Radio & Podcast News – The Decibel, Let’s Make A Rom-Com among Ambies nominees

The Podcast Academy has announced nominees for The Ambies, their fourth annual celebration of podcast excellence. Canadian-produced podcasts nominated across 27 categories include Let’s Make a Rom-Com and Supreme: The Battle for Roe, both produced by Vancouver’s Kelly&Kelly. The Globe and Mail’s The Decibel is up for Best News Podcast, while Malcolm Gladwell earned a nod for Best Host for Revisionist History.

Signal Hill Insights and Cumulus Podcast Network have released findings from their fall Podcast Download report. Undertaken last October, among its insights are that 19% of weekly podcast consumers discover podcasts on YouTube, more than all the other social media platforms combined; those who prefer the video component in the background are more likely to be heavy podcast consumers; and that podcast consumers prefer host-voiced ads vs. pre-produced ads, especially Podcast Pioneers (those who started listening 4+ years ago).

The Podcast Power-Up Summit: Emerging Voices and Industry Innovators will open this year’s Radiodays North America conference, on Sunday, June 2, bringing podcasters together to exchange ideas, gain insights, and forge meaningful connections. Among the sessions slated for the inaugural summit are: Eric Nuzum of Magnificent Noise on “Why Podcasts Fail”; Laura Mayer, Executive Producer of Podcast Programming at ABC News and host of the Shameless Acquisition Target podcast on “How to Seize Opportunity: Podcasts, Commerce, and Corporate Embarrassment”; Kristi Lee, host of Canadian True Crime, on “Getting your Indie Podcast Signed”; and AJ Feliciano, VP of The Roost Podcast Network, on how to make video work for your podcast. Read more here.

PodCamp Toronto is moving to George Brown College’s School of Media and Performing Arts for its 16th annual event, Feb. 23-25. The schedule for this year’s digital “unconference” ranges from sessions on the impact of video content on podcasting to the Canadian podcast ecosystem and the battle between AI and big tech.

PodSummit YYC 2024 is set to take place at The Grand theatre in Calgary, Sept. 20-21. The networking and learning event is helmed by Tim Truax, who has hosted The Nerd Room podcast since 2015. Among the Summit’s advisors are Jeff Humphreys, CEO of Shortline Creative and host of the The Calgary Sessions podcast and Meg Wilcox, Mount Royal University Journalism and Digital Media professor and co-director of the Community Podcast Initiative. 

Triton Digital has released the latest Canada Podcast Ranker for the January 2024 reporting period with 11.2M average weekly downloads. The top ranked podcast debuts included Dr. Death (Wondery Network) and The Dose (CBC/Radio-Canada) as well as French-language debuts Mathieu Bock-Côté (QUB) and Dérives (Radio Canada).

Curiouscast is set to premiere the sixth season of Crime Beat on Wednesday, Feb. 27, with new episodes dropping bi-weekly. This season, host and crime reporter Nancy Hixt looks at some of the most serious cases she’s covered in her last 30 years as a journalist. The RTDNA and Edward R. Murrow award-winning podcast, is now also in its fifth season airing as a television adaptation on Global. 

SiriusXM Canada and the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) have unveiled the semi-finalists for this year’s SiriusXM Top of the Country competition. The top eight will soon hit the studio, recording original tracks to share with Canadian country music fans, who will then vote on their favourite before the group is narrowed down to the final three, who will vie for a $25,000 grand prize. Representing five provinces across Canada, the 2024 semi-finalists are: Robert Adam – Bonnyville, AB; Alexa Goldie – Kingston, ON; Parker Graye – Orillia, ON; Zach McPhee – Vernon, BC; Tony Stevens – Surrey, BC; Trudy – Montreal, Que.; Mariya Stokes – Stavely, AB; and Jade Turner – Misipawistik Cree Nation, MB.

LISTEN: With radio’s viability in question as of late, we welcome Trey Morris of the Center for Sales Strategy (CSS) to Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about the latest CSS Media Sales Report. Among other hot button issues we tackle are striking the right hybrid work balance, selling in what’s agreed is the hardest-ever climate to get that first appointment, and we discuss making radio cool again. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

LISTEN: Toronto broadcast veteran Maie Pauts is on the latest Sound Off Podcast. The 2023 Rosalie Award winner reflects on her run at the legendary CFNY from 1986-2001 and her current role hosting middays on Stingray’s boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM), playing hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.