iHeartMedia

Gripping Tale Of A Multi-Generational Cult And Crime Ring Revealed

Host Jesse Hyde (Vanity Fair, GQ) Delivers An All-New Approach To True Crime in this Highly Stylized And Epic Saga

First Two Episodes Launch May 4 Listen To The Trailer HERE

NEW YORK (April 27, 2022) — Today iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, and Novel, the ascendant UK podcast studio behind the ambitious global Apple #1 Harsh Reality: The Story Of Miriam Rivera, announce their new show Deliver Us From Ervil. In the new investigative series, host Jesse Hyde (Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, the Atlantic, GQ) descends into the Mexican desert to unearth a murderous tale of truly Biblical proportions as a Utopian safehaven turns into the birthplace of a cold-blooded cult.

As he plunges into cartel country, Hyde reveals the story of Colonia LeBaron, a town that quickly spun from its vision of a utopian Mormon community into a brutal legacy of belief, familial betrayal, and cult-driven crime. Hyde collects extraordinary, never-before-heard accounts from former cult followers, alongside their victims and the cops, journalists, and prosecutors who tried to chase them down — including direct testimony from the cult’s most shocking assassin: leader Ervil LeBaron’s teenage wife.

Colonia LeBaron was first formed as a safe haven for Mormon fundamentalists, a Zion for those who wished to continue the practice of polygamy. Organized by Joel LeBaron — a self-proclaimed prophet — the community believed itself to be the next Kingdom Of God on Earth. But as Joel's following grew, so did the wrath of his co-leader and younger brother Ervil, the brother who would ultimately betray him in cold blood. 

Following Ervil’s ascent to power, the story rapidly escalates as the cult evolves into organized crime, from stealing cars to order for the Mexican mafia to smuggling drugs across the border into the US. But while working alongside the Mexican mafia, the cult leaders enact a series of evermore elaborate assassinations, following a blueprint their father Ervil laid out in his relgious Opus The Book of the New Covenants.

Told through powerful first-person reporting from the 1950s to the present day, Deliver Us From Ervil places its host at the center of the story. Along the way, Hyde speaks directly to those carrying out these killings, the remaining LeBarons, the relatives of their many victims, and the law enforcement officers who’ve spent decades attempting to halt the decades-long cycle of violence passed down from Ervil to his children. As Hyde sifts out mythology from truth as he constructs an epic, winding narrative, building a tale that is highly stylistic and novelistic in approach — the sonic equivalent to the Coen’s brothers’ fatalistic filmmaking. 

Deliver Us From Ervil officially launches with its first two episodes on May 4, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday on iHeartRadio and all other platforms. Deliver Us From Ervil is distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network. Listeners can visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to the trailer and premiere episodes on their favorite device. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: 

Embed the podcast’s audio player directly into your article using the code below:

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Access the cover art here: 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4uxv50ius1jxj1k/DeliverUsFromErvil-1200x628.j…

About Jesse Hyde

Jesse Hyde is a writer based in Salt Lake City whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, the Atlantic and GQ. Raised as a Mormon himself, in this series Jesse navigates an often personal path as he tells a controversial tale about the community in which he still lives, confronting taboos that many members of his Mormon family would shy away from.

A graduate of the journalism school at Columbia University, he has reported from Haiti, Ethiopia, Rio de Janeiro and many other spots around the globe. Several of his stories are currently in development for film or TV, including a series for Showtime.

About Novel

Novel is the largest independent podcast production company in Europe. The company produces ambitious original podcasts and award-winning shows for brands like Spotify, Audible, Wondery and iHeart, including an Apple Global #1 (Harsh Reality: The Story Of Miriam Rivera), multiple UK Apple #1s (Fantasy Premier League Podcast, The Bellingcat Podcast), and successful forays into avant comedy (Futile Attempts), music (Charli XCX’s Best Song Ever), and LGBTQ+ culture (Call Me Mother). They have launched over 40 shows, produced over 400 hours of content, and have won 25 awards. 

The Ex-Wife of Convicted Sex Felon Spencer Herron Investigates the Real Story of Her Seemingly Perfect Husband and Grapples with Years of Astonishing Infidelities

“Betrayal” Launches Today, April 28, on iHeartRadio and All Major Podcast Platforms.

Listen to the First Episode HERE.

NEW YORK – April 28, 2022– Glass Podcasts, a division of the award-winning Glass Entertainment Group (GEG), and iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, announced the launch of its eight-part true-crime podcast series Betrayal. The first two episodes drop today, April 28, and will continue with weekly installments every Thursday thereafter. Betrayal is distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network and will be available on iHeartRadio and all major podcast platforms.

A real-life fairytale gone horribly wrong; Betrayal is the story of TV producer Jenifer Faison whose picture-perfect marriage completely shatters in the blink of an eye when she suddenly discovers that her college sweetheart-turned-doting husband is not the person she thought he was. After seven years of marriage, Faison came home from work one afternoon to find her house searched and her husband arrested for the continued sexual assault of a student.

The series unravels the case of convicted sexual predator and two-time Kell High School ‘Teacher of the Year’ Spencer Herron, who plead guilty to six counts of sexual assault of a former Cobb, Georgia student. Presently serving six concurrent sentences, Herron’s crimes began when the sexual assault victim was in high school. Interviewing the now 21-year-old college student who survived numerous sexual assaults at the hands of her husband, Faison attempts to learn about the man she thought she loved.

In Betrayal, Faison investigates the hidden story behind the story, revealing a dark double life fueled by dozens often sordid and simultaneous affairs with friends, neighbors and strangers, dating back to the week they were married. Throughout the podcast, Jenifer painstakingly pieces together evidence, including texts, photos and letters from prison. She speaks with friends, family and several of the other women Herron was intimately involved with, some of whom she knew personally. Each woman eerily described the same manner of manipulation and gaslighting Spencer deployed to justify his philandering. Faison even speaks to Spencer himself.

Blindsided and bewildered by the betrayal and pathological lies, Faison must contend with the sinister truth: Her seemingly ideal husband carefully crafted his public persona to hide his inner demons, painting himself as the revered teacher and beacon of his small-town community, located just 20 miles northwest of Atlanta.

“Spence was the last person who I ever would have guessed would have taken advantage of a kid, and I think anybody else who knew him would have said the same thing,” said Faison. “Could it be true that this man I loved was a sexual predator? I realized that afternoon that life as I knew it would never be the same. The future that we planned was gone, and that was the last time I had seen him.”

“Betrayal is the ultimate cautionary tale of what could go wrong with blind faith,” says Nancy Glass, Executive Producer of the series and CEO of Glass Entertainment Group. “Jenifer is just like anyone else; she built a life on love, trust and respect, but she had no idea what was concealed beneath the surface of her immaculate marriage. There were never any clues nor any reason to believe her world could come crashing down. This is the story of a woman living in the aftermath of the worst-possible scenario and her road to healing.”

Glass Podcast’s Head of Podcast Production and Development, Andrea Gunning, voices Betrayal alongside Faison. The series is Executive Produced by Nancy Glass and Jenifer Faison with Carrie Hartman and Ben Fetterman producing for Glass Podcasts. Glass Podcasts is overseen by Gunning, and Ben Fetterman, who serves as Head of Podcast Strategy and Development. For iHeart, Ali Perry is Executive Producing the series and Jessica Krainchich is serving as Producer.

It's been an incredible period of growth for Glass Podcasts. Most recently, the division launched the latest chapter of the hit Confronting anthology, Confronting: Columbine, and its breakout modern romance pod, Dating Diaries: Questions and Confessions. The company is set to launch its next true-crime series, Murder in the Mansion, in the coming months.

Listeners can visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to the premiere two episodes on their favorite device.

Editor’s Note:

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About Glass Entertainment Group

Founded by six-time Emmy award winning journalist and television personality Nancy Glass, GEG is a full-service production company specializing in unscripted television, film production, new media content and podcasting. With over 3,000 hours of programming, the company has worked with leading networks and platforms such as CNN, Oxygen, HGTV, Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet, Snapchat, HLN, The Food Network, Discovery ID, History, Travel, AOL, Sirius XM and Wondery, among others. GEG’s robust slate includes Lincoln: An American President (CNN), Heartland Vets: DVM (NatGeo Wild), Queen of Stylez (Snapchat), Frozen in Time with Maureen McCormick (HGTV), Murder Nation (HLN) among many more. A leader in the podcast space, the company recently produced the hit Apple podcast Dating Diaries: Quarantine Confessions as well as one of the most downloaded podcasts Confronting: O.J. Simpson, which earned a top 5 position on AP’s Top 2019 Podcasts. The sequel Confronting: Columbine recently debuted as a Top 10 Podcast on Apple Top Charts. Last year, in a groundbreaking deal, GEG partnered with Marcus Lemonis to acquire the rights to the Hatos-Hall catalogue of formats, including the classic Let’s Make a Deal, which is being re-versioned and distributed globally.

NEW YORK - April 25, 2022 – Brendan Francis Newnam, former co-host of The Dinner Party Download, teams up with Pushkin Industries, iHeartMedia and Topic Studios to release Not Lost, a new documentary-style travel podcast. On each episode Newnam, with a friend in town, travels to a new town, sees the sights and tries to get invited to a stranger’s house for dinner. From Montréal to Mexico City, Newnam and his guests drink, dance and eat, learning as much about themselves as the places they visit. Not Lost is both a delightful travel escape and an insightful look at people – locals and visitors alike – trying to make sense of a constantly changing world through conversation and culture. Not Lost is a co-production of Pushkin Industries, Topic Studios and iHeartMedia and is distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network. 

Newnam honed his wit and conversational skills for ten years as co-host of the public radio show and pioneering culture podcast The Dinner Party Download. The show drew its inspiration from the kind of discussion you would have with your friends at a dinner party and featured talks with guests like Aubrey Plaza, Margaret Atwood and Oscar Isaac. Newnam brought the idea for Not Lost to Topic Studios, which helped creatively develop the concept and produce the initial season with Newnam before teaming up with Pushkin and iHeartMedia.

“Whenever I’ve been at a turning point in my life, I’ve traveled to help broaden my sense of what kind of life is possible,” says Newnam, “So when my national radio show ended, as well as a long-term relationship, I decided to tour North America, but this time with friends and a microphone. I came up with the idea of trying to get invited to dinner parties in each town, since I believe that’s the way to best get to know a place. It didn’t always work out as planned, but it made for some fun adventures. I thought it was going to be the audio equivalent of Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, but it ended up being a little more like Steve Coogan’s The Trip.”

Award-winning journalist and former public radio and podcast host Brendan Francis Newnam brings the same spirit of learning about each other and ourselves through food and conversation to Not Lost that he perfected with Dinner Party Download. This on-the-ground travel show is more than an exploration of just the sights of travel. It is a sound-rich investigation of the kind of human connection you can only get from the immersion of travel and open-hearted conversation with friends – and strangers – over a good meal.

“What an incredible joy to discover fascinating corners of the world and to meet new friends with Brendan as our tour guide,” said Maria Zuckerman, President of Topic Studios, “We are thrilled to be working with the wonderful team at Pushkin and are excited for listeners to embark on this special journey.”

Newnam is the creator and co-host of The Dinner Party Download, a nationally syndicated radio show and podcast about arts and culture that was downloaded over 28 million times, the creator and executive producer of the critically acclaimed Paris Review Podcast, and the author of Brunch is Hell: How to Save the World by Throwing a Dinner Party. His writings on travel and food have appeared in outlets such as The New York Times Magazine and Saveur. Since 2020, Newnam has worked at Pushkin Industries as Vice President of Special Audio Projects.

The first season of Not Lost will premiere on Wednesday May 4, 2022, on iHeartRadio and wherever listeners access podcasts and will feature eight documentary-style episodes and eight interview-focused episodes with travelers both famous and unknown about their unfiltered reminiscences and adventure tales. Not Lost is a co-production of Pushkin Industries, Topic Studios and iHeartMedia. Pushkin and iHeartMedia have also teamed up on shows such as Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, What’s Your Problem? with Jacob Goldstein and Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi. For more information visit www.Pushkin.fm.

Listen to the Not Lost season one trailer here. The first season includes:

Episode 1 – Voyage Voyage  (Montreal)

Brendan and his friend Danielle seek out the je ne sais quoi of the Quebecois and, along the way, learn about the Quiet Revolution, French-Canadian celebrity mags and local pastries known as nun’s farts.

Episode 2 – Big Medicine (Bozeman)

Brendan, a self-avowed “Great Indoorsman,” approaches Montana’s outdoor recreation opportunities with trepidation. Meanwhile, his co-host Danielle, who once lived in Alaska, rediscovers a part of herself she left behind when she moved to Los Angeles.

Episode 3 – Pizza Party (Portland, ME)

Brendan and Danielle head to Vacationland to see if it can live down its nickname. Fueled by lobster rolls and salt air they visit lighthouses, bookshops and -- to get a sense of what it means to be a Mainer -- the L.L. Bean Headquarters.

Episode 4 – Anybody’s Gumbo (New Orleans)

Carousel bars, gospel choirs, voodoo readings and a visit to a slavery memorial plunge Brendan and Danielle into conversations about race, art, God and the good life with local luminaries like jazz-great Kermit Ruffins and voodoo priestess Madame Cinammon.

Episode 5 – Mi Casa, Mi Casa (Mexico City)

Brendan and Danielle head to CDMX to see if mi casa is really su casa. From dance lessons to shamanistic rituals, they strive to understand this vast metropolis while also receiving an invitación to a fiesta.

Episode 6 – Mother Cabrini (Las Vegas)

Brendan and his friend Luke explore the Hoover Dam, Vegas’ Chinatown and the night sky. Brendan’s plan to avoid sin in Sin City goes well, but after a visit with a priest and a dreamy counter with the man who created the slogan “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas,” all bets are off!

Episode 7 – In the Soup (Big Sur)

Two years have passed since Covid brought production of Not Lost to a halt. In that time Brendan has turned norm-core – a steady job, a live-in partner, a car, a viewer of prestige cable dramas. But the show must go on. Brendan and his friend, radio producer John DeLore, go to a place Brendan considers the opposite of the Big Apple: Big Sur, California. A few days of sunshine and fresh air give rise to fresh questions: How is traveling different when you have someone waiting for you back at home?

Episode 8 – Hello to All This (New York)

In the final episode of Not Lost season one, Brendan finds himself in new territory: home. He explores the city that never sleeps with the same curiosity and zest he usually reserves for new destinations and maybe gets to host a dinner party.

ABOUT BRENDAN FRANCIS NEWNAM

Brendan Francis Newnam created and co-hosted the nationally syndicated radio show and podcast The Dinner Party Download for ten years where he interviewed some of the biggest stars and thinkers of our time. Brendan also created and executive produced the critically acclaimed The Paris Review Podcast. He is the author of the book Brunch Is Hell (Little, Brown), and his writing on food, travel, and design has appeared in publications from The New York Times Magazine to Saveur. He is the host of the podcast Not Lost and the VP of Pushkin Industries’ audiobooks program.

ABOUT PUSHKIN INDUSTRIES

Pushkin Industries is the audio production company co-founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg in 2018. Pushkin has produced numerous podcasts that have broken into the top 10 on Apple’s Top Podcasts chart, including Gladwell’s hugely successful Revisionist History, as well as Against the Rules, The Happiness Lab, Broken Record, Cautionary Tales, The Last Archive, Deep Cover, Lost Hills and Apple’s Best Show of 2021, A Slight Change of Plans. Pushkin’s podcast hosts include Michael Lewis, Jill Lepore, Rick Rubin, Maya Shankar, Tim Harford, Laurie Santos, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Ben Austen, Dana Goodyear, Jake Halpern, Hallie Rubenhold, Sam Fragoso, Glory Edim, Anita Hill, Jacob Goldstein, Brendan Francis Newnam, Eddie Alterman and many more. Pushkin’s audiobooks include the bestselling Fauci by Michael Specter, Heartbreak by Florence Williams, and Malcolm Gladwell’s Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon, The Bomber Mafia and Talking to Strangers. Pushkin is dedicated to producing audio in any format that challenges listeners, encourages their curiosity, and inspires joy. Our work is built on principles of trust: respect, fairness, accuracy, accountability, and honesty. Visit pushkin.fm, where you can purchase our audiobooks and then listen on your podcast player of choice. Follow us @PushkinPods.

ABOUT TOPIC STUDIOS

Topic Studios is the award-winning entertainment studio from First Look Media that develops, finances and produces provocative and entertaining content for all platforms including theatrical, streaming, television and podcasts. The Studio is behind such pioneering podcasts as Operator (Wondery), which debuted at #1 on Apple’s Top Podcasts chart; Somebody (iHeartRadio), with The Intercept and the Invisible Institute, a recent Pulitzer Prize finalist; the beloved Politically Re-Active with W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu, in partnership with the WarnerMedia Podcast Network; the thrilling investigative series Imposters, in partnership with Parcast and Spotify; the critically acclaimed, cinematic musical podcast Anthem from John Cameron Mitchell, featuring Glenn Close, Cynthia Erivo and Patti Lupone; the cultural phenomenon Missing Richard Simmons, the Peabody®-nominated Headlong: Running from COPS, and Headlong: Surviving Y2K, created and hosted by Dan Taberski. In addition, Topic Studios and Audible recently entered a slate development and production deal, with releases under this partnership including The Messenger, an extraordinary tale of friendship, lies, betrayal and terrorism; American ISIS, a portrait of an ordinary American who became a fighter for the Islamic State; and the upcoming Untitled Lauren Ober/Gorilla Project hosted by Lauren Ober (American Public Media’s Spectacular Failures and NPR’s The Big Listen), about Koko the Gorilla; and The Space Within, a fiction series about an internationally renowned psychologist specializing in trauma and PTSD who makes a startling discovery.

Notable films from the Studio have included Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny, winner of the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival (Blumhouse/Amazon); and Pablo Larrain’s Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart (Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee for her performance) as Princess Diana (with NEON); Acclaimed documentaries have included the big wave surfing series, 100 Foot Wave, recently renewed for a second season, and the Film Independent Spirit Award-nominated, three-part series, Nuclear Family, both on HBO/HBO Max. The Studio is also ramping up its scripted television division with several projects including the Untitled Martin Lawrence Project, based on acclaimed Israeli “HOT” series Nehama.

NEW YORK – April 21, 2022 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, and Seneca Women, a global women’s leadership platform, today announced the first-ever Seneca Women Podcast Academy, a program designed to help amplify the voices of women in podcasting. The inaugural class will consist of 10 winners from iHeartMedia’s nationwide initiative, “Seneca Women to Hear: The Search For the Next Great Female Podcasters,” which set out to find the next breakout female podcast stars. The Seneca Women Podcast Academy will help these winners develop and launch their own shows on the Seneca Women Podcast Network, distributed by iHeartMedia.

The six-week intensive program will kick off in May and will include one lecture per week with direct access to industry-leading mentors, all women who are at the top of their respective fields in podcasting. These workshops will be led by established podcast hosts, producers and executives, allowing the winners to gain valuable information about all aspects of the podcast business including development, sound engineering, distribution, marketing, sales and overall operations. Creators will also receive a stipend and top-of-the-line audio equipment to produce episodes of their shows, which will all become part of the Seneca Women Podcast Network.

Seneca Women Podcast Academy mentors will include Jo Piazza, award-winning journalist and host of shows like “Under the Influence” and “Committed”; Bridget Todd, activist, podcast host of “There Are No Girls On The Internet” and CEO of Unbossed Creative, a mission-driven creative studio that makes podcasts and other digital content to push the needle on social change and public good; and Dana Schwartz, a writer, author and journalist who hosts the popular podcast “Noble Blood,” among others.

“iHeartMedia is proud to say that 50 percent of our new shows over the past 12 months are hosted by women. We want to continue that growth and we believe starting the Seneca Women Podcast Academy is an exciting next step toward changing the makeup of podcasting,” says Will Pearson, Chief Operating Officer of the iHeartPodcast Network. “These ten shows will only bolster our platform and we’re thrilled to offer these creators the space and support to become the next generation of influential podcasters.”

The eclectic mix of winning show ideas range from comedic and personal to topical and informative on subjects like health, finance and social justice issues. The winners and shows include: “The Oh My God Particle Show!” hosted by Dahlia Wilde; “Making Our Trillions,” hosted by Yvonne So; “Memory Whisperer,” hosted by Dana Territo; “My Vagina Said What?” hosted by Kris McDaniel and Andi Gordon; “Your Financial Maven,” hosted by Samantha Mittman Besnoff; “Latinas Take the Lead,” hosted by Naibe Reynoso; “Uppity Knitter,” hosted by Siedah Garrett; “Hallmark Junkies,” hosted by Jennifer Mitchell and Kerri Carpenter; “FIN: Females In Podcast,” hosted by Lola Omolola; and “Aces Are Wild,” hosted by Maddy Goshorn.

“If we want women to part of designing our future, women’s voices need to be heard and women creators need to be supported,” says Kim Azzarelli, co-founder of Seneca Women, “which is why we are thrilled to announce the 10 winners of Seneca Women to Hear and to be partnering with iHeartMedia to make sure their voices get heard.”

The Seneca Women Podcast Network, distributed by iHeartMedia, builds on Seneca Women’s thought leadership and its founders’ decades of experience in advancing women around the globe. It focuses on a diverse range of topics that showcase positive role models, practical insights and shared learnings, while providing a platform for the voices of established and emerging women leaders as well as organizations making a difference for women and girls.

P&G and The Card by Seneca Women, powered by Deserve and Mastercard, are proud sponsors of the Seneca Women Podcast Academy and the “Seneca Women to Hear: The Search For the Next Great Female Podcasters” initiative.

About Seneca Women

Seneca Women is a global leadership and media platform that works to advance women in the economy and around the world by amplifying the voices of women and supporting women creators. Seneca Women has sought to accelerate women’s progress through signature events at Davos, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Stock Exchange as well as through partnerships with organizations including Apple, Bank of America, Bloomberg, The Coca-Cola Company, Mastercard, and P&G, among others. The Seneca Women Podcast Network on iHeartMedia, launched with founding partner P&G, builds on the success of this work. Seneca Women has also recently launched The Card by Seneca Women, powered by Deserve and Mastercard, issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-Chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC. It’s the first card that rewards you when you shop from women-owned businesses in The Marketplace by Seneca Women. Seneca Women has also partnered with Gemini-owned Nifty Gateway to launch a special collection of NFTs titled The Seneca Women Equality Collection, celebrating women artists and their vision of equality.

eMusic Live partners with iHeartMedia to livestream this year’s iHeartCountry Festival featuring Country music’s biggest superstars from Austin, Texas on Saturday, May 7

New York, NY – April 21, 2022 – eMusic today announced a partnership with iHeartMedia to livestream the star-studded lineup at the 2022 iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One live from the new state-of-the-art venue, Moody Center in Austin, TX on Saturday, May 7. eMusic Live will stream the entire festival, featuring performances from today’s hottest Country superstars including Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Zac Brown Band, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Jimmie Allen, Scotty McCreery, and Cody Johnson. As an added bonus to fans, the livestream will also feature exclusive behind the scenes content, backstage sneak peeks and interviews.

eMusic Live will exclusively stream the performance for fans in the USA, who can tune in to watch the free livestream at eMusiclive.com/iHeartCountry and on iHeartMedia's Country music radio stations in their local markets, on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio App at at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT).

The eMusic Live platform, launched in August 2020, is the first-of-its-kind platform for the live music industry to stage virtual concerts and create unique artist-to-fan experiences. The platform has hosted hundreds of artists, festivals, and venues from all over the world. The platform brings a new level of artist customization and direct commercial opportunities around live gigs for artists, including fully branded event pages, virtual VIP Meet and Greets, digital music sales, merch and artists NFTs.

Tamir Koch, President of eMusic, said, “Our livestream platform is built to generate meaningful, interactive experiences that bring more live music to more fans. The iHeartCountry Music Festival is going to be such a special event for fans - with an incredible line up and engaging features on our platform that are built to be immersive and unique to the digital experience.”

The iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One is an iHeartMedia Production. Proud partners of this year's livestream include Ram Trucks. For more information visit iheart.com/iheartcountry-festival.

About eMusic Live

In 2020, 7digital and eMusic launched their joint venture, eMusic Live, which has fast become the most advanced commercial live stream platform, offering end-to-end monetization, engagement opportunities, and sponsorship experiences for artists, artist managers and venues around the world.

About Moody Center

Moody Center will provide the nation’s 11th largest city with a premier venue to host the biggest artists and acts on the planet. Designed specifically for concerts, the new arena will replace the 45-year-old Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center at The University of Texas and will be the home to the University of Texas women’s and men’s basketball games as well as other sports and community events. Moody Center is privately financed by Oak View Group, Live Nation/C3 Presents, University of Texas, and Matthew McConaughey and is set to open April 2022. Also, follow along on social media on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @moodycenteratx.

Premiering Today, The Series is Hosted by Award-Winning Journalists Caren Zucker and John Donvan

Listen to the First Episode HERE

NEW YORK, NY (April 14, 2022) -- iHeartRadio, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, today announced the launch of a new original podcast, “Autism’s First Child,” hosted by award-winning journalists, Caren Zucker and John Donvan.

Each week, Zucker and Donvan will trace the history of Autism through the first person ever diagnosed, Donald Triplett, and hear from the rural community that helped raise him. Donald Triplett’s story is one about empathy and understanding -- now 88 years old, he has lived a full and happy life in Forest, Mississippi. Listeners will meet Triplett, hear about his remarkable life, and his diagnosis that changed history.

"It’s a story with so many layers and side roads that being able to tell it over many episodes gives us a whole story that is greater than parts,” said Donvan.

“When we went looking for the first child diagnosed with autism, we had no idea it would turn out to be such a beautiful story,” said Zucker. 

Zucker and Donvan are also the authors of the book, In A Different Key: The Story of Autism, which was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist in General Nonfiction and producers of the documentary by the same name. 

“Autism’s First Child” is now available on iHeartRadio and all major podcast platforms. Subscribe to listen HERE. 

About Caren Zucker

Caren Zucker is a director, producer and journalist who has told stories for more than 25 years across a broad range of subjects both domestically and internationally. As a producer for ABC’s World News and Nightline, working alongside Peter Jennings, Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer, she covered civil rights, presidential campaigns, economic issues and social trends. She was honored for her role in ABC’s coverage of 9/11 with two of television’s most prestigious prizes, the Peabody and the Alfred L. DuPont awards. Zucker was the producer and co-writer of PBS NewsHour series Autism Now. Her oldest son Mickey’s autism diagnosis inspired a new direction in her reporting: to bring a better understanding of autism’s realities.
 

About John Donvan

John Donvan is a veteran network correspondent and producer for ABC, CNN and PBS, and host and moderator of the Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates, which are heard on public radio and by podcast. He has also been a contributing editor to The Atlantic. During his journalism career, in addition to anchoring various ABC broadcasts, John served as chief White House correspondent, and held multiyear postings in London, Moscow, Jerusalem and Amman, Jordan. He wrote and reported for the documentary program Turning Point. The winner of four Emmys and the Overseas Press Club Award, he became interested in autism’s impact on families upon meeting his wife, physician and medical school professor Ranit Mishori, who grew up in Israel with a brother profoundly affected by autism, He has two children and lives in Washington, DC.

Orlando, Fla. – April 15. 2022 – iHeartMedia announced today the retirement of media veteran Linda Byrd, Division President for iHeartMedia Florida. As a company leader for four decades at iHeartMedia, Byrd has contributed to the success of nearly 50 different markets and countless employees. Byrd will transition out of her Division President role into an advisory role on July 15 and will continue to report to Hartley Adkins, President of iHeartMedia Markets Group.  One of the duties in her advisory capacity will be the continued involvement in iHeartMedia’s Hispanic footprint, where she has made significant contributions. 

“Having worked with Linda for 25 years, I can testify she is a once-in-a-generation leader:  Incredibly thoughtful, passionate and courageous,” said Adkins. “I am delighted Linda will get more quality time in retirement -- and very pleased we will have the advantage of three more years of her guidance as a consultant.”

Byrd has been in the industry for 45 years, the last 40 with iHeartMedia, including its predecessor companies. During this time, she has overseen 46 different markets. In addition, she has collected impressive accomplishments, including being the first female state chair for any Broadcast Association in the country and the winner of the RAB General Manager of the Year Award. Along with making Radio Ink’s Most Influential Women List for 23 straight years, the American Advertising Federation gave her the Silver Medal Award recognizing her work as an outstanding advertising professional in Florida. In addition, she has received the prestigious Florida Broadcaster of the Year Award. 

“Linda has built and grown iHeartMedia in the Florida region for more than four decades, and we’re grateful for her many years of strong leadership and teambuilding,” said Bob Pittman, CEO and Chairman of iHeartMedia. “She has also been a good friend and advisor—and as she embarks on this new chapter and gives up her operating responsibilities, we are fortunate that she’ll continue on with us as an important and valued advisor.” 

“Every company would benefit from having more Linda’s on their team,” said Greg Ashlock, CEO of iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group. “Linda has made a career of investing in people: From mentoring and developing to challenging, collaborating, and ultimately empowering. She is intelligent, invested, decisive and uncompromisingly authentic. We are better as a company because of her contributions.”

“It’s hard even to say the word retire,” said Byrd. “I have had the most fantastic career working in an industry that I absolutely love. I’ve never even thought about doing anything else. And I am so fortunate to have been on this iHeart train, and previous companies, for the last 40 years. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am thankful and excited to have the opportunity to transition into an advisory role for the next stage of my life. And I’m truly appreciative of the support and partnership I have had for so many years with Bob, Rich, Greg and Hartley. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to learn from and work with.”

iHeartMedia is the leading media outlet in Florida with multiple platforms, including its broadcast stations; live events; data; and its digital businesses and platforms, including mobile, social and its own iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s free all-in-one digital music, podcasting and live streaming radio service – with 3 billion app downloads and more than 150 million registered users.

The new college sports slate in collaboration with iHeartMedia kicks off today with the weekly podcast “Walkie TalkieZ”

Listen to “WalkieTalkieZ” now, HERE

LOS ANGELES – April 13, 2022 – The newly launched College Athletes Network (CAN), founded by Ron Pivo and Brett Martzke, today announced it has teamed up with iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, to launch a new college sports centered podcast slate hosted by the athletes themselves. Listeners will hear directly from the athletes and their guests on what life is like in the world of big-time college sports and share unique insights that will take listeners behind the curtain at a variety of schools. For the first time ever, college athletes can profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), this now allows them the freedom to become podcast hosts and earn income. There are thousands of college athletes competing at every level who all have a story to tell and the College Athletes Network together with iHeartMedia will provide the platform to help them share those experiences. The College Athletes Network will launch a new athlete’s podcast each month and will be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network.

“By teaming up with iHeart, the College Athletes Network is able to provide these athletes with even more opportunity to expand their audience and increase their access to advertisers,” said Pivo. “I'm excited to introduce new voices in a variety of sports. These kids are very talented behind the mic and it's time people got a chance to hear them.”

Martzke is equally excited about the prospects, "Ron is an incredible idea guy, when he brought this to me it was 100% a no brainer. I love college sports and I think this network will help feed the passion that all college sports fans share. The stories you will hear will tug on all your emotions. The daily grind of the athletes, dealing with crazed fans and the recruiting circus they go through will really give listeners a whole new perspective of today's college athlete.”

The first show, “WalkieTalkieZ,” will debut today and is hosted by Noah Buono, a walk-on basketball player at Duquesne University. Buono has been a walk-on for two different Division One programs and his podcast will discuss walk-ons from a variety of major sports programs across the country. Nothing is off the table in these conversations, including what really happens behind the scenes that the media never hears about. Buono is not new to podcasting, he's been honing his craft for the past two years and is now ready to share his work. New episodes will post weekly beginning today on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard.

"After five incredible years of being a college basketball walk-on, I can confidently tell you that every walk-on has their own inspiring journey to tell,” said Buono. “I'm super grateful and excited that ‘WalkieTalkieZ’ now has a national platform to help share these incredible stories and I look forward to the continued growth of this podcast through the College Athletes Network and its collaboration with iHeartMedia to reach massive audiences."

In the first episode, Noah will interview a walk-on from the University of Wisconsin basketball program, who was on the team when they beat (38-0) Kentucky in the 2015 Final Four. This walk-on also has a quite a story to tell about going through a coaching change mid-season when Bo Ryan suddenly decided to retire.

Future podcasts launching this year include:

May 12 – “PlayBooked,” hosted by Chloe V. Mitchell. A podcast focused on the world of NIL. Chloe has close to three million followers on social media and back in the Summer of 2020 became the first college athlete to make money off of her name, image and likeness. She will interview fellow college athletes as they go over strategies to navigate the NIL marketplace including which companies are best to work with; how to reach out; what to say on social media; and of course, how to keep the money coming in with new deals.

June 9 – “The Birdie Bunch,” hosted by Kennedy Swann. A podcast focused on Swann's college golf journey and bridging to her attempt to make it on the LPGA Tour. Swann recently won a National Title at Ole Miss in 2021, but before that she became the first ever college athlete to enter the transfer portal. She will focus on what it takes to get recruited; dealing with a coaching change; the differences between college and junior golf; and the pros and cons of the daily grind once you turn professional.

July 2022 – “Out of Bounds,” hosted by Mackenzie and Mason Forbes. This brother and sister combo are basketball players at Harvard. They come from a basketball rich family, both their grandfather and father played for the Harlem Globetrotters. Their podcast will focus on life inside the arena and the social issues that many college athletes face on campuses across the nation.

August 2022 – “Beyond the Megaphone with Cassidy and Nathan,” hosted byCassidy Cerny and Nathan Paris. This University of Indiana cheerleading duo became insta famous during March Madness when Paris lifted Cerny up on his shoulders and Cerny knocked loose a stuck ball at the top of the backboard. While that was a great moment, these two have a lot to share about the world of cheerleading for a major program. Their podcast will focus on the behind-the-scenes performance preparation; differences between college cheerleading and competitive cheer; what cheerleaders are really talking about as the game is going on; and of course, some incredible road trip stories.

September 2022 – “Betting on Yourself,” hosted by Terry Wilson. Wilson has seen it all when it comes to playing big time college football. He played quarterback at four schools in six years. His podcast will focus on this unbelievable journey that saw him lose a battle to Justin Herbert at Oregon; a stopover in the middle of nowhere Kansas to play Juco ball and become a Netflix villain; playing hero for an SEC school; suffering a major injury and fighting back; and now the buildup to the biggest moment in his life, the NFL Draft.

October 2022 – “ The Frugal Athlete,” hosted by Amobi Okugu. Okugu is a former UCLA soccer player who was named the PAC 10 Freshmen of the Year before getting drafted into Major League Soccer. He played nine years of professional soccer before retiring. This podcast will provide an insider’s look into the financial playbooks of athletes, give insight to what it means to be a frugal athlete and discuss topics with guests that focus on sports business.

The entire slate of podcasts will be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network and will be available on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard. For more information on the The College Athletes Network, visit www.thecollegeathletesnetwork.com.

About College Athletes Network

The College Athletes Network was co-founded by Ron Pivo and Brett Martzke. Pivo is a 30-year veteran in the sports broadcasting industry having worked most recently at KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon and as well as a fill-in anchor at KNBC in Los Angeles. Martzke has over 25 years of experience in sports broadcasting, working as a producer for the Golf Channel, CNN/Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports and NBC Sports. Together they will deliver content that will entertain and inform college sports fans, and to give enterprising college athletes an avenue to increase visibility for their own platform. Podcasts across The College Athletes Network are distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network.

iHeart Will Create Unique IP and Content from Both Popular and Emerging NFT Collections That Will Give NFTs Narratives and Personalities -- The First Time NFTs From Different Projects Will Be United Under One Media Universe 

Innovative Approach to Audio Content Creation Marks Another Step in iHeart’s Commitment To Bringing Web3 To The Mass Market

New York, NY – April 12, 2022 – iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America, announced today a groundbreaking step in advancing awareness of, and demand for, Web3 products and platforms by its mass market consumer audience:  The creation of the Non-Fun Squad, a first-of-its-kind non fungible token (NFT)-based media franchise and shared media universe comprised of characters united across existing prominent PFP (profile picture) NFT collections. Phase one of the Non-Fun Squad universe will be the launch of the Non-Fun Podcast Network, a podcast slate centered around the content, characters and worlds from the Non-Fun Squad.

The IP universe and podcast slate will be created around iHeart-owned NFTs from both prominent NFT collections, including CryptoPunk #2821, Mutant Ape #10144, World of Women #7147 and #7730, as well as from emerging NFT projects, including CrypToadz #5947, Loot (for Adventurers) Bag #2020, and Quirkies #307 and #1988, dramatically extending the boundaries of innovation for audio content creation. iHeartMedia is partnering with federally regulated institutional crypto platform, Anchorage Digital, as a trusted custody solution as iHeart continues to build in Web3.

This marks the first time that individual NFT characters will be united across products and given their own stories, narratives and personalities that will drive their interactions, creating a completely unique experience in the NFT, media and audio spaces.

“There is no real precedent for this,” said Khalil Tawil, EVP and Head of Strategy for iHeartMedia. “Web3 innovations offer an entirely new IP paradigm allowing us to combine the characters from different universes and projects without running into IP rights issues.  These podcasts will be hosted by voices that portray the various NFT characters, and we are only acquiring NFTs that allow us to freely bring to life iHeart-owned NFTs in ways that work for podcasts.”

“As the leader in consumer audio, iHeart is committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation in audio content creation, and with this initiative we’re extending our Web3 and Metaverse strategy by building new experiences to entertain audiences across new and emerging platforms -- and giving our audiences compelling characters, stories and personalities that they’ll connect with,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group.   “We are the first company to use our expertise in podcasting, content production, live music and events to bring these characters to life -- and with our 90% reach of Americans every month, we are the only company able to promote and activate this innovative concept at scale and bring it to the mass market.”

“In addition to using our unparalleled reach and connection to our communities to extend Web3 brands and platforms to the mass market, by creating new opportunities for NFTs we’re able to show our belief in, and support for, the creators, community members and artists in the Web3 space, and explore how NFTs, art and content interact together in the Metaverse in 2022 and beyond,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. “These NFTs and podcast slate are just the beginning for iHeart’s exploration of Web3 and the Metaverse, and we are excited to be part of this cultural moment.

About Anchorage Digital

Anchorage Digital is a regulated platform that provides institutions simple and secure participation in digital assets, all integrated with custody. As the first federally chartered crypto bank, Anchorage offers the most advanced digital asset platform for institutions and is setting a new standard for security and usability. With secure custody at its core, Anchorage delivers financial solutions for today and tomorrow. Learn more at anchorage.com and @Anchorage.

“Exploring The Brand Benefits of Trust and Companionship in Audio” study findings underscore rich opportunity for advertisers in audio environments 

NEW YORK – April 11, 2022 –iHeartMedia [NASDAQ: IHRT], the #1 audio company in the United States, and PMX, the investment arm of Publicis Media, unveiled today the results of a study focused on the rapidly growing community of audio influencers. The study, “Exploring The Brand Benefits of Trust and Companionship in Audio” found that consumers perceive radio and podcast personalities as highly relatable, trustworthy and authentic. These findings present rich opportunity for advertisers to build brand affinity and favorability, and drive purchase in audio environments. 

The new study, conducted by Magid, combines quantitative and qualitative methods to highlight the role that different audio channels play in the lives of audiences when it comes to trust and companionship. According to the research, radio hosts rank high when it comes to their perceived authenticity and connections to the communities they serve. Podcast hosts are perceived as highly honest and trustworthy. 

“With the resiliency of radio and recent explosion of the podcasting space, audio influencers have emerged as a new avenue for advertisers to continue to connect with audiences in authentic ways.” said Chris Yarusso, National Audio Practice Lead, PMX. “Our research confirms that radio and podcast hosts are perceived as some of the most trustworthy, essential, and relatable personalities in the media ecosystem.  With the diversity and variety of radio and podcast content in the marketplace, there is an enormous strategic opportunity for brands to connect with highly engaged consumers across this evolving influencer marketplace.”

The study proves promising for advertisers. Fifty-five percent of participants said they listen to commercials more often on radio and in podcasts than through any other medium. In addition, 53 percent found radio and podcast advertisements to be more relevant than on any other medium and 51 percent said they are more trusting of radio and podcast advertisers than on any other medium. When comparing radio versus streaming music services in nine consumer categories including restaurants, retail, automobiles and more, consumers who purchased a product were more likely to buy from an audio advertisement in every single category. 

“This research highlights what we call the ‘trust halo,’ the unique relationship and trust that audio listeners form with their favorite hosts, personalities and programs,” said Gayle Troberman, CMO of iHeartMedia. “Marketers benefit from this trust halo, as this connection extends into advertising, product recommendations, and the radio and podcast communities at large. Listeners feel an unmatched sense of companionship and learn more about the world and about themselves.”

Other key data takeaways from the study include:

·      Radio listeners are 129 percent more likely than listeners of other audio platforms to say they listen “to be entertained;” 

·      Podcast listeners are 158 percent more likely than listeners of other audio platforms to say they listen “to immerse myself;” 

·      Radio hosts are seen as some of the most relatable and trusted influencers, when compared to other vertical such as TV and social  

·      67 percent of podcast listeners and 74 percent of heavy podcast listeners (defined as the top 25 percent of hours listened per week) say that podcasts “motivate and inspire me;”

·      71 percent of podcast listeners and 79 percent of heavy podcast listeners say that podcasts “educate/teach me something new;”

The research also included a study in which audio listeners were asked to give up radio and podcasts for three days. Participants reported feeling “lonely,” “disconnected,” and “more overwhelmed doing simple tasks.” One radio listener said it “felt like I was being excluded from a conversation.” 

"Radio personalities are the original influencers. We found they've retained that status over time and are now joined by podcast hosts as major influencers in media today. And the data suggests that benefits advertisers in terms of the impact of their campaigns," said Mike Bloxham, Executive Vice President, Global Media and Entertainment, Magid.