMovement) November 7, 2019

Happy Friday, readers, and thanks to many of you for your brief introspections on Twitter. It’s not just for fun — boiling down a project keeps your message clear and on-track. Keep sharing.

Cheers,
Team PM

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Here's what else is going on:

• Critical mass: Nicholas Quah recently put out a “call for opinions” about the podcast industry, asking “What are you most frustrated by?” In Hot Pod, Quah categorizes and analyzes a wide range of responses. Well-represented topics include “opaque sales practices,” leadership, burnout, and gatekeeping.

• Long game: Podcasting now accounts for half of Slate’s revenue, reports Business Insider. The third season of its podcast Slow Burn “broke download records and sold through ads” before the first episode’s launch. Alyssa Meyers details the network’s cross-promotion strategies.

• Police presence: The New York City Police Department is riding the popularity of true-crime audio to reach listeners. Former NYPD Detective Edward Conlon is the host of Break in the Case, a podcast that “offers a glimpse at what real-life detectives and officers do during an investigation.”

• Deep conversation: Anna Maria Tremonti hosted CBC Radio’s The Current for 17 years. The acclaimed journalist’s upcoming podcast, also on CBC, is More, set to premiere in January. Tremonti plans to use the long-form interview format to “experiment and tell stories with audio in a different way.”