PodMov Daily: Friday, October 11

Episode 63: Week Download Complete

Snack Delivery: Microcasts, or Mini Podcasts for Smart Speakers

A guest column in Variety introduces “Microcasts,” mini-podcasts “uniquely optimized” for multimedia and smart speaker distribution. Lars Murray positions these 7- to 10-minute “contextual content pieces” as a solution to a problem.

Murray’s company, PopCult Worldwide, creates Microcasts to allow artists to “talk with their fans, create community, and maintain a daily or weekly connection in a Voice environment.” They’ve begun a bite-sized weekly series from recording artist K.Flay, called what am i doing here.

“The subject matter varies, from interviews with other artists to musings on how airports turn us all into animals,” Murray explains. Episodes are initially released exclusively on Alexa and Google Home, underscoring the casual, personal nature of the experiment.

From Dateline to Downloads: The Thing About Pam

NBC News podcast The Thing About Pam has been at No. 1 on Apple Podcasts almost consistently since it launched about 3 weeks ago. Hosted by “Dateline” correspondent Keith Morrison, the true-crime show is a prime example of TV successfully adapted into a podcast.

On the flip side, podcasts reimagined for TV have been getting major attention as of late. UCP’s Dr. Death with Alec Baldwin and Facebook Watch’s Limetown starring Jessica Biel come to mind. The Thing About Pam “gives listeners a close look at the murder of Betsy Faria and the mysterious events surrounding her death,” writes Alyssa Meyers for Business Insider.

David Corvo, the senior executive producer who oversees “Dateline” production, “attributed the podcast’s immediate success to [the TV show’s] brand,” but places key value on storytelling: “In a podcast you’re asking the audio to paint the pictures that, on television, you show.”

Vice Media and Spotify Sign Deal to Produce Current Events Podcasts

Variety reports that “Vice Media, in another bid to diversify its revenue mix, struck a deal with Spotify to distribute three podcast series exclusive on the streaming platform.” Spotify seems to be “rounding out the nonfiction podcast slate” established by a June deal with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions.

The shows will be “covering the 2020 U.S. election and current events worldwide” as part of yet another major initiative to prioritize audio. Kate Osborn, Vice’s global director of audio, was a “showrunner/producer for the Chapo podcast” which led to her current position. “You’re seeing this at every single media brand,” said Osborn.

Before this deal, “Vice had some podcasting and audio experiments here and there. I would say our new direction is more highly produced, audio-first productions.” Plans in the near future involve taking an “international lens” to the network’s nonfiction material.

Massachusetts, You've Got It Going On: Podcasting Events Coming Up

Happy Friday, readers. In the spirit of changing seasons and crisp leaves (in parts of the Western Hemisphere, that is) we’d like to congratulate the Boston metro area on its many podcasting festivals. If you’re nearby or just a New England admirer, check out these wicked rad events.

Cheers,

Team PM

Here's what else is going on:

• Spooky spelunk: iHeartRadio reports that “horror-movie juggernaut” Blumhouse Productions will be producing a series of horror podcasts with iHeartMedia. The scripted originals begin with The Mantawauk Caves, a supernatural horror/social drama from writer-director Dan Bush.
• Join from afar: Podbean will be live-streaming selected sessions on its app from the sold-out She Podcasts LIVE event in Atlanta. Listen to 19 presentations on subjects like creation, finance, community building and cross-media adaptations. Streams kick off today at 10:00 EST.
• All ears: According to Nielsen, monthly podcast use by Black and Hispanic listeners in the United States “has doubled over the past five years.” The full report includes detailed visual aids showing favorite podcast categories and radio listening data by demographic.
• Team stream: Select sessions from the 2019 Radio Show, held in Dallas from September 24 – 26, are available to stream. Non-members of NAB and RAB may sign up here to access sessions including The Podcast Revolution, a panel moderated by iHeart’s Conal Byrne.