PodMov Daily: Wednesday, February 26

Episode 150: Your Midweek Update

What's Changed: Podcasting and the Election Cycle

In an article for Vulture, Nicholas Quah asks, “Has podcasting become big enough to shape election politics?” The 2016 presidential election cycle undoubtedly escalated the medium and expanded its boundaries. Four years later, podcasting has become a ubiquitous force in political discussion.

The last presidential race heated up “about a year after Serial’s myth-making debut season,” setting the stage for the election podcast subgenre. Urgent daily episodes became more common as hosts tried to “adequately address the ‘everything is happening all the time’ news environment.”

Quah traces threads from 2016 newcomers, like Crooked Media, that have since become major players. Election shows are more popular, but are they better? In other words, “Will these podcasts actually contribute to a more informed electorate this time around?”

Weekly Community Recap: Speak and Create with PM

This week’s update reminds those interested that speaker proposals for PM20 will close this Sunday, March 1. Apply to join podcasters from every state and over 35 countries around the world onstage this August in Dallas.

The 28-Day Launch Your Podcast Challenge returns in March, and winners will receive passes to PM20. Sign up by March 3 to participate in our free, community-based course to get your show off the ground and on the air.

To those in and near San Diego: This Saturday evening, join team and community members at Tivoli Bar & Grill for the year’s first Podcast Movement meetup. Find more information and RSVP here.

Supercast Raises $2 Million Seed Round

The Vancouver-based startup Supercast has emerged from beta with a $2 million seed round. The platform enables podcast monetization with a premium-subscription model. Supercast’s new CEO, Jason Sew Hoy, was a featured speaker at Podcast Movement Evolutions.

Sew Hoy identified the company’s target users in a Medium post: “While podcasters like Tim Ferriss and Joe Rogan have grown such large audiences that advertisers flock to them, there are many others who educate, entertain and engage their fans purely out of passion and without much hope for profit.”

Geekwire’s Nat Levy writes that Supercast “is part of a growing number of companies seeking to help podcasters make money from subscriptions and memberships,” including Glow, Anchor.fm, and Supporting Cast. The company claims to have doubled its number of subscribers in the last four months.

Happy Wednesday, readers, and congratulations to those ready to get that show in gear. PM's free fan favorite, the 28-Day Launch Challenge, returns next month ― register by March 3.

Here's what else is going on:

• London calling: After 30 years as the co-host of a popular LA morning show on KROQ, Gene Baxter is returning to the UK, his birthplace, as “the second of Podcast Radio’s ‘podjocks’ ― a cross between a DJ and announcer.”

• Go green: After more than 100 episodes of The Green Rush, a show about “the intersection of cannabis, capital markets, and culture,” co-host and industry veteran Lewis Goldberg offers advice on topics from preparation to promotion.

• Close reading: The London Book Fair has unveiled its 2020 live podcast lineup. For the second year, shows featuring authors will be recorded onstage. Bestselling novelist David Mitchell will join The Waterstones Podcast.

• The merrier: In May, Andy Lee of comedy podcast Hamish & Andy is set to speak at Mumbrella Audioland, an audio industry event in Sydney, Australia. The panel will be “discussing audio talent and their relationship with listeners.”