podcasts

New Statistics Reveal that More Americans are Listening to Podcasts Focused on Business, Finance, Entertainment and their Go-To iHeartRadio Radio Personalities and iHeartPodcast Network Shows 

NEW YORK – March 31, 2020 – iHeartMedia today announced new statistics that provide insight into how Americans are consuming a vast array of podcasts as they stay home and practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to seeing increased podcast listenership, especially in markets with stay-at-home orders, Americans are specifically turning to podcasts covering business, finance, education and entertainment, including shows from several leading iHeartRadio personalities - versus true crime podcast listening, which has seen a slight decline.

In addition, as news consumption grows across podcasting, the iHeartPodcast Network’s recently launched “Daily Coronavirus Update” has become one of iHeartRadio’s most listened to podcasts. The daily show hosted by Oscar Ramirez from the “Daily Dive” podcast provides stories on what to know about COVID-19 and how health and government officials are acting to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Across its more than 350 podcasts, listenership for the iHeartPodcast Network is up six percent month- over-month (month to date) as more Americans began staying at home.  That number is even higher in markets where governors announced shelter-in-place orders, with listening up 13 percent in California and eight percent in New York state in just one week.

During a time of economic uncertainty, Americans are listening to more business and finance podcasts – for which downloads and streams are up 78 percent week-over-week among the iHeartRadio Original podcasts. Listeners are also turning to music, entertainment and comedy during this time, where iHeartPodcasts have shown an increase in listening as well. In addition, listeners are staying connected with the personalities and shows they know and trust, finding human connection and conversation in the on-demand podcasts from iHeartMedia’s leading radio personalities like Elvis Duran and The Breakfast Club, all now seeing a growth in listens -- with Top 5 on-demand shows being up 9 percent month to date. Listenership of the iHeartPodcast Network’s leading educational podcasts, like “Stuff You Should Know” and “Stuff You Missed in History Class,” is also showing big growth: These popular “Stuff” podcasts are up 21 percent week-over-week. Interestingly, the true crime genre, one of the longstanding dominant genres in podcasting, is now flattening and even showing a slight decline month to date, as listeners seem to be moving away from these shows during these uncertain and stressful times.

“Broadcast radio has long served as a trusted voice in local communities during times of crisis and uncertainty, and now podcasts are also playing an integral role as a much-needed companion for millions of Americans,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “During this pandemic, we’re actually seeing listener interest shift on our iHeartPodcast network to genres like business, entertainment, education and news, and the seemingly unstoppable true crime format is seeing a slight dip at the moment as we move through this new, challenging territory together as a country.”

The iHeartPodcast Network is home to more than 750 original podcasts with 170 million downloads each month. iHeartRadio Original Podcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between – making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. iHeartRadio is home to one of the most successful podcasts of all time, “Stuff You Should Know,” and creator of hits like “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “Disgraceland” and the “Atlanta Monster” series as well as fosters over a hundred shows from its on-air talent like the popular “Bobbycast” and “The Breakfast Club” radio show podcasts. These shows are distributed on all major podcast platforms, including the iHeartRadio app, which additionally distributes more than 320,000 shows.

The Scrubs co-stars share behind-the-scene stories about the beloved TV show, its lasting cultural impact and their own friendship in new comedic re-watch podcast debuting today on the iHeartPodcast Network

NEW YORK – March 31, 2020 – iHeartRadio, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, announced today the launch of “Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald” a weekly comedy Scrubs re-watch podcast hosted by Scrubs co-stars and real-life best friends Zach Braff and Donald Faison. Episode one of the new podcast is available now on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard. New episodes of “Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald” will post Tuesdays each week.

“We’re beyond excited to bring ‘Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald’ to the iHeartPodcast Network and to have two of the funniest friends out there take a nostalgic look back into a show that so many people love,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “Scrubs meant so much to its fans over its nine-season run, and Zach and Donald are allowing us to bring it all back to life with this podcast. Listening to the podcast feels like hanging out with old friends — something everyone needs, especially right now.”

Each week, Braff and Faison will discuss an episode of Scrubs, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and reminiscing on some of their favorite memories from filming. They’ll also connect with Scrubs super fans and feature beloved show cast members for exclusive interviews. Created by Bill Lawrence, Scrubs was set at a fictional teaching hospital called Sacred Heart Hospital and followed intern John "J.D." Dorian as he learned the ways of medicine, friendship, and life. The main cast included Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins, John C. McGinley, and Judy Reyes. The critically acclaimed show ran for nine years from 2001-2010 on NBC with the final season on ABC. During its run, it earned numerous awards and 17 Emmy Nominations including “Outstanding Comedy Series. The show was known for its profound use of music – from the theme song to its musical episode (season 6) – and the podcast will feature a theme song with music created by Charlie Puth and lyrics written and performed by Braff and Faison themselves.

“Donald and I are thrilled to be teaming with iHeartRadio to produce ‘Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald,’” said Braff. “The idea of gathering our fans all around the world together and revisiting the series episode by episode sounds like so much fun to us. Each week we’ll tell behind the scenes stories, share experiences from our friendship and have lots of special guests. We’ll also be taking live fan questions over the phone. We can’t wait to laugh with our Scrubs family.”

“I am really excited about this. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I can’t wait to talk you all about such an important and amazing time in our lives. Get ready and tune in,” said Faison.

“Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald” premieres today on the iHeartPodcast Network which is home to more than 750 original podcasts with more than 170 million downloads each month. iHeartRadio Original Podcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between – making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. The platform is also home to the most successful podcast of all time, “Stuff You Should Know” and creator of hits like “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “Disgraceland” and the “Atlanta Monster” series as well as fosters over a hundred shows from its on-air talent like the popular “Bobbycast” and “The Breakfast Club” radio show podcasts. These shows are distributed on all major podcast platforms including the iHeartRadio app, which additionally distributes more than 320,000 shows.

Fans can go to iHeart.com/apps to download and listen to “Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald” on all their favorite devices — including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions, gaming consoles and more.

WHAT: UCP, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios, has inked a multiyear first-look deal with iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher, to have a first right at adapting iHeartRadio Original podcasts for television. As part of the deal, the studio’s new podcast platform, UCP Audio, will also have the option to develop and co-produce original podcast series with the iHeartPodcast Network. 

iHeartRadio joins UCP’s roster of first-look deals, which include recently announced deals with Gary Dauberman, as well as John Carpenter, Emmy Rossum (“Angelyne”), and Steve Piet and Erik Crary, among others. UCP also has overall deals with Sera Gamble (“The Magicians”), Nick Antosca (“The Act,” “Brand New Cherry Flavor”), Sam Esmail (“Mr. Robot,” “Homecoming”) and Patrick Macmanus (“Dr. Death”).

WHO: UCP, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios, is the award-winning studio behind scripted fare including “Dr. Death” (Peacock), “Mr. Robot” (USA Network), “The Umbrella Academy” (Netflix), “The Act” (Hulu), “Homecoming” (Amazon), “Dirty John” (USA Network), “Battlestar Galactica” (Peacock), “The Sinner” (USA Network), “Brand New Cherry Flavor” (Netflix), and “Chucky” (Syfy) to name a few. On the unscripted side, UCP produces “DNA of Murder” (Oxygen) and the upcoming “A Wilderness of Error” (FX). 

Later this year, the studio will unveil their new podcast network, UCP Audio. The new platform’s initial offerings include “The End Up,” a scripted podcast from Sam Esmail’s (“Mr. Robot,” “Homecoming”) Esmail Corp banner and two unscripted podcasts that delve into two gripping true-crime investigations, “House of Prayer” and the untitled TROUBLED TEEN INDUSTRY project.

iHeartMedia’s iHeartPodcast Network is home to more than 750 original podcasts that span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between – making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. 

iHeartMedia has continued to invest heavily in podcasting producing an ongoing slate of new iHeartRadio Original shows like “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “Disgraceland,” “Chelsea Handler: Life will be the Death of Me,” “Noble Blood” and “Committed,” as well as fostering over a hundred shows from its on-air talent like the popular “Bobbycast” and “The Breakfast Club” radio show podcasts. These shows are distributed on all major podcast platforms, including the iHeartRadio app, which additionally distributes more than 280,000 shows.

QUOTES: “UCP was among the first studios to recognize that podcasting was a goldmine of new IP for the TV and film industry,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “What’s really special about this deal is that you have the biggest podcast network, with our team of expert podcast developers and producers who have been working in this medium for over 10 years honing the craft of audio storytelling, partnering with LA’s powerhouse production studio to now create and develop premium TV and film properties out of podcast IP.”    

“Partnering with iHeart to not only adapt some of their enviable and extensive podcast library to television but also expand the production and reach of UCP Audio originals is a giant leap in our platform building strategy,” said Dawn Olmstead, President of UCP. “We look forward to making waves in the podcast space this year and we are very excited to have iHeart joining us on our endeavor.”  

About Universal Content Productions (UCP)

UCP, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios, is a premium content studio that operates with a highly curated indie sensibility, while simultaneously leveraging the power and scale of NBCU. As fierce advocates for creators with an eclectic point of view, the UCP team develops pioneering and award-winning scripted programming with partners such as Amazon (“Homecoming”), Netflix (“The Umbrella Academy,” “Brand New Cherry Flavor”), and Hulu (“The Act”), as well as NBCUniversal’s Peacock (“Dr. Death,” “Brave New World,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Angelyne,” “Punky Brewster”), USA (“Mr. Robot,” “The Sinner,” “The Purge,” “Dirty John,” “Briarpatch,” “Treadstone,” “Dare Me”) and SYFY (“Resident Alien,” “The Magicians”). UCP’s content library also features more than 800 hours of award-winning and critically-acclaimed content, including “Monk,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “Psych.” The studio will be launching UCP Audio in 2020 with original scripted and unscripted podcasts.

After tackling some of 2019’s most complex issues – including the spread of online hate, the dangers of vaping and the #MeToo movement – “Next Question with Katie Couric” returns on the iHeartPodcast Network today.

NEW YORK – January 23, 2020 – Katie Couric Media and iHeartMedia today announced the new season of “Next Question with Katie Couric,” an iHeartRadio Original podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Katie Couric. In its second season, Couric will continue to examine critical issues like America’s staggering maternal mortality rate, the environmental impact of meat consumption, the most cutting-edge health and wellness regimens, and the 2020 presidential election. Season two episodes will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network beginning today and can be heard now on iHeartRadio and everywhere else podcasts are available. New episodes will air every Thursday.

The first episode examines the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and the history of an effort that began in 1923. Now that Virginia has become the 38th state to ratify the ERA, what’s next? Guests include Heidi Schreck, whose critically-acclaimed Broadway show What the Constitution Means to Me brought the 233 year-old document to life. The new episode is available today on iHeartRadio and wherever you find podcasts, and can be streamed here.

Season two will also debut additional bonus episodes called “Next Question Live.” Taped in front of a live audience, Katie hosts intimate conversations with CEOs, entrepreneurs and business trailblazers. Allbirds co-founder and co-CEO Tim Brown kicked off the series by discussing how his career in professional sports inspired him to make sustainable, fashionable shoes. The episode can be streamed here.

In season one of “Next Question”, Couric tackled some the most challenging issues facing the country today, including the impact of violent pornography on today’s youth, the dangers of online radicalization and Facebook’s refusal to monitor political advertising leading up to the 2020 presidential election. Couric also hosted one-on-one interviews with a variety of newsmakers and cultural figures, including Ronan Farrow about the groundbreaking journalism that helped jump-start the #MeToo movement; actress-turned-director Greta Gerwig on remaking a literary classic; Jennifer Garner on her mission to make nutritious food available to all children; and Julie Andrews on her remarkable life and career. The first season garnered 1.5 million downloads, with listeners describing it as relatable, intriguing and informative.

“I’m endlessly curious and my goal is to answer the questions people have about complicated issues and trends,” Couric said. “We are inundated with information on an almost hourly basis. I’m hoping by connecting the dots and providing context and perspective, listeners will feel as if they have a deeper understanding of a whole host of topics after listening to ‘Next Question.’ I’m extremely proud of the conversations we’ve had so far and can’t wait to dig into more fascinating topics this season.”

“We are so lucky to have a journalist with Katie’s experience and wisdom to help listeners navigate the increasingly complicated world we’re living in. The response to ‘Next Question’ has been phenomenal,” President of the iHeartPodcast Network, Conal Bryne said.

iHeartRadio is available on more than 250 platforms and 2,000 different connected devices — including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions and gaming consoles. Listeners can go to iHeart.com/apps to download the iHeartRadio app and listen to “Next Question with Katie Couric” on your favorite device now.

About Katie Couric Media

Katie Couric Media (KCM) is a female driven company that produces a wide array of premium content for various platforms. Beyond “Next Question”, KCM distributes a daily newsletter called “Wake-Up Call” and has produced a variety of digital series, documentaries and scripted projects. The company also partners with mission driven brands that share a passion for addressing critically important social issues.

Created and hosted by "Disgraceland’s" Jake Brennan, Season One follows the life of the legendary artist Jimi Hendrix

Jake Brennan’s "Disgraceland" Named 'Best Music Podcast' at the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards

NEW YORK - January 27, 2020 - Today, Jake Brennan, host of “Disgraceland” in partnership with iHeartRadio, released the first episode of the podcast “27 Club,” a musical, true-crime iHeartRadio Original Podcast that tells the stories of musicians who have joined rock and roll’s most infamous and morbidly exclusive “27 Club.” Over the course of 12 episodes, season one will analyze the life and death of one of the greatest guitarists of all time: Jimi Hendrix. “27 Club” will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network beginning today and can be heard now on iHeartRadio and everywhere else podcasts are available. New episodes will air every Monday.

“27 Club” is hosted and created by Jake Brennan of the explosive music and true crime podcast, “Disgraceland,” and tells the story of famous musicians who all have one thing in common – an untimely death at the age of 27. The podcast explores the lives of legendary artists from Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin to Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and many more – exploring their wild path to their early graves and how they have shaped our culture along the way. Season one kicks off with the in-depth story of American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

“This subject—iconic musicians dying at the age of 27—has always fascinated me,” explains Brennan. “I thought it would make a good prism through which to view the lives and careers of some of our most iconic artists beginning with Jimi Hendrix, who lived a fascinating life filled with highly dramatic events. From his kidnapping to stealing a truck with Neil Young to get to Woodstock on time, to his explosive recordings and performing career all the way to his mysterious death; all of it is fodder for great storytelling.”

Earlier this month, Jake Brennan’s “Disgraceland” won the “Best Music Podcast” award at the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards. Late last year, he released his debut book,Disgraceland: Musicians Getting Away With Murder And Behaving Very Badly, withForbes calling it "a real page-turner" and Exclaim! deeming it one of "The Best Music Books of 2019." Publisher's Weekly said the book, "...is sure to fascinate music fans and true crime lovers.”

Last year, Brennan and his business partner Brady Sadler launched Double Elvis Productions, a new audio-driven media company, alongside the announcement of a slate of four new podcasts coming to the iHeartPodcast Network in 2020. The first of these podcasts, “Dear Young Rocker,” is a first-person, coming of age story about the struggles of young adulthood and the power of music, hosted by Chelsea Ursin and executive produced by Brennan.

Listen to “27 Club” now and follow the podcast on iHeartRadio to be alerted when new episodes are available.

About Jake Brennan

Jake Brennan is the host and creator of the explosive music and true crime podcast Disgraceland and co-owner of the audio-driven media company Double Elvis. Launched in 2018, Disgraceland rocketed to the top of the Apple Podcasts charts and was named to Apple Podcasts coveted “Best Of" 2018 and 2019 year end lists and won “Best Music Podcast” at the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards. Disgraceland has been nominated for two iHeart Podcast awards. In 2019, Jake Brennan published his first book, Disgraceland: Musicians Getting Away with Murder and Behaving Very Badly (Grand Central/Hachette).

Listen to the Official Podcast Trailer Now

NEW YORK –– January 10, 2019 –– Bobbi Brown, beauty industry icon, world-renowned makeup artist, best-selling author and founder and former CEO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and iHeartMedia, the No.1 commercial podcast publisher globally, today announced the launch of “Beyond The Beauty With Bobbi Brown,” a groundbreaking iHeartRadio Original Podcast where Brown enlists top-notch experts across the fields of makeup, wellness, fashion and entrepreneurship—all in search of the real meaning of beauty. “Beyond the Beauty With Bobbi Brown” will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network beginning today and can be heard now on iHeartRadio and everywhere else podcasts are available. New episodes will air every Wednesday.

“Beauty isn’t just about makeup or moisturizer,” says Bobbi. “It’s about how you feel in your skin. What you eat, what you wear, how you treat others, and who you have in your posse affects your overall well-being. Information out there is so saturated, it’s hard to know what is actually right for you.”

From founding a billion-dollar cosmetics brand to becoming a certified health coach and launching a supplemental wellness line, Brown has always pushed the boundaries of what it means to be beautiful. Fueled by Brown’s insatiable curiosity, “Beyond The Beauty With Bobbi Brown” invites listeners into her inner circle to demystify beauty. Guests include masters of their scene, including makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic of Makeup by Mario, fashion photographer Jake Rosenberg of Coveteur and clean beauty pioneer Annie Jackson of Credo Beauty, as well as her closest loved ones for real uncensored talk.

“For me, beauty has never been about perfection,” says Brown. “It’s just about aiming to be the best version of yourself. I’m excited to team up with iHeartRadio to share this simple message with thousands of listeners who are searching for the true meaning of beauty.”

iHeartRadio is available on more than 250 platforms and 2,000 different connected devices — including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions and gaming consoles. Visit iHeart.com/apps to download and listen to “Beyond The Beauty With Bobbi Brown” on iHeartRadio now.

About Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown is a beauty industry titan, world renowned makeup artist, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and serial entrepreneur. As a professional makeup artist, Bobbi created 10 simple lipsticks that evolved into a global beauty empire. She has written nine beauty and wellness books, and has launched Beauty Evolution LLC since leaving  her billion-dollar, eponymously named, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics in October 2016 where Bobbi served as Chief Creative Officer.

Bobbi has returned to her roots as an entrepreneur. Her latest endeavor is EVOLUTION_18, a line of beauty-inspired, wellness products. Another, justBOBBI.com, is a content and commerce platform, driven by Bobbi's insatiable curiosity for all things lifestyle. In addition, she and her husband Steven Plofker, lovingly reimagined The George, a 32-room design inspired, boutique hotel, in Montclair, N.J.

NEW YORK – December 13, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, and Einhorn’s Epic Productions (“EEP”), an entertainment creative house, today announced a partnership to rollout a slate of iHeartRadio Original Podcasts that will feature strong female characters and compelling storytelling designed to appeal to the young adult (YA) audience. The first podcast of this multi-show YA slate will be a scripted teen political thriller called “Daughters of DC,” to be released in the fall of 2020 in advance of the presidential election and distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network.

EEP which is known for creating strong heroic franchise intellectual properties combined with iHeartMedia’s impressive reach and ability to introduce podcasts to new audiences has already proved successful. Previously, the two companies partnered to develop the first-ever young adult scripted podcast “Lethal Lit: A Tig Torres Mystery," which is currently being developed for television by producer Dana Brunetti of Cavalry Media (“House of Cards,” “The Social Network”) and was the only scripted podcast featured on The New York Times’ Five Great Podcasts of 2018 list. The second season of “Lethal Lit” is currently in pre-production. 

“Daughters of DC” takes place in an elite Washington, D.C. school where four friends share their deepest, darkest secrets on a private audio group chat. When the girls, all from diverse and influential political families, are hacked, they’re thrust into a twisted government conspiracy that threatens to expose some of the world’s most powerful people. 

“At EEP, we're all about creating the next generation of heroic, female characters and stories,” said Heather Einhorn, CEO of Einhorn’s Epic Productions. “Given the current political climate, we think the time is right for a smart teen political thriller with diverse and dynamic female leads. Our synergy with iHeartMedia is unique, and we can’t wait to bring more original stories to the audience that fell in love with ‘Lethal Lit.’” The scripted podcast slate will be overseen by Einhorn, CCO Adam Stafaroni and Aroop Sanakkayala for EEP and Head of Podcasting Conal Byrne for iHeartRadio.

“The Einhorn team is one of the strongest creative shops we’ve worked with in podcasting – and their goal is nothing less than building entire universes from scratch – like Marvel and DC have done in the past,” said Conal Byrne, Head of Podcasting at iHeartRadio. “What’s more, Einhorn’s aim is to accomplish this while staying loser-focused on a female young adult demo – with powerful new female heroes at the center of the stories. We think the potential there is massive, the mission is important, and wanted to support it in any way we could.”

About Einhorn’s Epic Productions 

As an entertainment creative house, Einhorn’s Epic Productions builds heroic franchise IP for today’s ever-changing media marketplace. Focusing on underserved fandoms, EEP creates story IP to live in both traditional and non-traditional platforms like film, television, graphic novels, podcasts, immersive experiences, digital content and more.  EEP’s unique collaborative approach, strengthened by their team of fandom experts, creates opportunities for new and unexpected partnerships to successfully launch the next generation of franchise IP.

NEW YORK – December 23, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, announced today the recipients of the three Icon Awards at the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards streaming live Friday, January 17 at 8 p.m. PT via a LiveXLive stream and on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide from the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles. The second annual event will honor the New York Times’ “1619” podcast with the Social Impact Award, NPR’s “Life Kit” podcast with the Innovator Award Presented by Zoom and Tenderfoot TV’s Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright with the Audible Audio Pioneer Award.

The iHeartRadio Podcast Icon Awards pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture.

“We’re thrilled to honor ‘1619,’ ‘Life Kit’ and Tenderfoot TV as this year’s iHeartRadio Podcast Icon winners,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “From history to true crime to everyday guidance, their work is as diverse as it is trailblazing, and they make it easy to understand why podcasts have become a must-listen for millions of people each and every day.”

The New York Times’ “1619” podcast, recipient of the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Social Impact Award, is a five-episode series that is part of a major initiative by the newspaper to observe the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery and reframe the history of the United States by understanding that 1619 was the nation’s true founding. The podcast series is hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, an award-winning journalist who serves as a domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine focusing on racial injustice.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Innovator Award Presented by Zoom winner, NPR’s “Life Kit,” provides listeners with practical information and guidance to help them improve their lives. Launched in December 2018, “Life Kit” is designed for search as it seeks to reach beginners and those with more knowledge on topics that include personal finance, health and wellness, and parenting. The podcast episodes are aggregated in topical playlists for deep dives. “Life Kit” is produced by NPR, which received the first-ever iHeartRadio Podcast Pioneer Award in 2019.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Audible Audio Pioneer Award recipients – director/independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright – paved the way for true crime podcasts. They launched Tenderfoot TV in 2016 with their first podcast, “Up and Vanished,” which showed that an aspiring filmmaker/musician could take an unsolved murder and turn it into a compelling story and hit podcast – with the alleged killer ultimately confessing due to the podcast investigation. The award-winning podcast has received over 330 million downloads and created the blueprint for Tenderfoot TV’s other No. 1 critically acclaimed podcasts, “Atlanta Monster,” “To Live and Die in LA,” “Culpable” and “Sworn.” “To Live and Die in LA,” which received 50 million downloads in 2019, was also named Podcast of the Year by the Associated Press. Since its launch in 2016, Tenderfoot TV has surpassed 500 million downloads as a company, including 185 million downloads in 2019 alone.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will honor the most entertaining and innovative podcasts of 2019 and will span 30 categories, celebrating the incredible talent and wide variety of leaders across the booming podcasting industry. Nominees were announced on November 12 and include podcasts from all creators, distributors and platforms with a panel of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries determining the winners across categories including Music, Comedy, Crime, News, Sports & Recreation, Food, Business & Finance and more. Podcast fans themselves will once again decide the winner of the Best Podcast of the Year award through social voting on Twitter through January 10. Select category winners will be announced during the live show and stream filled with unique celebrations at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles. For a full list of categories, visit iHeartPodcastAwards.com.

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of incredibly successful, nationally recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartCountry Festival, iHeartRadio ALTer Ego and iHeartRadio Wango Tango. Executive producers for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards are John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Conal Byrne for iHeartMedia and Augie Max Vargas.

“The Daily,” “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Stuff You Should Know,” 

“My Favorite Murder,” “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend,” “Revisionist History,” 

“The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “The Dropout,” “The Shrink Next Door” and 

“The Read” Nominated for Best Podcast of the Year 

NEW YORK – November 12, 2019 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, today announced the nominees for the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards on Friday, January 17 at 8 p.m. PT held at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles. Fans across the country will also be able to tune in to the second annual live awards event via a LiveXLive stream and on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide. The event will honor the most entertaining and innovative podcasts of 2019 and will span 30 categories, celebrating the incredible talent and wide variety of leaders across the booming podcasting industry. 

Podcasts nominated for Best Podcast of the Year include “The Daily,” “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Stuff You Should Know,” “My Favorite Murder,” “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend,” “Revisionist History,” “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “The Dropout,” “The Shrink Next Door” and “The Read.” Additional nominees include podcasts from all creators, distributors and platforms with a panel of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries determining the winners across categories including Music, Comedy, Crime, News, Sports & Recreation, Food, Business & Finance and more. Podcast fans themselves will once again decide the winner of the “Best Podcast of the Year” award through social voting on Twitter now through January 10. More information can be found at iHeartPodcastAwards.com.

In addition, the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will present three Icon Awards to pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture. The winners for the 2020 Pioneer Award, Social Impact Award and Innovator Award will be announced at a later date.

Last year’s winners of the inaugural iHeartRadio Podcast Awards included Slate’s “Slow Burn” for Podcast of the Year; “Up and Vanished” for Best Crime Podcast; “The Joe Rogan Experience” for Best Comedy Podcast; Marc Smerling, host of “Crimetown” and “The RFK Tapes,” for Podcast Innovator; “Fantasy Footballers” for Best Sports Podcast; and Dax Shepard and Monica Padman of “Armchair Expert with Dax Shephard” for Breakout Podcast of the Year, among many other categories and winners. The 2019 event featured appearances by award nominees, celebrity presenters and other special guests including Mike Tyson, Dax Shepard, Jillian Michaels, Jana Kramer, Topher Grace, Dr. Drew, Becca Tilley, Scheana Shay, Dean Unglert, Vanessa Grimaldi, Jake Brennan, Charlamagne Tha God, Holly Frey and more. NPR was also honored with the first-ever iHeartRadio Podcast Pioneer Award. 

This year’s category finalists (by alphabetical order) are:

Best Podcast of the Year (Socially Voted Category)

• “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf) 
• “My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark” (Exactly Right) 
• “Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries) 
• “Stuff You Should Know” (iHeartRadio) 
• “The Daily” (The New York Times) 
• “The Dropout” (ABC News) 
• “The Joe Rogan Experience” (Independent) 
• “The Read” (Loud Speakers Network) 
• “The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio) 
• “The Shrink Next Door” (Wondery/Bloomberg) 

Best Comedy Podcast

• “Comedy Bang Bang” (Earwolf & Scott Aukerman)
• “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf)
• “My Dad Wrote A Porno” (Independent) 
• “The 85 South Show” (Independent) 
• “The Joe Rogan Experience” (Independent) 
• “The Read” (Loud Speakers Network) 
• “The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Crime Podcast

• “Crime Junkie” (audiochuck) 
• “Hit Man” (iHeartRadio) 
• “Man In The Window” (L.A. Times/Wondery) 
• “Root of Evil” (TNT & Cadence 13) 
• “The Clearing” (Pineapple Street Media/Gimlet) 
• “The Shrink Next Door” (Wondery/Bloomberg) 
• “White Lies" (NPR) 

Best Music Podcast

• “All Songs Considered” (NPR) 
• “Bobbycast” (iHeartRadio) 
• “Broken Record with Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam” (Pushkin Industries) 
• “DISGRACELAND” (iHeartRadio) 
• “expediTIously with Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris” (PodcastOne) 
• “Song Exploder” (Radiotopia) 
• “Sound Opinions” (WBEZ Chicago) 

Best News Podcast

• “Pod Save The World” (Crooked Media) 
• “Post Reports” (The Washington Post) 
• “The Daily Zeitgeist” (iHeartRadio) 
• “The Daily” (The New York Times) 
• “The Journal” (The Wall Street Journal & Gimlet) 
• “Today, Explained” (Vox) 
• “Up First” (NPR) 

Best Sports & Recreation Podcast

• “30 For 30” (ESPN) 
• “Fantasy Footballers” (Independent) 
• “Knuckleheads” (The Players' Tribune) 
• “Pardon My Take” (Barstool Sports) 
• “Sports Wars” (Wondery) 
• “The Bill Simmons Podcast” (The Ringer) 
• “The Herd w/ Colin Cowherd” (iHeartRadio & FOX Sports Radio) 

Best Overall Host - Male

• Aaron Mahnke (iHeartRadio) 
• Bill Simmons (The Ringer) 
• Glynn Washington (WNYC) 
• Jonathan Van Ness (Earwolf / Stitcher) 
• Malcolm Gladwell (Pushkin Industries) 
• Marc Maron (Independent) 
• Roman Mars (Radiotopia) 

Best Overall Host - Female

• Amanda Seales (Starburns Audio)
• Anna Sale (WNYC) 
• Holly Frey (iHeartRadio) 
• Jenna Wortham (The New York Times) 
• Kelly McEvers (NPR) 
• Nora McInerny (American Public Media) 
• Rachel Maddow (MSNBC) 

 Best Business & Finance Podcast

• “Business Wars” (Wondery) 
• “How I Built This with Guy Raz” (NPR) 
• “Marketplace” (American Public Media) 
• “The Chris Hogan Show” (Ramsey Network) 
• “The Indicator from Planet Money” (NPR) 

Best Pop Culture Podcast

• “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast” (iHeartRadio) 
• “Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe” (PodcastOne) 
• “Pop Culture Happy Hour” (NPR) 
• “Talk Is Jericho” (Westwood One) 
• “The Breakfast Club” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Food Podcast

• “Doughboys” (HeadGum/Doughboys Media) 
• “Gastropod” (Independent) 
• “The Splendid Table” (American Public Media) 
• “The Dave Chang Show” (The Ringer & Majordomo Media) 
• “The Sporkful” (Dan Pashman & Stitcher) 

 Best Wellness & Fitness Podcast

• “Happier with Gretchen Rubin” (Gretchen Rubin/The Onward Project) 
• “Last Day” (Lemonada Media) 
• “Life Kit” (NPR) 
• “Therapy For Black Girls” (Independent) 
• “Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel” (Esther Perel Global Media/Gimlet) 

Best History Podcast

• “1619” (The New York Times) 
• “Lore” (Independent) 
• “Mobituaries with Mo Rocca” (CBS) 
• “Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries) 
• “Stuff You Missed In History Class” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Kids & Family Podcast

• “#MOMTRUTHS with Cat & Nat” (Independent) 
• “Brains On!” (American Public Media) 
• “Story Pirates” (Gimlet) 
• “The Longest Shortest Time” (Stitcher) 
• “Wow In The World” (NPR)

Best Fiction Podcast

• “Blackout” (Endeavor Audio & QCODE) 
• “Carrier” (QCODE) 
• “Limetown” (Two-Up) 
• “Passenger List” (Radiotopia) 
• “Welcome To Night Vale” (Night Vale Presents) 

 Best Science Podcast

• “Hidden Brain” (NPR) 
• “Invisibilia” (NPR) 
• “Science Vs” (Gimlet) 
• “StarTalk Radio” (Independent) 
• “Stuff To Blow Your Mind” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Technology Podcast

• “TechStuff” (iHeartRadio) 
• “This Week In Tech” (Independent) 
• “Reply All” (Gimlet) 
• “Recode Decode” (Recode) 
• “Vergecast” (The Verge) 

Best Ad Read 

• “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” (Armchair Umbrella) 
• “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf)
• “Pod Save America” (Crooked Media) 
• “Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries) 
• “The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio) 

Best Political Podcast

• “Intercepted” (The Intercept) 
• “NPR Politics” (NPR) 
• “Pod Save The People” (Crooked Media) 
• “Political Gabfest” (Slate) 
• “The Ben Shapiro Show” (The Daily Wire) 

Best TV & Film Podcast

• “Binge Mode” (The Ringer) 
• “How Did This Get Made?” (Earwolf) 
• “Rewatchables” (The Ringer & Bill Simmons) 
• “Straight Up with Stassi” (Radio.com) 
• “The Bechdel Cast” (iHeartRadio)

 Best Spanish Language Podcast

• “El Cine De LoQueYoTeDiga” (LoQueYoTeDiga) 
• “El Show de Piolín” (Eduardo “Piolín” Sotelo | reVolver Podcasts) 
• “Nadie Sabe Nada” (Cadena SER) 
• “Radio Ambulante” (NPR) 
• “TED en Español” (TED) 

Best Advice/Inspirational Podcast

• “Call Her Daddy” (Barstool Sports) 
• “Dear Prudence” (Slate) 
• “Death, Sex & Money” (WNYC)
• “Life Kit” (NPR) 
• “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations” (OWN) 
• “Terrible, Thanks For Asking” (American Public Media) 
• “Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer” (HeadGum) 

Best Beauty & Fashion Podcast

• “Dressed: The History of Fashion” (iHeartRadio) 
• “Fat Mascara (At Will Media) 
• “Forever35” (Independent) 
• “Naked Beauty” (Independent) 
• “The Cut On Tuesdays” (Gimlet) 

 Best Travel Podcast

• “On She Goes” (Independent) 
• “Overheard at National Geographic” (National Geographic) 
• “She Explores” (She Explores) 
• “The Wild” (KUOW) 
• “Travel with Rick Steves” (Independent) 

Best Spirituality & Religion Podcast

• “A Little Juju Podcast” (Independent) 
• “Almost 30” (Independent) 
• “Elevation with Steven Furtick” (Elevation Church) 
• “On Being with Krista Tippett” (On Being Studios) 
• “The Joel Osteen Podcast” (Independent) 

Best Green Podcast

• “Climate One” (The Commonwealth Club) 
• “Drilled” (Critical Frequency) 
• “Sustainability Defined” (Independent) 
• “Terrestrial” (KUOW News and Information) 
• “Warm Regards” (Independent) 

Best Branded Podcast

• “Camp Monsters” (REI Co-Op) 
• “Going Through It” (MailChimp) 
• “NBC’s Songland” (NBC) 
• “Spit” (23&Me) 
• “Trained” (Nike) 

The 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of incredibly successful, nationally recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartCountry Festival, iHeartRadio ALTer Ego and iHeartRadio Wango Tango. 

Select category winners will be announced during the live show and stream filled with unique celebrations at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles. For more information visit iHeartPodcastAwards.com.

Executive producers for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards are John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Conal Byrne for iHeartMedia and Augie Max Vargas. 

A daily podcast co-produced by iHeartRadio and BuzzFeed that breakdowns the impeachment process in a way listeners can actually understand

Available now on iHeartRadio 

New York, NY - October 24, 2019 -iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, and BuzzFeed News, the leading news publisher of its generation, today announced “Impeachment Today,” a new daily podcast covering the Trump impeachment process.  “Impeachment Today” will be co-produced by iHeartMedia and BuzzFeed News and will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network beginning today. 

Hosted by BuzzFeed News’ Senior Reporter Hayes Brown - a frequent guest on NPR and MSNBC, and host of the show “That Literally Happened” on Facebook Watch - “Impeachment Today” is a digestible, 10- to 15-minute news breakdown of the day’s impeachment process, debuting each morning and helping listeners make sense of the all-consuming political and legal saga that will captivate U.S. politics in the months to come. Hayes Brown will do what he does best: cut through the noise to tell you what actually matters. With a rotating cast of experts, including BuzzFeed News’ reporters covering the story, the show will catch you up on the wildest news of the last 24 hours, tee up what to watch for in the day ahead, and will tackle one character or thread of this very complex story each day.

"Part of what sets BuzzFeed News apart is this newsroom's obsession with understanding what our audience wants. As we approach the one-month anniversary of the impeachment inquiry, it is clear that our audience craves a reliable and accessible way to stay up to date on this complex and fast-moving story, from the serious to the silly. A short daily podcast is an ideal vehicle for that, and we are delighted to have Hayes, with his deep expertise, enthusiasm, and empathy, to anchor it,” said Samantha Henig, Executive Editor of BuzzFeed News.

“The current climate of fast changing news cycles often makes it difficult to keep up with complex topics like the Trump impeachment proceedings,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “Podcasting is an ideal medium to dissect this news coverage and make it available to listeners in a way that is quick and easy to digest while on the go, and Buzzfeed is the perfect partner to breakdown this crucial information for listeners in an appealing daily podcast format.”  

In addition to being available on iHeartRadio and all digital podcast platforms, “Impeachment Today” will also be promoted on iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations, which reach more than a quarter of a billion monthly listeners, as well as via iHeartRadio’s social media channels, exposing the show to millions of podcast listeners across the country.

Started in 2012, BuzzFeed News has grown from a small social news upstart into a world class, international news organization featuring original reporting and programming. With 200 reporters and editors across 6 continents, BuzzFeed News covers what people care about, breaks big stories that hold major institutions accountable, and reveals injustices that change people’s lives -- from publishing the explosive Trump dossier and unmasking the key players at the center of the Ukraine controversy, to texting with presidential candidates. BuzzFeed News has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in two of the last three years.

iHeartMedia has continued to invest heavily in podcasting, from acquiring HowStuffWorks in 2018 to producing an ongoing slate of new iHeartRadio Original shows like “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “Disgraceland,” “Chelsea Handler: Life will be the Death of Me,” “Noble Blood” and “Committed,” as well as fostering over a hundred shows from its on-air talent like the popular “Bobbycast” and “The Breakfast Club” radio show podcasts. These shows are distributed on all major podcast platforms, including the iHeartRadio app, which additionally distributes more than 280,000 shows.

Visit iHeart.com/apps to download and listen to “Impeachment Today” on iHeartRadio now.

About BuzzFeed News

Since 2012, BuzzFeed News has grown from a social news upstart into an world-class news organization with original reporting and programming with multiple Pulitzer nominations. BuzzFeed News today has more than 200 reporters, editors, and producers worldwide across New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC., San Francisco, London, Berlin, Toronto, São Paulo, Sydney, Tokyo, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, Brussels, Mexico City, Mumbai, Delhi, Dakar, and Nairobi. BuzzFeed News averages roughly 50 million unique visitors a month, and more than 60% of its audience is in the coveted 18 to 34 age demographic.