Who Are Podcasting’s Super Listeners and Why Are They So Important?

Topline findings from the first ever Super Listeners study from longtime partners, PodcastOne and Edison Research, were debuted Wednesday at the IAB Podcast Upfront in New York.

The industry-wide study showcases the power of podcasting’s most active consumers, including how they react to advertising, the role ads play in their listening experience and what the industry must be cautious about in maximizing advertising impact.

Complete findings from the new study will be revealed on Tuesday, October 22nd, at 2 PM EDT, in a live, online presentation. PodcastOne CEO Peter Morris and Edison Research SVP Tom Webster will walk attendees through an exclusive look at podcasting’s heaviest listeners, their attitudes towards advertising, and how they view podcasting in the greater media landscape.

Why Super Listeners Are Significant:  In every market there are power users – the smaller number of consumers who account for a high degree of demand.  In the podcasting space, we call them ‘Super Listeners,’ those who spend at least five hours listening to podcasts each week. These are the people most likely to hear podcasting ads and to really have an opinion about them. These Super Listeners are more than just fans of the medium—they are exposed to more messages and ads than the average listener.

Advertising in podcasts increases favorability for specific brands: 

• 60% of Super Listeners appreciate podcast advertisers for supporting their favorite podcasts  
• 44% say their opinion of a company is more positive when they hear it mentioned in a podcast they regularly listen to 

This favorability impacts the thing advertisers care about most, conversions: 

• 70% considered a new product or service as a result of hearing a sponsorship or ad on a podcast they regularly listen to 
• 43% say that when price/quality are equal, they prefer to buy products from companies that advertise on podcasts they regularly listen to 

The data comes with a warning:  

• Yes, Super Listeners are receptive to ads, the ads work, and they change purchase behavior and brand perception 
• To date, we haven’t tainted podcasts with ads, as seen in the fact that only 24% say there are too many ads in podcasts, compared to 62% for TV, 47% for AM/FM radio and 45% for streaming audio 
• But when choosing content to consume, 50% say it is important or very important to limit their exposure to ads. Simultaneously, 49% of Super Listeners say there are more ads now than there were a year ago 
• Thus, the industry must be cognizant of maintaining the premium impact of podcast ads, as they continue to result in action among podcasting’s most loyal consumers. 

To register for the Super Listeners webinar, featuring the complete study: Click Here.

Netflix Added 517K Domestic Subscribers In 3Q

Wall Street Journal graphic

Netflix Inc. missed its subscriber-growth target for the second consecutive quarter, raising questions about the streaming-video giant’s ability to fend off competition from traditional media companies who are entering the market with rival services, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The company’s shares rose 8.5% in after-hours trading Wednesday as Netflix’s U.S. subscriber base did grow in the third quarter, calming investor fears that the streaming service would again lose subscribers domestically, as it did in the previous quarter. It also posted strong international subscriber growth. Before Wednesday’s report, the stock had fallen nearly 22% over the past three months.

Netflix’s quarterly report was the last one before two major competitors, Walt Disney Co. and Apple Inc., are to enter the streaming-video field with offerings that—even combined—cost less than Netflix’s most-popular plan.

The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company added 517,000 domestic subscribers in the third quarter compared with the second quarter—short of the 800,000 increase it had expected. Globally, Netflix added 6.8 million subscribers in the quarter, slightly fewer than the 7 million it had forecast.

Netflix said subscriber retention continues to suffer from its decision earlier this year to raise prices, a move that led to slower-than-expected subscriber growth. The higher subscription fees did boost average revenue per subscriber by 16%, which will allow it to invest more to “strengthen its value proposition,” the company said in its letter to shareholders.

Netflix played down the looming threat from Disney, Apple, AT&T Inc.’s WarnerMedia and others—but warned that there may be some immediate impact to its own ability to expand.

Facebook Drops From Best Global Brands Top 10

Wall Street Journal

Facebook Inc. slid again in a new report on the world’s most valuable brands, while the famous names of Amazon.com Inc. and Walt Disney Co. gained.

The Wall Street Journal reports Facebook fell out of the top 10 in Interbrand’s annual Best Global Brands report, dropping to 14th place from ninth as the estimated value of its brand declined 12% to $39.9 billion.

Interbrand, part of Omnicom Group Inc., says its report synthesizes elements including the financial performance of branded products or services, the role that brands play in purchasing decisions and brands’ ability to create loyalty.

By Interbrand’s estimation, the Facebook name grew steadily in value each year until 2017, when it earned eighth place.

But Facebook has now endured an onslaught of bad publicity, including the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, which revealed that users’ data had flowed beyond Facebook more freely than many people expected.

Today the company and other tech giants are subjects of antitrust investigations and calls by prominent presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) to break them up.

Entercom Unveils 'Not So Silent Night' Holiday Line-Ups

Entercom has announced the dates and lineups for “Not So Silent Night,” a RADIO.COM event, in New York, San Diego and San Francisco. The alternative music festival started in San Francisco in 1991 and has grown from a small acoustic concert to a large arena show hosting some of the biggest alternative acts in three cities.

“The growth of ‘Not So Silent Night’ over the last three decades epitomizes our commitment to delivering the best of live and local events to our listeners and we are excited about the latest installments of this highly anticipated show,” said Michael Martin, Senior Vice President of Programming and Music Initiatives, Entercom. “The passion for alternative music is palpable and fans in these three cities can expect an unforgettable night featuring some of the genre’s most exciting acts.”

RADIO.COM “Not So Silent Night” schedule includes:

➤New York, NY – Thursday, December 5 – Hosted by ALT 92.3 (WNYL-FM). Lineup includes Mumford & Sons, Vampire Weekend, Cage The Elephant, Jimmy Eat World, Of Monsters and Men, Judah & The Lion, and SHAED Tickets go on sale Friday, October 18 at 10:00 a.m. ET
American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Tuesday, October 15 at 10:00 a.m. local time through Thursday, October 17 at 10:00 p.m. local time
For more information, including ticket information, please visit alt923.radio.com

➤San Francisco, CA – Saturday, December 7 – Hosted by ALT 105.3 (KITS-FM). Lineup includes Mumford & Sons, Twenty One Pilots, The Raconteurs, The 1975, Of Monsters and Men, and White Reaper Tickets go on sale Friday, October 18 at 10:00 a.m. PT. For more information, including ticket information, please visit alt1053.radio.com

➤San Diego, CA – Sunday, December 8 – Hosted by ALT 949 (KBZT-FM). Lineup includes Neon Trees, Local Natives, SHAED, Half Alive, White Reaper, and Winnetka Bowling League. For more information, including ticket information, please visit alt949.radio.com

Sony Unveils 360 Reality Audio

Sony Corporation Wednesday announced the upcoming commercial availability of 360 Reality Audio, an immersive audio experience utilizing object-based spatial audio technology.

Beginning in late fall 2019, listeners in the United States, Europe and beyond can access approximately 1,000 songs in this new format through streaming services Amazon Music HD, Deezer, nugs.net and TIDAL.

Object-based spatial audio technology makes it possible for artists and music creators to produce a music experience by mapping sound sources such as vocals, chorus and instruments with positional information and placing them within a spherical space. When listeners hear content produced in the 360 Reality Audio music format, they experience an immersion into sound that closely mimics the omni-directional soundscape of a live musical performance.

The planned 1,000 songs will include leading contemporary artists like Mark Ronson and Pharrell Williams, as well as timeless classics such as Billy Joel and Bob Dylan. The service will also feature more than 100 songs recorded from an array of concerts by performers such as CHARLI XCX and Kodaline, captured through a partnership with select Live Nation Clubs & Theaters.

360 Reality Audio can be fully enjoyed on headphones and wireless speakers at service launch.

“360 Reality Audio is a proof point that innovation never stops,” said Mike Fasulo, president and chief operating officer, Sony Electronics (North America). “The confluence of deep technical roots, tireless artists and forward-thinking hardware and semiconductor partners illustrates the tremendous draw of this radical new way to make music even more moving. Together with valued industry partners, Sony has architected the most powerful, realistic music experience for listeners and a new medium for artists to create.”

Participating streaming services scheduled for fall 2019 launch include Amazon Music HD2, Deezer, nugs.net and TIDAL. Sony is also working with Napster to develop the solution of 360 Reality Audio streaming for further expansion of service providers.

NY Radio: Coffee Break Leads To Brit's Second Radio Station

Ricky Lee is GM and PM Drive Host At Star Radio

Star Radio WSSV 1160 AM in Saratoga Spring, NY is adding an FM simulcast on W227DW 93.3 FM.

According to The Saratogian, the locally owned and operated station features a who’s-who of local broadcasting on-air talent that will prove immediately recognizable to most listeners.

The line-up includes John Meany, Walt Adams, Jerry Crouth, Tony Izzo and Chris Witting.  They'll be presenting a steady mix of music, local news and relevant information to listeners living in the Saratoga region.

The music focuses hits on classic hits from the 1970’s through the ’90s, with current hits interspersed.

The station’s target audience is 35 and above.

Co-owner and afternoon host Ricki Lee says, “These radio stations were originally owned by Empire Broadcasting. Empire ran for many years the 101.3 frequency called The Jockey. They decided to exit the radio market about 18 months ago. They sold their radio assets, we picked up what was WAIX, we rebadged it as WSSV (1160 AM) which will be Star Radio."

“Our plan was to create a super, locally focused Saratoga Springs radio station. That is what we set out to do. We acquired the radio licenses which included 1160 AM and an unbuilt construction permit for 93.3 FM.

“We took over programming it, finding it a great niche to do classic hits with a sprinkle of newer tunes from the1960’s up to 2010; nothing more modern than that. It’s scary to think that even that was 10 years ago.”

The Music Mix

Lee is British and last year the FCC agreed to allow Ricky "Lee" Shorthose and his wife Hanna Kaleta’s Border Media to buy WRGR 102.1 FM in Tupper Lake, NY.

“So here is how Saratoga happened. This is the fun part. We lived in Brooklyn, and we were driving to the Adirondacks to our radio station, taking six hours to do that drive.

WSSV 1160 AM (5 Kw)

“For those who travel the Northway on a regular basis, you’ll know that when you get on the Northway in New York and you leave, there is nothing. Then all of a sudden, you kind of get to Malta where they’ve built the new hospital and the hotels start to appear-I said one day to my wife, this was a few years ago, “What is this?”, because as soon as you pass like Exit 15, there is nothing until you get to like Plattsburgh.

“I said we need to venture into here. I’m a big coffee fan; I love decent coffee.We found on the map Kru Coffee, just off the Northway, beautiful coffee. So we started to explore Saratoga. At the time, we were looking for somewhere to move out of the City, to potentially raise a family and to be closer to the radio station in the Adirondacks.

“We explored Saratoga and decided to move here. In months, the opportunity arose that Empire was taking down their AM station, keeping it silent for a while, so we started the negotiations of buying that frequency.

“Fourteen months later we got that deal done, it was over the line and here we are, ready to launch with super local talent and we’ve taken on the Star Radio Branding because it’s a homage to what was the Star, the radio station here many years ago.

Shondaland Partners With iHM To Launch Podcasts

Shondaland, founded by award-winning television producer and writer Shonda Rhimes, is taking storytelling to audio by partnering with iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, to launch Shondaland Audio.

The agreement includes a full slate of iHeartRadio Original Podcasts set to release over the next three years as part of the iHeartPodcast Network. Rhimes will oversee development and Sandie Bailey, Chief Digital and Design Officer, will manage day-to-day operations as the company introduces a mix of incredible talent and stories to hundreds of millions of podcast listeners across the country.

“Podcasting continues to see tremendous growth and I’m excited to partner with iHeartMedia as Shondaland expands its storytelling journey into this medium which has seemed to usher in a unique sense of boldness, intimacy and connection,” Rhimes said. “With iHeartMedia we aim to share stories that are engaging, insightful, and reflect a robust world-view while staying true to the authentic storytelling voice that has become synonymous with Shondaland.”

In 2017, Shondaland began broadening its digital footprint with the launch of website Shondaland.com and later entered podcast territory with “Katie’s Crib,” a weekly podcast following “Scandal” and “Waitress” actress Katie Lowes where she shared intimate conversations about the joys, pains, and hilarity of new motherhood with guests. New episodes of the podcast will be a part of the Shondaland Audio slate next year. 

“Shonda Rhimes is one of the greatest storytellers of our time,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “We’re honored that she’s chosen the iHeartPodcast Network to extend her storytelling craft to audio, bringing a massive slate of new original podcasts to the world. With our unparalleled reach across multiple platforms, we can’t wait to introduce the incredibly engaging and brilliant Shondaland podcasts to millions of listeners.”

NBC News Partners With Wondery On Podcasting

NBC News and Wondery are teaming up to develop a slate of news and politics podcasts beginning in 2020, reports AdWeek.

NBC News and Wondery will work together on news and politics podcast series based on reporting from NBC News’ slate of investigative reporters.

Additionally, Wondery will take over ad sales and marketing for NBC News’ existing podcasts, opening up those programs to Wondery’s network of advertisers in the U.S. and U.K. Any new programming the companies jointly develop and produce will be marketed and sold by Wondery’s sales team. NBCUniversal’s sales team will still be able to include the podcasting slate in cross-platform advertising deals. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Elisabeth Sami, NBC News Group’s svp of global strategy and business development, said the deal is intended to strengthen NBC News’ presence in the podcasting space and deepen Wondery’s slate of news and politics programming. The partnership will mean the creation of two to three series at first, the first of which will roll out in early 2020.

NBC News already has more than 25 original podcasts and showcasts. After starting with podcasts tied to news and opinion programming airing on NBC’s broadcast and cable properties, the company has recently moved into original podcasts like host Rachel Maddow’s politics series Bag Man and the 10-episode interview series The Oath, hosted by former DEA acting administrator Chuck Rosenberg.

The news organization has some other original podcasts in the works, including Into America, a political series set to premiere this winter that will feature campaign trail interviews with presidential candidates and voters. A podcast from the morning program Today and a series from NBC’s true crime franchise Dateline are also in development.

Megan Calls for Indy Probe Of NBC Sex Scandal

Megyn Kelly branded disgraced former “Today” host — and her ex-NBC colleague — Matt Lauer a “sexual predator” as she demanded an urgent, independent investigation into the rape and sexual harassment allegations against him, and whether NBC tried to cover them up by killing stories on disgraced Hollywood perv Harvey Weinstein, reports The NY Post.

In her fiery first TV appearance since her NBC talk show was cancelled a year ago, Kelly told Fox News that NBC “covered up for one sexual predator, Harvey Weinstein, in order to protect another: Matt Lauer.”

She was reacting to allegations in Ronan Farrow‘s new book “Catch and Kill” that NBC killed Farrow’s expose on Weinstein because the movie mogul knew Lauer had skeletons in his closet.

“NBC has put out several statements saying that Ronan is a conspiracy theorist and this is all nonsense and he’s got an ax to grind. But if that’s true and there’s nothing to hide, then get an outside investigator,” she said.


Kelly stressed on Tucker Carlson’s Wednesday night show that the women offered payoffs and non-disclosure agreements by NBC execs after alleged harassment at the hands of Lauer should be freed from their NDAs to speak to outside investigators. Lauer denies rape and contends all the encounters were consensual.

Report: What Ann Curry Knows Could 'Destroy' Matt Lauer

Lauer and Curry’s awkward good-bye

Departed “Today” anchor Ann Curry could “destroy” her former co-host Matt Lauer if she spills all on the disgraced star, according to The NY Post.

Curry — who worked alongside Lauer from 1997 to 2012 — has not revealed the extent of allegations leveled against her NBC colleague, a source tells US Weekly.

“Ann has maintained a dignified silence, but a lot of people confided in her years ago and still do to this day,” the source told the outlet. “She knows more than most about the man Matt really is, and when she finally speaks out, it will destroy him.”

In a new book by Ronan Farrow, Curry insisted that the complaints about Lauer’s treatment of women were well-known during her tenure at the network.

She claimed that she went to higher-ups after one colleague revealed to her that Lauer exposed himself to her.

Though she didn’t reveal the accuser’s name, Curry told the execs that they “had a problem” with the morning show host, the book alleges.

“I told them that they had a problem in him,” she told Farrow. “That he had a problem with women. That they had to keep an eye on him.”

But network’s bigwigs have fired back at  Curry, insisting she didn’t disclose the “specific” complaint.

Dem Debate Ratings Fall

Ratings for Tuesday night’s three-hour, 12-candidate Democrat presidential debate fell to the lowest level of any of this year’s four Democrat debates, drawing an average of 8.34 million views.

Live streams of the debate on CNN and The New York Times added nearly a half-million more viewers, according to data published by The Hollywood Reporter:

“Tuesday's debate averaged 8.34 million TV viewers, below CNN's last debate coverage on July 30-31 and the smallest audience of the four Democratic debates thus far. Live streams of the coverage on digital properties for CNN and co-sponsor The New York Times averaged an additional 449,000.”

Ratings of First Four 2019 Democrat Debates:

1. NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo (June/2-Night Average): 16.68 million (15.26 mil., 18.1 mil.)
2. CNN Debate (July/2-Night Average): 9.7 million (8.69 mil., 10.72 mil.)
3. ABC/Univision (Sept.): 14.04 million (ABC 12.93 mil., Univision 1.11 mil.)
4. CNN Debate (Oct.): 8.34 million

Tuesday’s Democrat debate ratings are on par with those of the 2016 election cycle, but about four million lower than this year’s four-debate average – and far below the record for a primary debate set by Fox News’ broadcast of a Republican debate prior to the 2016 election, The Hollywood Reporter notes:

“This year's Democratic debates are averaging better than 12 million viewers and drawing significantly larger audiences than those of the 2016 cycle, which averaged just under 8 million. The record viewership for a primary-season debate remains with Fox News, which drew 24 million people for the a (sic) Republican debate in August 2015.”

Report: USAToday Planning To End Print Edition

USA Today is starting to "phase out" its print edition for the first time in its 37 years, reports Fox News citing a Wednesday report.  The newspaper's publisher denied that hard copies of the paper would go away entirely.

"Two knowledgable sources" told the Poynter Institute that as part of a "major restructuring" within the company, a "move away" from the print edition is in USA Today's future as Gannett, which owns the paper, is being acquired by New Media Investment Group.

One editor told Poynter that in a lengthy "all-hands" meeting held by Gannett CEO Paul Bascobert with regional papers, there was not a "single mention of print." The report also mentioned that fully winding down the print edition could take years.

USA Today publisher Maribel Perez Wadsworth told Poynter that there are "no plans" to end the paper edition: