Beyond Broadcasting: Why News Podcasts Create More Community Than TV Ever Could
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In today’s podwires:
🔥 Beyond Broadcasting: Why News Podcasts Create More Community Than TV Ever Could
🚨 Podcast Insight: Nielsen PPM Shows Major Growth for Radio: What It Means for Podcasters
🏆 Podcast News : Audacy Launches 'The Women's Hoops Show' Podcast with Jordan Robinson as WNBA Season Approaches.
🔥 The Social Science of News Podcasts: Why Listeners Share and Co-Listen
News podcasts are changing how people of all ages consume information, ranking as the second most popular podcast genre, with 31% of podcast consumers actively listening to news content in the past month.
In contrast to traditional TV news broadcasts that mainly appeal to viewers in their late 60s and 70s, news podcasts attract a wide range of ages, with an average listener age of 47, which closely aligns with the overall adult population.
This generational bridge presents unprecedented opportunities for podcasters to cultivate dedicated audiences through timely news updates and insightful weekly analysis, fostering enduring listening routines that surpass what TV news can achieve in today's fragmented media environment.
These findings are sourced from the most recent Sounds Profitable Education Series report on News podcast audiences, supported by National Public Media/NPR.
The detailed study, included in the recent Sounds Profitable Education Series report on News podcast audiences from National Public Media/NPR, shows that news podcasts attract a significantly younger audience compared to viewers of major TV news networks like MSNBC, FOX News, and CNN, who have an average age range of 67-70 years old.
Moreover, the report emphasizes the distinctive social behavior of news podcast listeners, who are much more inclined to share recommendations and listen together with others than consumers of other podcast categories.
The Key Points:
News is the second-most popular podcast genre, with 31% of podcast consumers engaging with news content in the last 30 days
The average age of news podcast listeners is 47, compared to TV news viewers averaging 67-70 years old on major networks
73% of news podcast listeners both receive and provide recommendations within their social circles, dramatically higher than non-news listeners
News podcasts are uniquely social, with listeners more likely to consume content with others (often 2+ people)
While 21% of listeners report abandoning podcasts due to excessive ads, 61% are receptive to brand-sponsored podcast content
Why It Matters
The dramatic age gap between traditional TV news viewers and podcast consumers represents a profound shift in how information travels across generations. While network television caters mainly to older Americans, podcasts provide a platform with a more balanced age distribution that reflects the overall population. This is significant because it signifies that podcasts have evolved into the primary hub for news consumption, supplanting the traditional "family around the TV" model with a potentially more interactive and socially engaging platform. If you are worried about information silos and generational gaps, this data suggests that news podcasts could play a crucial role in connecting different groups in our fragmented media environment.
The Big Picture
For podcasters and producers, the findings present a compelling opportunity to reimagine news delivery and community building. The social nature of news podcast consumption—with listeners actively sharing recommendations and often consuming content with others—suggests podcasts can recreate the communal experience of news that was once central to American households.
Producers can take advantage of this trend by developing content designed for shared listening, concentrating on producing interesting material for morning routines and commutes, which are ideal times for this type of consumption.
Furthermore, the data demonstrates a nuanced advertising dynamic: whereas excessive ads repel listeners, strategically incorporated brand partnerships are embraced by the audience, showcasing the effectiveness of seamless advertising integration in podcasts. This balance allows podcasters to monetize through deeper brand integrations rather than traditional interruption-based advertising models. Ultimately, the trusted relationship between news podcast hosts and their audiences creates a powerful platform for both information delivery and strategic monetization that benefits the entire podcast ecosystem.
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🎙️Nielsen PPM Shows Major Growth for Radio: What It Means for Podcasters
Nielsen's January 2025 Portable People Meter (PPM) data shows significant audience growth across demographics and time periods, particularly during drive times and weekends. This growth is attributed to Nielsen's three-minute qualifier modernization, which now recognizes shorter listening sessions that were previously overlooked under the old five-minute rule.
Radio is experiencing renewed strength, particularly among younger demographics, with potential ripple effects throughout the entire audio ecosystem, including podcasting. The analysis reveals double-digit growth across all dayparts, with drive times and weekends experiencing the most significant increases. Radio's audience composition now skews younger, driven by significant growth in the 25-54 and 18-49 age groups.
The Key Points:
Nielsen's new three-minute qualifier modernization now credits shorter listening sessions, resulting in significant audience growth
Drive times and weekends show the greatest increases, likely due to higher in-car listening where shorter sessions are common
Radio's audience now skews younger, with persons 25-54 experiencing the largest increase in audience composition
Despite methodology changes, format shares remain stable across markets
Total U.S. AM/FM radio listening is up by 3%, indicating growth that can enhance advertising effectiveness and reach.
Why It Matters
This shift in measurement methodology isn't merely a technical change; it represents a more precise reflection of current audio consumption patterns. By acknowledging shorter listening sessions, Nielsen has revealed that radio reaches more people than previously thought, especially younger audiences who tend to consume media in shorter bursts. For advertisers and content creators alike, this means radio remains a vital and growing platform in our increasingly fragmented media landscape, proving traditional audio's resilience in the digital age.
The Big Picture
For podcasters and producers, Nielsen's findings present both opportunities and challenges. The data confirms audio consumption remains strong across demographics, suggesting potential growth for all audio formats. Podcasters can leverage this by creating shorter, more targeted content blocks that align with the reality of how listeners engage with audio. The growth in younger demographics for radio also reveals potential crossover audiences for podcasting. By understanding that listeners often consume audio in shorter segments, podcast producers can adapt. They can create "snackable" podcast segments alongside longer-form content, develop ad strategies that work within shorter listening windows, and build cross-promotion opportunities with radio partners experiencing renewed strength in key demographics.
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🎙️ PODCAST NEWS
⏭️ Audacy Launches 'The Women's Hoops Show' Podcast with Jordan Robinson as WNBA Season Approaches. Audacy has launched "The Women's Hoops Show," a weekly podcast hosted by sports journalist Jordan Robinson that will cover all aspects of women's basketball with special co-hosts including WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes, premiering March 4, 2025 across all podcast platforms.
⏭️ 67% of Podcast Listening Happens at Home, Not During Commutes, Edison Research Reveals. Edison Research's latest Share of Ear study reveals that 67% of podcast consumption occurs at home rather than during commutes, challenging industry assumptions and suggesting creators should optimize content for at-home environments, multi-tasking behaviors, and visual components rather than car-friendly formats.
⏭️ Video Podcasts Gain Momentum: 33% of Weekly Podcast Listeners Watch Visual Content. Nearly one-third of weekly podcast listeners now watch video versions of their favorite podcasts according to Jacobs Media's Techsurvey 2025, with YouTube reaching 1 billion monthly podcast viewers and Netflix potentially entering the market, signaling a significant shift toward visual content in the podcasting industry.
📢 The Business of Podcasting
⏭️ Libsyn Appoints Former Audible Executive Christopher Avello as VP of Marketing. Liberated Syndication (Libsyn), a leading podcast platform hosting over 70,000 shows with 2.5 billion annual downloads, has appointed Christopher Avello as Vice President of Marketing to drive the company's next growth phase, leveraging his two decades of digital media experience including 13 years at Amazon's Audible.
⏭️ Audacy Expands CBS Partnership to Include 39 Top Entertainment and News Podcasts. Audacy has expanded its exclusive partnership with CBS to include distribution and ad sales for 39 podcast titles across CBS Entertainment, News, Studios and Media Ventures - including popular shows like "48 Hours," "On Fire with Jeff Probst," and "The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert" - building on their successful CBS Sports podcast collaboration that began in 2022.
⏭️ Cumulus Launches Vince Coglianese Show to Replace Dan Bongino's Syndicated Program. Cumulus Media and Silverloch Productions (founded by Dan and Paula Bongino) have partnered to launch "Vince," a new conservative podcast and syndicated radio show hosted by WMAL-FM's Vince Coglianese that will debut March 17 with over 250 radio affiliates, filling the gap left by Dan Bongino's departure to join the Trump administration as Deputy FBI Director.
🎧 From the Community
⏭️ Free 8-Hour Podcast Masterclass: Brand Podcast Summit 2025 Replays Now Available. The Brand Podcast Summit 2025 has released over 8 hours of free, expert-led podcasting masterclasses featuring industry leaders from Atlassian, The New York Times, and Morgan Stanley, helping marketers create engaging podcast content their audiences will love.
⏭️ Top Podcast Episodes Exploring Climate Justice: EarBuds Curated Selection. EarBuds Podcast Collective's latest newsletter curates five powerful podcast episodes exploring the intersection of climate change and social justice, including shows from Have You Heard George's Podcast?, Invisibilia, and Scene on Radio, selected by curator Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis who shares personal insights on swimming access and extreme heat as justice issues.
⏭️ Podcast Creator Survey Guide: Four Powerful Ways to Understand Your Audience. Signal Hill Insights' Chief Insights Officer explains how content creators can use direct audience surveys through call-to-action (CTA) methods to gather crucial first-party data on demographics, content preferences, brand lift, and branded content impact—providing more valuable insights than relying solely on download numbers or third-party metrics.
👍 Producer Recommendations Wanted: Share Your Podcast Insights
Even with record increase in content creation, podcast discovery remains a major industry problem. Producers, being experts in their field, have special insights that might change the way listeners identify quality content.
As a producer, suggest podcasts you routinely listen to together along with the professional relevance of each.
Your professional suggestions will help close the discovery gap between industry data showing affects on listener retention and engagement measures. Participation adds to a valuable industry resource meant to more successfully link quality content with receptive audiences than only algorithm-driven solutions.
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