PodMov Daily: Friday, July 24

Episode 249: Week Download Complete

The New Wave of Podcasts Shaking Up Chinese-Language Media

“On June 21, a new podcast appeared on several Chinese and American podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts,” writes Shen Lu of Politico. The Mandarin-language show, In-Betweenness, is made by four academics that discuss race in America and across the world. It’s one part of a small, courageous movement toward globally conscious free expression.

“In-Betweenness marks a new trend in the Chinese media landscape. All media in China, state and commercial, is closely monitored and heavily censored pre- and post-publishing,” Lu explains. With the power of RSS feeds, independent podcasters are building “a kind of third information channel” for honest conversations about racial justice.

One of these, Loud Murmurs, is planning a three-episode series in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. Co-host Isabelle Niu tells Lu, “We got a lot of comments like, ‘Wow. I’ve never heard four women talk about politics in a way that’s so uninhibited. I think just the idea that you can express yourself without fear, even that is very encouraging to people.”

The New York Times Buys Serial Productions for $25 Million

The New York Times confirms the acquisition of Serial Productions for “about $25 million.” The company behind the megahit podcast pioneer Serial was founded in 2017 by Sarah Koenig, Julie Snyder, and Ira Glass. Rachel Abrams writes that a “creative and strategic” partnership with This American Life is part of the deal.

“The idea is to drive New York Times readers and listeners toward Serial projects,” Abrams quotes Sam Dolnick, an editor of The Times’ audio efforts. “There’s going to be ways that we can help Serial tell more stories, bigger stories and, down the road, figure out how our newsroom and theirs can coordinate even more deeply.”

Rumors of the arrangement have circulated since early spring. In The Verge, Nick Statt explains, “The parent company of This American Life will remain independent, but Serial Productions will now be considered one of The Times’ independent podcast teams alongside the hugely successful The Daily and other programs.”

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Here's what else is going on:

• Speak out: Studio Ochenta founder Lory Martinez shares advice for other creators getting into multilingual podcasting. The Mija creator tells Spotify for Podcasters, “If you want to make podcasts for the world, you have to show as much of the world as you can.”

• Nailed it: Steve Robinson of Pacific Content sits down with Dan Leone and Ben Adair of Western Sound. They discuss the intense, cinematic sound design of The Score: Bank Robber Diaries and how they approached a true-crime podcast with no archival audio.

• Social hour: Aigner Loren Wilson of Discover Pods explains how Instagram is an underutilized resource for audience growth. Beyond tips and tricks, Wilson reveals why podcasters should avoid using a “business or creator” account despite tempting analytic insights.

• Word search: Tomorrow at 10:00 am EDT, Indie Podcasters will stream a free Virtual SEO For Podcasting conference. Available inside the Independent Podcasters Facebook group, expert sessions will cover livestreaming strategies and SEO for WordPress.