Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn” or the “Company”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, today announced that it was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie Award in the product innovation category in The 21st Annual American Business Awards.
The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. Libsyn was recognized for Achievement in the Product Innovation category for its evolution from a podcasting pioneer with the best hosting solutions to a one-stop destination for all podcasting services and a leading podcast advertising marketplace – achieved through investments in product innovation and expanded partnerships.
Libsyn has established itself as the premier, all-encompassing platform for creators and advertisers alike by executing on its platform strategy and robust product roadmap. The company is delivering on its mission to unlock the creative potential of the full spectrum of creators – from independents to established creators – and enable more advertisers to access highly sought-after podcast advertising inventory to reach an engaged podcast audience via its AdvertiseCast marketplace.
“We’re honored to be recognized as a podcasting industry innovator,” said Libsyn’s CEO, Bradley Tirpak. “Podcasting has reached an inflection point with surging popularity and listenership growth that’s driving increasing advertiser demand. We’ve invested significantly in our platform innovations and that’s enabling use to deliver industry-leading tools and insights for creators, scale our advertising business, and drive international expansion.”
More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Stevie Award winners. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA
The Podcast Show, the biggest international festival for the business of podcasting, is back for a second year. This one-of-a-kind event is open to industry professionals, independent podcast creators, business leaders, emerging talent and fans alike, and will see the podcast community gather at The Business Design Centre in Islington, London. Day and night, thousands of visitors are expected from around the world, with visitors from over 35 countries already represented.
For the first time, a special Preview Night will take place on Tuesday 23rd May, 6pm until 9pm. Ticket-holders will be the first people to enter the Business Design Centre and walk the show floor – they’ll get a sneak preview of the activations and exhibitions ahead of the doors opening to the public the following day, as well as some complementary drinks, music, networking opportunities, and the chance to share the floor with some of the biggest names in the industry.
Nihal Arthanayke, UK radio and TV presenter, will host the evening. Fearne Cotton (Broadcaster and Founder, Happy Place) will present the inaugural International Podcast Trailblazer Award to Ashley Flowers, recognizing the global impact she has made on the podcast industry. Flowers hosts the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie, and is the founder and chief creative officer of audiochuck, one of the top media and podcasting companies in the world, generating over 2 billion downloads with listeners in over 170 countries. Flowers said –
“I’m so grateful to The Podcast Show for this incredible honor. To be recognized for our work at audiochuck at an event that acknowledges the many talented storytellers in our industry means so much to me, and I can’t wait to celebrate with our Crime Junkies in London!”
Following the presentation, Holly Bolt, Global Managing Director, Entertainment at YMU Group will be ‘in conversation’ with Fearne Cotton about her phenomenally successful Happy Place podcast and the wider Happy Place brand which includes the festival, app and books imprint.
The Podcast Show is thrilled to announce the support of an International Industry Advisory Panel, consisting of a group of figureheads from across the global podcast community. They are advising the Show across all aspects of the festival to make sure it’s as meaningful and helpful as possible to the podcast community. The panel includes:
Bernard P Achampong (Founder of Unedited)
Christina Moore (The Podcast Academy founding member)
Donald Albright (President & Co-Founder at Tenderfoot TV)
Jenna Weiss Berman (Executive Vice President of Podcast at Audacy, which bought her company Pineapple Street Studios)
Jennifer Dollard (Acast’s Director of Content for Ireland)
Jez Nelson (EVP, Co-Head of Global Podcasts at Sony Music Entertainment)
Lee Brown (VP, Global Head of Advertising Business & Platform, Spotify)
Megan Bradshaw (Senior Podcast Manager at Amazon Music for UK, Australia and New Zealand)
Oren Rosenbaum (Partner & Head of Audio at UTA)
Ruth Fitzsimons (Former Managing Director at Podfront UK)
As well as Nihal Arthanayake hosting the features moments on the night, he will also moderate a keynote session with members of the Advisory Panel titled, ‘A Glimpse at the Global Market.’
The Business Design Centre is a stone’s throw away from Kings Cross train station and the Eurostar. Passes are on sale now at thepodcastshowlondon.com,
including £65 Preview Night tickets, £69 (Day Passes) and £127 (2 Day Passes), with a limited number of £30 tickets for those aged 30 and under. Produced by AV Media & Events (AVME), a joint venture between SME London and GetOnMedia.
Pledging to support the Equality in Audio Pact, The Podcast Show encourages and nurtures continued opportunities, including supporting gender balance, minority groups including LGBTQIA+ and ethnic diversity among panelists, speakers and those in attendance. For more information about the act, visit equalityinaudiopact.co.uk
Pro Podcast has announced its production partnership with LinkedIn, which will see them oversee the production, strategy, and amplification of their series Take The Lead.
Darcy Milne, head of podcasting, said “it’s a pleasure to take the skills and expertise that has come from producing almost 300 podcast series and apply it to a brand we all know and love.”
The most recent episode features a live episode from the Salesforce World Tour where global leaders came to gather and shared around the theme of “embracing equity.”
The episode features:
Grace Kerrison, Head of Sales Solutions, APAC, LinkedIn
Fiona Low, VP/Group Director of Global Marketing, Worley
Gail Moody-Byrd, Vice President of Marketing, LinkedIn Sales Solutions
Colin Timm SVP & Country Manager at Salesforce
Carrie Smith CMO, Accenture
Sally Mack, Head of Revenue Operations, Safety Culture
Earlier this year, Pro Podcast announced its rebranding effort, the expansion of its team and their exclusive podcaster portal designed to provide a seamless creation experience.
“We are committed to delivering the best podcasting experience to anyone looking to refine their message and attract the right audience,” says Darcy who founded the company in 2016.
LinkedIn is the latest to enlist the support of Pro Podcast and are joined by Xero, Lifeline, SES, Acast, Mediaweek and a range of independent podcasters, including Nova’s Tim Blackwell, Lux Listings Gavin Rubinstein and Logan Paul for Australian Productions.
Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, is pleased to announce updates to its sales team in Australia and New Zealand.
To address the increased and evolving demand of the AUNZ podcast sales market, former Group Sales Leads Kate Digby, Teresa Ly, and Brice Crosswell have been promoted to Group Business Directors. Their teams are responsible for bringing global advertisers to the Acast Marketplace and delivering high-impact, integrated branded content partnerships, utilizing the latest ad-tech and programmatic advertising.
Additionally, Ciaran Tobin has been promoted to Key Account Director, Independent Agencies from his previous role as Senior Account Manager. Ciaran and his future team will service the increased demand Acast is seeing from independent agencies nationally.
“We are so pleased to promote Kate, Teresa, Bryce, and Ciaran to their new roles. They are hands down some of the most knowledgable, creative and hardest workers in podcasting,” said Henrik Isaksson, Managing Director for Acast in Australia and New Zealand. “Acast’s ad techie best in class – and the momentum of our local team is incredible to see. We believe in promoting talent from within and reimagining organizational roles to meet market demand. The promotions in the team will enable us to further expand our offering to podcasters, publishers and advertisers and support wider development as podcast advertisers increase demand for innovative and seamless solutions in our region.”
As Acast continues to grow its share in Australia and New Zealand, the region remains a top priority for the company and its stakeholders. The newly announced positions within the sales team reflect Acast’s ongoing commitment to that growth and to meeting the evolving demands of the market for advertisers and podcasters alike.
Frequency, the next generation of ad management for the audio industry, and Audacy Inc., a leading multi-platform audio content and entertainment company, reveal how technology is fueling Audacy’s dramatic increase in podcast sales productivity. Since using Frequency’s automated workflows, Audacy’s podcast vetting process is now 3x more efficient.
Audacy is driving sales speed and scalability with automation. Having used Frequency’s platform to vet 10K+ requests across ~200 podcasts, the results are in:
Frequency’s unique ad management platform for audio is the necessary infrastructure Audacy needs to conduct individual vetting requests for thousands of advertisers. Audacy can turn around RFP’s quickly, include more pre-vetted shows, and win larger budgets.
“A 3x more efficient vetting process is a huge advantage. We’re responding faster and minimizing human error. Our ad ops team, talent, and agency partners are happier and less frustrated too,” said Danny Kutrick, Senior Director, Podcast Operations & Traffic, Audacy. “Without the typical ad ops pain points, we’re scaling with ease. There’s no doubt that Frequency is an essential platform for audio publishers to improve workflow, save time, and make money.”
“For too long, Podcasting has been held back by the process to get an ad placed, approved, produced, and delivered,” said Pete Jimison, CEO of Frequency. “Audacy has been an amazing partner leading the charge with us to automate all of the manual work, saving their team time to focus on stronger partnerships with talent and sponsors, and opening up new revenue opportunities.”
Audacy and Frequency have been working together since 2019 when Audacy first signed on to use Frequency’s platform. Audacy saw immediate advantages with Frequency’s copy rotation and contextual ad serving tools.
The two companies are excited to unveil additional podcast sales optimization features and integrations later this year.
Companies that want to become more efficient should look to tech to make it happen. Frequency offers audio publishers essential infrastructure to move quickly and accelerate podcast, radio, and streaming sales growth.
Serving 4B+ ad impressions a month, 1K users tap into Frequency to automate workflow, centralize campaigns, and maximize revenue. Frequency simplifies the ad ops process and speeds up vetting by 3x+.
Listen announced YouTube Managing Director UK & Ireland, Alison Lomax, will attend The Podcast Show in London on 24th May. Following YouTube’s March announcement at Hot Pod Summit, that podcasts are coming to YouTube Music, Lomax has confirmed she will feature on one of the five panels hosted by Listen and Arcade: as YouTube’s only presence that day.
“I’m a big fan of what Jordan is doing on Unboxed, and I’m excited to share what YouTube has in store for users, creators and the wider podcast economy” – Alison Lomax.
Alison will join Listen MD Josh Adley, hose of the Unboxed podcast and co-founder of Arcade Media, Jordan Schwarzenberger and YouTuber and podcast host, Patricia Bright.
“We’re constantly investing in the features and experiences that will make YouTube a great home for viewers and creators now and in the future. I look forward to discussing our plans to make it even easier for creators and artists to showcase their podcasts on YouTube.” – Alison Lomax.
“We’re delighted to have Alison join our stage. YouTube’s role and presence in podcasting is not only huge now, but increasing massively this year. To host her only panel across the show, and hear directly from their MD at one of the most important podcast events of the year was a priority for us.’ – Josh Adley.
The Listen & Arcade stage on 24th will focus on what the podcast industry can learn from the creator economy. Alison Lomax will join a roster of speakers from across the industry including: Marta Biino (Creator Economy Reporter at Business Insider), Jonny Mounsor (Creator Partnerships Manager at Spotify), Tom Pauc (Sky’s Senior Podcast Manager and host of Plot Twist podcast), Rae Votta (Global Podcast Content Lead at Netflix) and Pia Brady (Head of Creator Ventures at LinkedIn Editorial).
To secure your ticket at The Podcast Show, and hear more about YouTube’s next announcement in person, add PODNEWS to your checkout for discounted tickets.
Brian Mayfield, who spent nearly 15 years serving in a variety of roles at Ramsey Solutions, including five years as an executive president of Ramsey Network, has retired.
More than 30 years ago, “The Ramsey Show” began with personal finance expert Dave Ramsey sharing financial advice on a Nashville radio station. Now, a variety of Ramsey Personalities co-host with Ramsey and help listeners with their questions about money, relationships, and mental wellness every weekday.
“Over the last 15 years, Brian Mayfield has truly become one of the top talk radio executives in the nation and a good friend while he has been with Ramsey Solutions,” said Ramsey. “His early retirement is a loss for all of us at Ramsey and the industry.”
“It has been an honor to work alongside Dave and the rest of the team,” said Mayfield. “I am very proud the success we have seen to date, but I am even more excited to watch and experience the success of Ramsey Network into the future as a fan. We are sometimes faced with situations that dictate change, I’m embracing mine and looking forward to quality time with my wife and family – I’m truly blessed.”
Broadcast veteran Blake Thompson, Ramsey’s first producer when the show began, was named executive vice president of Ramsey Network last year. He will continue to serve in that role.
About Ramsey Network
Ramsey Network, a division of Ramsey Solutions, is home to “The Ramsey Show,” the second-largest syndicated talk radio show in American. The network produces 10 podcasts, seven YouTube shows, and it produced the Webby Award-winning documentary “Borrowed Future.” Ramsey Network’s accessible, engaging and transformative content helps people take control of their money, navigate relationships, guide their careers, become better leaders, and grow their businesses.