This year’s report is billed as the largest publicly-available study of podcast consumption in the U.S., with a sample of over 5,000 Americans, 18+.

It highlights a slowdown in overall growth, with the percentage of Americans who have “ever consumed” a podcast increasing only slightly from 72% to 75% over a three-year period. The data reveals that growth seen over the last year has been primarily driven by multicultural audiences, with numbers for Asian and Black Americans showing particular gains. White respondents only account for 52% of total monthly podcast consumption, while 65% of Hispanic Americans partake, 62% of Black audiences, and 66% of APAC (Asia-Pacific) audiences.

The average weekly time spent with podcasts has risen from 6 to 6.3 hours, directly linked to video consumption. YouTube has become the top platform for podcast consumption, with 40% of users naming it their go-to. However, the data challenges the assumption that YouTube is strictly a video-first platform for podcasts.

“Just under half of YouTube podcast consumers…say that they listen more than they watch,” said Sounds Profitable partner Tom Webster. “This suggests that consumers are embracing the flexibility of the medium, choosing to listen to content even when a video version is available.”

The report also found that audiences are becoming more fragmented. While the Joe Rogan Experience remains the most popular podcast (moving from 13% of respondents who cited it as their favourite to 11%), there are signs of erosion as the gap between it and the next three most-loved shows – Crime Junkie, The Daily, and Call Her Daddy – shrunk from 11 percentage points to seven. Webster said this finding, along with a four-point year-over-year increase in interest for news and political analysis, points to a diversifying audience no longer dominated by a few key shows.

“I submit that that’s a healthy thing,” Webster said, emphasizing that the shift to a more varied landscape will benefit the industry as a whole.

Comedy, news and sports remain the milieu’s top genres, according to the study.

“The podcast space is maturing,” he continued. “Organic growth has slowed, which means I think we need to market ourselves a little bit more.”

Webster is suggesting a new approach for the industry, urging some of the bigger shows and celebrity hosts to “talk more about the medium” and promote a wider variety of podcasts to new listeners.

Other study findings include that while smartphones are still dominant as a podcast listening device, smart TVs are a growing go-to for consuming podcasts (9%), often via YouTube.

Webster also noted that the main reasons people cited for listening to podcasts were for discussions on topics of interest and companionship during chores or travel. Hearing from celebrities was deemed a low-priority benefit.

“…this has been true the last three years. Hearing from celebrities ranks the lowest, and I would encourage entities out there, that are putting together new ventures, new shows, new efforts into the space…certainly there are celebrity podcasts that work because those celebrities are excellent at what they do,” said Webster.

“Not only is it not a guarantee of success, it’s pretty low on what people are looking for, and yes, it might get some buzz. It might get some success, but it’s not enough,” he concluded. “People are looking for companions, they’re looking for information on topics that interest them, they’re looking for hobbies, they’re looking for business news, they’re looking for political news, they’re looking for true crime.”

Sounds Profitable will be releasing a second part to the study, focused on discoverability and churn, in the coming months.

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Benztown has released its ninth annual Benztown 50 List of Radio’s Biggest Imaging Voices, its annual release of the top 50 voiceover artists in the U.S. and Canada, based on industry data compiled from more than 300 radio groups by P1 Media Group. Among the Canadians on this year’s list are David Kaye, Amanda Madi, Lisa Keys and Erin Setch, with Matt Fogarty named one of the “Ones to Watch in Voiceover” for a second year in a row. Legendary Canadian voice talent Earl Mann is the recipient of this year’s Chris Corley Lifetime Achievement Award. Mann started his career as a singer for 1960’s folk act, The Gaslight Singers, before becoming an all-night disc jockey on CKEY and CHFI Toronto. Sports fans will recognize Mann as the voice of NFL Films as well as several college football programs. He’s also served as the imaging voice for numerous Sports, Classic Rock, Classic Hits, Country, Pop, and Rock stations throughout North America, in addition to 20 years as the voice of the CTV network. Read more here.

Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap has come to an end on Corus Radio with the April 30 show. Following a 16-year run on CBC Radio and its subsequent cancellation in 2021, Vinyl Tap got a second life in March 2022 when it re-launched across Corus Entertainment’s Rock and Classic Hits stations. “Randy wants to thank all of his Canadian affiliates and fans for their tremendous support over the years as he winds down his show,” wrote Orbyt Media, the show’s distributor, in a notice to stations. “I’ve always loved playing music and telling stories,” added Bachman. “Sharing these stories with my fans for so many years has truly been a dream come true.” Vinyl Tap is still available as a podcast.

630 CHED Edmonton has renewed its broadcast partnership with the Edmonton Oilers, which is marking 28 consecutive years. For the next three years, Oilers fans will once again experience each home, away game and the action in between on 630 CHED, with its Oilers coverage including play-by-play announcers Jack Michaels and Cam Moon, and colour commentator Bob Stauffer. Adding to the game day lineup will be Reid Wilkins and Rob Brown with the Oilers Face Off Show and Overtime Open Line. Oilers Now featuring Stauffer will continue to be part of the hockey lineup every weekday. The partnership also includes community and promotional support from Corus radio stations CISN Country 103.9, Chuck 92.5 (CKNG-FM) and 880 (CHQT-FM) Edmonton.

CBC Podcasts’ Let’s Make A Sci-Fi has won a Webby Award in the Limited Series category. Produced by Vancouver’s Kelly&Kelly, the eight-part adventure explores the creative process as three comedians (Maddy Kelly, Ryan Bell and Mark Chavez) try writing a successful sci-fi pilot.

CBC Podcasts has introduced Let’s Not Be Kidding with Gavin Crawford — part memoir, part stand-up, part meditation on grief and loss. In the seven-part series, Crawford tells the story of losing his mother — his best friend and the inspiration for a lot of his comedy — to Alzheimer’s, a disease that can be as hilarious as it is heartbreaking. He’s joined by fellow performers along the way who share their own experiences caring for family members with dementia. You can binge all seven episodes via CBC Listen or by subscribing to the CBC Stories Premium channel on Apple Podcasts.

The Sound Off Podcast Network has signed its first true crime podcast as Buried Motives joins the network. Creators and hosts Christie Halvorson and Melissa Nielsen, who launched the show in Aug. 2021 and have grown a loyal following, are taking the next step in moving to monetize the show. Based in Alberta, the true crime enthusiasts dive into the lives of notorious killers.

SiriusXM Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), is inviting Canadians to help choose the 2023 SiriusXM Top of the Country champion. The voting phase is now open through May 10, featuring eight semi-finalists: Hailey Benedict (St. Albert, AB); Noah Derksen (Winnipeg); Teigen Gayse (Kelowna, BC); Amanda Jordan (Smith Falls, ON); Mark Ledlin (Vancouver); The Prairie States (Edmonton); Dayna Reid (Elmvale, ON); and Lydia Sutherland (Montréal). Fans can watch studio sessions of each semi-finalist at topcountry.siriusxm.ca, where votes can be cast daily.

SiriusXM Canada has announced that eight-time Grammy winner Carrie Underwood will launch an exclusive year-round channel, Carrie’s Country, in June. Curated by Underwood, the channel will be available to subscribers across North America as she highlights her friends, favourites, and influences spanning new and classic country, gospel, and beyond from Dolly Parton to AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses. Original programming will include monthly themed shows, morning workout and late-night hard-rock blocks, as well as Saviour Sunday – a full day of inspirational music including Carrie’s own gospel catalogue.

Tom Webster will be joining Radiodays North America as a speaker on Thursday, June 8. With over 25 years of experience in the audio business, Webster is known for having led audience research projects over six continents, and as a co-author and driver behind influential audio studies like the Infinite Dial series, Share of Ear, and the Podcast Consumer Tracker. Webster will be on the panel, The Truth About Podcasting, alongside Dan Misener of Bumper, on the current state of podcasting. 

LISTEN: Jeff Smulyan, the founder and CEO of Emmis Communications, creator of all sports radio, one time owner of the Seattle Mariners, and now an author, is on the Sound Off Podcast. Smulyan’s new book, Never Ride a Roller Coaster Upside Down, chronicles his career in broadcasting, including managing talent like David Letterman, Ken Griffey and Don Imus, the creation of the all-sports radio format that morphed into the legendary WFAN, and what the future for radio and podcasting looks like.

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Neetu Garcha joins Global National as its new correspondent, starting May 9. Garcha has been with Corus Entertainment since 2013, working as a producer and anchor at 980 CKNW Vancouver while studying Broadcast Journalism at BCIT. She went on to intern with Global Okanagan in 2014, where she worked for two years before joining the Vancouver Island bureau as a video journalist. She joined Global BC in 2017 where she is currently a weekday reporter and anchor of Global News Hour at 6 on weekends. Originally from Penticton, Garcha has carved out a reputation for navigating political double speak, including her dogged 2021 interview with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in which he admonished the journalist for not asking “the right questions.” Read more here.

Reta Ismail is the incoming anchor of CTV News at Six in London, ON, starting June 6. Ismail is well known to CTV London viewers, having spent the last seven years as a reporter and more recently the anchor and producer of the bureau’s weekend newscasts. A graduate of Mohawk College, Ismail started her career at CKTB St. Catharines, making the jump to television as an Assignment Editor with CityNews Toronto.

Christa Dickenson will join Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Sept. 12. Dickenson, who recently announced her exit from Telefilm Canada, worked behind-the-scenes at CPAC early in her career, before going on to spend 15 years at Rogers, and later serve as President & CEO of Interactive Ontario. She’s been at the helm of Telefilm since 2018. Dickenson succeeds Colette Watson, who was appointed President of Rogers Sports & Media in January, following the departure of Jordan Banks. Read more here.

Heaton Dyer is the new Chief Growth Officer at Pink Triangle Press (PTP), effective June 13. Dyer arrives at the LGBTQ publisher from CBC/Radio Canada where for the last three years he has been Executive Director of Strategy and International Relations. Dyer will be responsible for the growth of the organization, the reach of its audiences and its revenues. Beyond CBC, he has worked for both public and private media in Australia, New Zealand, and in Europe, responsible for the launch of a pan-European channel for Dow Jones, launching the New Zealand version of 60 Minutes, and is credited with wooing George Stromboulopoulos to CBC from Much Music.

Tom Webster, SVP, Edison Research, has announced he’ll be stepping down at the end of May to devote more time to digital audio and podcasting. Webster has been with Edison for 18 years. In a blog post, he says he’ll still be partnering with the company, in addition to continuing his tech blog “I Hear Things.”

Dennis Beyak has retired as the play-by-play voice of the Winnipeg Jets, but will continue to contribute to TSN international hockey coverage. Beyak has been the team’s play-by-play voice since 2011 when the Jets returned to the city from Atlanta. He has also done television play-by-play for the Edmonton Oilers and was the primary radio voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1997-98 and 2010-11 seasons.  

Luke Smith has a new role as Station Manager at CIUT 89.5 FM Toronto. Smith has been with the National Campus & Community Radio Association (NCRA) as Director of Learning and Development for the last seven years. He also runs his own media and community engagement consultancy.

Alyssa Golbeck has joined Bell Media Edmonton as a Digital Content Producer.  With a background in graphic design, Golbeck has most recently held roles with Ski Marmot Basin and FleetFX Graphics.

Ashley Pirhonen (aka AJ) has left Move 97.1 (CJMJ-FM) Penticton where she’s been heard in afternoon drive since late 2021. Pirhonen was previously the morning host at 99.5 Moose FM (CFBG-FM) Muskoka where she landed straight out of the BCIT Radio Arts & Entertainment program.

Martha Troian has walked away from new Canadaland podcast Canadalandback. Troian cites unexplained “allegations” against the show’s host Ryan McMahon. A freelance investigative journalist and producer, Troian has previously worked on projects for VICE Canada, Muskrat Magazine, iPolitics, and CBC Indigenous.

Nick Logan is leaving Global National. Logan has been with Global News since 2011, initially as a web producer for Global Maritimes before joining the network’s flagship newscast in 2013 as a producer. He’ll be signing on with CBC as a casual, multiplatform journalist.

Lasia Kretzel has left CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver to join Global BC as Social Media Coordinator. Kretzel had been a Digital Reporter and Producer with CityNews since 2016. Prior to that, she spent nearly four years with 650 CKOM Saskatoon.

Jeff Slack has left CityNews 660 (CFFR-AM) Calgary. Slack had been a multimedia journalist with the station since 2018, most recently serving as evening reporter.

Steve Cassar has joined the Story Studio Network, the branded podcast studio founded by newstalk veterans Dave Trafford and daughter Erin Trafford. Cassar, a former CTV Toronto News Director and Sportsnet Executive Producer, is signing on as Senior Executive Producer. He’s most recently been freelancing as a Supervising Producer for Olympic Broadcasting Services.

Drew Garner is joining Story Studio Network as Senior Production Engineer. Garner was previously a Technical Producer with Newstalk 1010 (CFRB-AM) Toronto for the last 18 years, in addition to working as a freelance podcast editor.

so.da, Corus Entertainment’s social-first agency, has added five new senior leadership roles to its team to support growth and a new PR offering. Chaman Sandhu joins so.da as Director of Audience Development, leading the strategy and operations of so.da’s owned social and digital editorial content properties, and overseeing the performance analytics team. Prior to joining so.da, Sandhu was the Brand Management Lead at Truss Beverage Co., a joint venture between Molson and HEXO. Kelly Duffy has been promoted to Director, Client Accounts. She will also be hiring for six additional roles designed to further power client work. Elana Schachter joins as the new Head of so.da creator agency, Kin Community Canada. After soft launching PR services last year to bring more integrated campaigns to clients, so.da is adding Ashley Applebaum as Head of Publicity and Michelle McTeague as Director of PR for so.da. 

Louis Pearson has been named Senior Director, Acquisitions & Original Film, at Quebecor, tasked with acquiring content for TVA Group, Club illico and Vrai. Pearson has been Director, Fiction Acquisitions & Quebec Film Development since 2018. He’ll retain responsibility for Quebec film production and promotion.

Genevieve Brodeur has been appointed Vice-President, Studios & Business Development, at MELS. Reporting to President Martin Carrier, she’ll manage studio operations, business development, and marketing. Brodeur has been with Quebecor since 2015, most recently as Director, Client Solutions. Prior to that, she held a similar role with Radio-Canada.

Youssef Ben-Youssef, Head of Ad Platform and Partnerships at Roku, has been appointed as an independent director at WildBrain, effective May 5. Ben-Youssef fills a seat on the board vacated by Steven Landry, who remains one of the largest individual shareholders of the company. Ben-Youssef is an ad-tech veteran with an extensive background in strategy and business management. Prior to Roku, he led the Publishers Solutions team at IPONWEB where he launched a monetization platform. 

Luisa Alvarez Restrepo has been named ACTRA Toronto’s Manager: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging. Formerly Project Manager at WarnerMedia Access Canada, she led all film festival initiatives and launched Access Festivals, a first-of-its-kind international program that provides filmmakers from underrepresented communities access to a more robust and engaging film festival experience. Prior to WarnerMedia, she was at TIFF, where she launched the Amplify Voices Award highlighting excellence in filmmaking by Canadian and BIPOC filmmakers. As a creator, her short film Forbidden Tikka Masala won seven awards internationally, and was licensed by TIFF and CBC.

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