Podcasts at 20: What shows do people in advertising and media listen to?
Feature
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the first podcast recording. The Media Leader asks industry figures and colleagues about their recent podcast discoveries and all-time favourites.
While an agreed date for the first podcast is contested, many put it at 9 July 2003 when Christopher Lydon and Dave Winer sat down to record Open Source.
Winer also created the first RSS audio feed in January 2001, an essential foundation for the current ecosystem along with the term podcast which Guardian journalist Ben Hammersley coined in February 2004 as a portmanteau of “iPod” and “broadcast”.
The world of podcasts has grown exponentially since then, not only in terms of content, creators, but also dedicated networks, publishers and advertising.
Over the last few years more and more brands in the UK have begun to adopt podcasts as part of their audio advertising mix. In 2021 47% of major audio advertisers were using podcasts, up from 43% in 2019 according to a study by Colourtext using Audiotrack data which is run by Adwanted UK.
To commemorate this 20-year milestone for the medium, The Media Leader asked audio experts, media industry leaders, columnists and colleagues (some of whom host their very own podcasts) about their recent podcast discoveries and all-time favourite podcast listens.
Rak Patel, head of EMEA sales at Spotify
What is the most recent podcast you’ve discovered?
I’ve recently gotten into Parenting Hell. I’m a father of four so I can definitely relate to Rob & Josh’s stories — they’re hilarious to listen to and definitely make me feel better about my own parenting woes!
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
I’m a loyal fan of Talk of the Devils by The Athletic as it gives me everything I need for my United news and analysis. I find it’s a particularly fun and easy listen when I’m on the road.
Gemma Lee, partner, AV delivery at Dentsu agency Amplifi
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
It’s a guilty pleasure but The Therapy Crouch with Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy. I love it! As well as this there is Help I Sexted My Boss with William Hanson and Jordan North. Both of them are just really funny and easy to listen to.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
It has to be the one that got me into podcasts, Serial. Such a strong season one on the tragic murder of Min Lee and the case surrounding the conviction of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed.
The presenters voice (Sarah Koenig) and her relationship with Adnan made it unmissable. I listened when it came out each week and I couldn’t binge listen!
Ben Walmsley, managing director of The Sun at News UK
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
Lex Fridman Podcast. I’ve followed Lex for a whole but not listened to his podcast until a recent recommendation. Mind-blowing perspectives on technology from the most impressive guest list ever assembled.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
The Knowledge Project. I am fascinated by behavioural science and leadership principles and Shane Parrish covers the topics superbly with brilliantly thought-provoking guests. I think Lex Fridman is challenging the top spot based on a couple of episodes though.
Sam Austin, head of audio, GoodStuff Communications
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
LuAnna: The Podcast featuring Luisa Zissman & Anna Williamson. Despite the podcast being on my radar for some time I didn’t know if it was up my street.
However, I couldn’t stop laughing at Luisa at the Podcast Show so gave it a go and have been hooked since. The stories they tell about their kids and their listeners’ kids rang true with me on so many levels and reassures me that my crazy kids are completely normal.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
I have a huge soft spot for My Dad Wrote a Porno. That was the first podcast I truly got into.
I have this one standout memory of listening to an episode at the gym, and whilst on a treadmill I burst out laughing and had to stop the machine. People around me thought something had happened and were asking if I was OK. Highly embarrassing but goes to show how emotionally involved you get with a podcast when it’s the right one.
Matt Rouse, podcast lead at Octave Audio
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
I’ve recently been loving The History Of The World’s Greatest Nightclubs. I’m a DJ and a huge fan of dance music, this ticks so many boxes for me.
Hosted by Ultra Naté (the artist behind the house music anthem “Free”), listen as she investigates and interviews the behind the scenes players who started up the places where we all like to get down — it’s an excellent companion to my own House Culture podcast (shameless plug alert!).
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
My favourite podcast of all time has to be The Rewatchables. This was the podcast gateway drug for me as Bill Simmons and others take a deep dive into a different movie each week — I’ve been listening so long I honestly feel that these guys are my friends!
This not only demonstrates how powerful the podcast environment can be to a listener, it also makes me terrified of potentially meeting any of them one day as I’m sure I’ll make it awkward and embarrassing by going full fanboy.
Michelle Sarpong, head of audio, display and OOH activation at the7stars
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
There are so many! But I most recently discovered the Women Lead podcast which is part of The Digital Distillery Podcast Network which is a female-led podcast network which focuses on topics and issues relevant to women covering such bases as leadership, career-building advice, empathy, empowerment, and more. I was then also luckily enough to feature on episode nine of the series./strong>
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
My favourite podcast of all time is obviously a football one but outside of my brother’s podcast Ball and Banter it has to be Match of the Day: Top 10 as the chemistry and banter between Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micha Richards (previously Ian Wright) is brilliant!
Also this podcast then went on to become a TV programme which is something we are seeing more and more in the Podcast sector along with Podcasts even developing into live events.
Matt Deegan, creative director Folder Media and host of The Media Podcast
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
I’m a big fan of Where Are You Going. Producer Catherine stops people and asks them where they’re going. You get an amazing 10-minute slice of life.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
I love that podcasts mean different things to different people and different times. I’m an OGer, listening from the first arrival of RSS so my attitudes are totally different from a Gen Z’er coming in through YouTube, and I think that’s brilliant. It’s such a diverse space.
I always loved listening to Answer Me This with Helen and Olly as they were one of the first podcast-first UK entertainment shows. Initial marketing came from reaching out to listeners on MySpace (not something you could or should do now, but perfect for that time!)
Monica Majumdar, head of strategy at Wavemaker UK
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
Most recent podcast I’ve discovered: Little Talk in Slow French to help brush up on my High School French
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
I think favourite podcast of all time: Dolly Alderton’s Everything I Know About Love. The one with Stanley Tucci in particular was really memorable somehow.
Jack Benjamin, reporter at The Media Leader
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
I’m a creature of habit, and rarely seek out new podcasts to listen to (I barely have enough time for the ones I love!) The most recent additions to my catalogue include podcasts from The New Yorker: The Political Scene, for excellent analysis of US political news, and The New Yorker: Fiction for audio and analysis of some of the very best in contemporary short fiction.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
You mean apart from our very own podcast, The Media Leader Podcast? While NYT’s The Daily is certainly my most-listened to show, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend will always have a very special place in my heart as someone who used to work in late-night TV.
George Butler, head of commercial marketing at Bauer Media and presenter on Fun Kids radio station
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
Fun Kids Book Worms — Yes this is a slightly shameless plug for a friend, but also a brilliantly crafted series for any young book lovers. It’s stuffed with exceptional big-name interviews with the host Bex and the much loved series is the perfect listen to get younger audiences inspired to read.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
We all know the great thing about podcasts is that they can tap into niches, large and small. My inner theme park nerd loves a great show called The Disney Dish, but my favourite of all time has to be Football Daily, especially during major tournaments.
The series manages to perfectly capture the essence of the big events and is a great example of turning radio content into a great podcast listen.
Jan Gooding, The Media Leader columnist
I’m not massively into podcasts as I prefer to listen to books on Audible.
But my most recent discovery is The News Agents and my favourite is probably Desert Island Discs.
Joe Copeman, SVP ad sales, Acast
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
I was aware of this podcast, but I hadn’t ever remembered to check it out. Then as per so many podcasts, it suddenly gets hurled into the limelight following a social post. I’ve seen this week that I am not the only one, the listens have increased week on week by an insane amount. The podcast is Who shat on the floor at my wedding?
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
Trying to get into the skin of what constitutes ‘favourite’. The one I’ve listened to the most? The one that is the best to work with? The one I laugh out loud to the most? The one with the best sponsor reads? The one I put on before others? The podcaster that is a joy to meet in person?
If so, the one that all these questions leads me to is the classic, the Podfather, the ultimate Dr Buckles AKA The Adam Buxton Podcast.
Simon Wright, AV manager at Mediatel Connected
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
Recently started listening to Shame is Delicious, after following Eshaan Akbar on social media (where he plugged his podcast). The themes and topics are quite outrageous and definitely not for children, but the general vibe from the podcast is light-hearted and humorous.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
I’ve been a long term reader of Empire dating back to the release of the original Mission: Impossible film. They started doing a podcast over a decade ago, I think when the genre was in its infancy. I really like the host (not just because he’s also a Liverpool fan) but because he has fun when presenting the podcast and his colleagues are equally enjoyable to listen to. It also helps that a lot of their opinions on films mirror my own.
Acast CEO: podcasting will become a social medium, not audio
Tony McAllister, partnerships development director at Global
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
I am a huge Succession fan and eked out the last few episodes of the final series as I didn’t want it to end…..then I discovered HBO’s Succession Podcast. It’s an in-depth episode by episode breakdown featuring analysis from lots of the main actors and creators in the show as well as its genius creator Jesse Armstrong. The podcast has really softened the blow of the series finishing.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
This is tough, but for its sheer straight-faced filth and general outlandishness I would say Dear Joan and Jericha — the characters that Julia Davis and Vicki Pepperdine have created are so well-rounded, so horrifying but perfect — absolutely brilliant.
Silvia Correia, audio and publishing implementation director at EssenceMediacom
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
I’ve recently gotten into Dua Lipa: At Your Service podcast. I found it by chance, and was intrigued. I’m not a huge Dua Lipa fan so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but she’s a great interviewer. She’s thoughtful, empathic and asks really interesting questions. The latest one I heard was her interview with Pedro Almodovar which I found fascinating as I consume a lot of podcasts and had never heard him in one.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
I’d have to say The High Low. I know its finished now but it was just the best combination of books, pop culture and recommendations of all kinds. I felt like I was semi-best friends with Dolly and Pandora and was left devastated when it finished. A close second that is still on air is probably Brown Girls Do It Too. They’re funny, engaging and talk about a topic that has so much stigma associated with it.
Danny Spears, chief operating officer at Ozone
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
I struggle to listen to things week in week, week out…but what has stuck to is The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway. I’ve been listening for some time and it’s still great — fantastic blend re business, society and platforms.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
GABA podcast by Adam Martin. An aural adventure of soundscapes, beats and story telling. Truly unique and my got to for calming and mindfulness. Sadly no more new episodes but id highly recommend the archive on Spotify — and also his audiobook.
Dave Randall, commercial director at Future
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
Diversity, gender and identity are more prevalent than ever across our society and media and I recently started listening to Rylan Clark’s How To Be A Man. In recent years the rule book for what it is to be a man has undergone radical change so it’s fascinating to hear various thoughts and opinions on that topic from a diverse bunch of people from David Gandy to Amir Khan or Laurence Llewelyn Bowen.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
For anyone interested in history, science or space, possibly my favourite ever podcast is 13 Minutes to the Moon. It took 13 minutes to descend from Apollo 11 to the surface of the moon in the lunar module but the series is about the space race and the NASA mission from start to finish. It’s super inspiring and Hans Zimmer composed the soundtrack to give it some extra magic.
Denise Turner, Route Research CEO
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
I’m a bit late to the party here, as they are already on episode 151, but I have been loving The Rest is Politics from Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. Very different political views but delivered in a grown-up way full of debate and discussion with a clear mutual respect for each other.
Such inspiration as to what we as citizens can do, and a no-nonsense approach to the issues (even if you might not agree with either or both of them!)
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
Sitting on the fence as I love two which are very different — Desert Island Discs and The West Wing Weekly.
Desert Island Discs introduces me to people I may never have heard of who have a huge influence on society, often overcoming adversity to do so. Too many to mention but Ian Wright last year made me cry.
I adore The West Wing and regularly rewatch it. This podcast dissects each episode almost line by line with actors from the series and fans — it’s brilliant!
Omar Oakes, editor of The Media Leader
What is the most recent podcast you have discovered?
The Katie Price Show — the former glamour model has her own podcast and she’s brought along her sister and her mum for the ride. It’s the shoutiest thing I’ve ever heard and I can’t wait to see this thing go live on tour.
What is your favourite podcast of all time?
The greatest genre of podcast is the TV show companion podcast, because they are timeless and make full use the medium’s offer as a ‘geek-out’ platform. The West Wing Weekly, co-hosted by Song Exploder’s Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina (who played Will Bailey on the show) is a must-listen for anyone who likes The West Wing, particularly when this podcast ran during the awfulness that was the Donald Trump presidency.
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