iHR Podcast Awards Unveil Icon Recipients

iHeartMedia has announced the recipients of the three Icon Awards at the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards streaming live Friday, January 17 at 8 p.m. PT via a LiveXLive stream and on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide from the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles.

The second annual event will honor the New York Times’ “1619” podcast with the Social Impact Award, NPR’s “Life Kit” podcast with the Innovator Award Presented by Zoom and Tenderfoot TV’s Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright with the Audible Audio Pioneer Award.

The iHeartRadio Podcast Icon Awards pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture.

“We’re thrilled to honor ‘1619,’ ‘Life Kit’ and Tenderfoot TV as this year’s iHeartRadio Podcast Icon winners,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “From history to true crime to everyday guidance, their work is as diverse as it is trailblazing, and they make it easy to understand why podcasts have become a must-listen for millions of people each and every day.”

The New York Times’ “1619” podcast, recipient of the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Social Impact Award, is a five-episode series that is part of a major initiative by the newspaper to observe the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery and reframe the history of the United States by understanding that 1619 was the nation’s true founding. The podcast series is hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, an award-winning journalist who serves as a domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine focusing on racial injustice.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Innovator Award Presented by Zoom winner, NPR’s “Life Kit,” provides listeners with practical information and guidance to help them improve their lives. Launched in December 2018, “Life Kit” is designed for search as it seeks to reach beginners and those with more knowledge on topics that include personal finance, health and wellness, and parenting. The podcast episodes are aggregated in topical playlists for deep dives. “Life Kit” is produced by NPR, which received the first-ever iHeartRadio Podcast Pioneer Award in 2019.