What’s a Podcast?: The Revolution Redefined

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re sitting down with Lex Friedman (not to be confused with Lex Fridman), one of podcasting’s original builders and a leader who’s shaped the business of podcasting since Day 1.

Before launching his own consulting business, Lex played a part in nearly every major chapter of the industry, including Chief Business Development at Midroll, Chief Revenue Officer at ART19, Head of Podcast Partnerships at Amazon, and Head of Podcast Strategy at Wondery. Along the way, he’s helped define how ads get sold, how shows get funded, and how podcasting itself gets defined.

In this episode, Lex opens up on what made podcast ads such a “win-win-win” from the start, why early pitches were simply “talk radio…on demand,” and how a listenership of “completionists” continue to set podcasts apart. He even drops an acoustic guitar analogy to explain why the word podcast isn’t going anywhere, no matter how the platforms try to rebrand it.

"Stop apologizing for podcasting being what it is—because it’s clearly working."

—Lex Friedman

The conversation covers: Ad Load Tipping Points, Completionist Behavior, Consolidation and Mega-Deals, and more.

Let’s go.

Watch the conversation on Youtube: https://youtu.be/HjDmqUiBSQg

This week’s archival pull from What’s a Podcast? The Extended Interviews features one of the voices that helped build the podcast industry as we know it: Guy Raz.

Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road) sits down with the creator of How I Built This to talk about how we built this—i.e. how podcasting went from media exile to mainstream power player—and what’s worth protecting as the lines between audio, video, and algorithm blur.

“[As a listener], you’re giving me your time—and your time is more valuable than money.”

—Guy Raz

The team is talking: The Podcast Intimacy Advantage, Video as an Add-On, Goodbye to Gatekeepers, and more. 

Let’s dive in.

This week on “What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews,” Evan Shapiro (renowned Media Universe Cartographer) brings his latest industry map to share with Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road & Veritone One) how and why podcasts should expand into other mediums. 

At IFC, Evan pioneered the podcast-to-TV pipeline (Comedy Bang Bang, WTF with Marc Maron). Now he navigates uncharted media waters with his show The Media Odyssey. He’s a perfect guide for this podcast voyage. 

The team is talking: In Creators We Trust, Podcasting’s New Identity, Audience Connection, and more. Let’s dig in.

“[Podcasting] was the first form of the creator economy.”

• Evan Shapiro (renowned Media Universe Cartographer) 

Kill the word podcast? Our guest votes yes.

This week on “What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews,” Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road & Veritone One) hosts AJ Feliciano (former GM of The Roost Network) for a deep dive on how The Roost became the in-house “media company of tomorrow.”

AJ is all-in on 360 content. He even built a flywheel for how podcasts can pivot into video so they can “pump [distribution platforms] with all types of content.” Oh. And in the podcast vs. simulcast debate? He’s 11/10 “simulcast.” 

Dan and AJ are also talking: Be a Mini-Disney, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Find What Clicks, and more. Let’s get into it.

“Simulcast doesn't put itself in a box necessarily. When I'm talking to creators or fans and I say the word ‘simulcast,’ they see it’s in multiple places. It just sort of clicks immediately without having to explain it.”

– AJ Feliciano (former GM of The Roost Network)

This week, in a podcast studio, somewhere on the final frontier, Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road & Veritone One) and John McDermott (Co-Founder, Caloroga Shark Media) boldly go where nobody’s gone before, to discuss how there’s plenty of room in podcasting for celebrities AND friends to talk Star Trek and beyond. This episode of “What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews” is sponsored by Claritas.

“I'm not the anti-video guy. I just want to stick up for, hey, there's nothing wrong with heading down to the basement and talking about Star Trek with your friends.” 

• John McDermott (Co-Founder, Caloroga Shark Media)

The team is talking: Jimmy Buffett’s Business Model, YouTube’s Numbers Game, Podcast Peer Pressure, and more. Let’s voyage in.

Hope you’re good at math, because podcasting is about to multiply.

This week on the Media Roundtable limited series “What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews,” Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road & Veritone One) hosts Bryan Barletta (Founder and Partner, Sound Profitable) to peel back the layers of podcasting. 

“I want it [the podcast definition] to be a virus… If we let it grow, it's easier to kick out the things that are very clearly not it.” - Bryan Barletta

The team is talking: the Popular Kids, YouTube’s Top Shelf, Identity Crises, and more. Let’s dig in.

Hot tip for CAOs: Find a podcaster who believes in 'good promotion' like Ira Glass.

Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road & Veritone One) sits down with Audio Legend and Podcast Pioneer Ira Glass (Host, Executive Producer, This American Life) in a new episode of “What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews.” This week’s episode is sponsored by our friends at Fairing.

“ You really have to be very thoughtful and show cunning in the way that you deal with advertising and promotion…. that's where you protect yourself and your right to make whatever you want.“

• Ira Glass (Host, Executive Producer, This American Life) 

The team is talking: Promo Power, Blueprints, The Feels, and more. Let’s dig in.

CAOs, there’s a number out there in the world that if you knew it, it’d change your business forever. Our guest on this week’s episode of the Media Roundtable found that number— How’d he do it? Join Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road & Veritone One) as he hosts Hernan Lopez, (Founder, Wondery & Owl & Co) in a special double episode to talk about the BIGGEST number in podcasting and why it matters.

“ I estimated the global podcast economy to be worth $7.3 billion.”

 — Hernan Lopez, (Founder, Wondery & Owl & Co)

They’re talking: Counting What Counts, Why Definitions Matter, Audio Wins, and more. Let’s dive in.

Ah, podcasts–those “little masterpieces for your ears.” 

We’re back with another episode of our limited series, ‘What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews.’ We have an all-star panel of industry insiders to debate what a podcast is — and what it could be. 

Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road and Veritone One) hosts:

Larry Rosin (President, Edison Research)

Hilary Ross Shafer (VP, Podcast and YouTube Influencer, Veritone One)

James Cridland (Editor, Podnews and Podcast Business Journal) and 

Nick Giorgio (Director, Media and Customer Acquisition, SimpliSafe)

”Podcasting's unique selling point has always been that it's something for your ears when your eyes are busy.”

• James Cridland (Editor, Podnews and Podcast Business Journal)

The team’s talking: Podcasting’s Identity Crisis, Podcast Growing Pains, and CAO ad outlook. Let’s dive in.

Three brothers have taken podcasting by storm. And this week, they share the secret to turning everything they touch to podcast gold. In our limited series “What’s a Podcast? The Extended Interviews,” we sit down with the creators of the fastest-growing independent media network in the world, the MeidasTouch. 

Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road and Veritone One) hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas (Co-founders, MeidasTouch Network) to discuss the tips and tricks the brothers use to build and scale their wildly successful podcast-turned-media-network.

“ Everything we do is malleable. While podcasts feel like they have been around for a long time, it's still such a new industry… You can never get too comfortable. Always be looking at ‘how is this changing? What's next?”

• Brett Meiselas, (Co-founder, MeidasTouch Network)

They’re talking: Growth Hacks, Serving your Audience, Family SWOT Analysis, and more. Let’s dive in.