Are awards worth it for Canadian podcasts?
Vol. 37 - My deep dive into Signal Awards, Podcast Hall of Famers, and some housekeeping.
Hihi!! Happy Pod the North Tuesday! You might have noticed, I’ve done things a little differently this week.
Some housekeeping:
Yesterday I published a “scoop”; a 4000 word piece on the Signal Awards that was obviously way too long to go into the regular issue of Pod the North. The link to read it is below in case you missed it in your inbox!
All that to say, Pod the North is getting a bit of an upgrade! Still on it’s bi-weekly schedule, content will alternate between one “scoop” and one Thoughts From The Ecosystem interview feature. Scoops will come out the Monday prior to my regular release and will also be linked in the official PTN issue (like todays!). If you have any big stories you’d like me to cover, let me know!
Also, with the release of Thoughts From The Ecosystem interviews, paid subscribers of Pod the North will now have access to the full recordings of those interviews. I always struggle to cut down incredible conversations in favour of a word-count, so it’s time to give them a little more breathing room! In two weeks you can expect my conversation with Tim Truax from Calgary’s upcoming September podcast conference, PodSummit.
In this issue:
A case study on the Signal Awards and Canadian podcasts.
Who are we really honouring in the Podcast Hall of Fame?
Canadian Indie: Charts & Hearts Podcast
True North Podcast Feature: Kulture Stream Podcast
There are currently 29 long-term drinking water advisories in effect in 27 First Nations communities across Canada.
ICYMI:
SCOOP: Are awards worth it for Canadian podcasts?
Jan 22, 2024. As Canadian podcasters navigate how to make their shows standout on the world stage, many are looking to podcast awards in hopes of growing their audiences, and gaining credibility. But most podcast awards, if not all but the Canadian Podcast Awards, are based outside of the country.
Canadian podcasters are spending thousands of USD and EUR on entering awards, attending ceremonies, and on duty fees for trophies.
So are podcast awards really worth it for Canadian podcasts?
Recently, Signal Awards in particular raised some concerns for a number of Pod the North readers. So I thought it might be a good time to do a bit of a deep dive into podcast awards, using the Signal Awards as a case study.
In addition to that…
If you have any particular thoughts on the credibility of podcast awards, then you likely have some thoughts on the Podcast Academy and the Podcast Hall of Fame. Like the many podcast awards out there, they’ve been touted as celebrating the who’s who of podcasting — but, it’s mostly Americans, let’s be real.
Recently the 2024 Podcast Hall of Fame Inductees were announced. Inductees are selected based, according to the PHOF website, “on a combination of mainstream popularity, being considered a great podcaster or contributor to the industry by their peers, or excelling in the medium of podcasting, as well as having historical significance in a positive manner.” Plus they have to have been involved in the medium for at least five years.
This year there are eight inductees, including one notable individual, Daniel J Lewis, who many podcasters (including myself) shared some choice words about in 2022 in a culmination of continuous problematic and offensive remarks he made on Twitter and on his podcast, The Audacity to Podcast.
Lewis was eventually removed from the Podcast Academy board for those remarks, after a petition for his removal saw significant traction in the international podcast community.
Lewis never formally apologized, but did follow up with a tweet…
Lewis’s induction into the Podcast Hall of Fame, and generally the percentage of white people in this year’s list of inductees, has myself and many podcasters cringing.
I wonder, how do moves like this reflect the podcast industry as a whole?
On a lighter note, I am genuinely excited to see Jesse Thorn of Maximum Fun being recognized this year. MaxFun made a pretty momumental transition into a worker-owned co-op last March, which has been an encouraging sign for the industry.
This year’s PHOF ceremony is taking place at Podfest Expo this Friday, Jan 26th in Orlando, hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky. It will also be live-streamed on YouTube if you want to suss it out for yourself!
Shout out to John at the Canadian Podcast Awards for bringing this story to my attention.
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Check out this Canadian Indie: Charts & Hearts Podcast
Watch old favs and new(er) hits with some hot takes and maybe even a little bit of science.
Working through an epic list of rom coms in order to find and categorize tropes in the hopes of creating the nerdiest spreadsheet podcasts have ever seen.
True North Podcast Feature: Kulture Stream Podcast
Everything cultural from Native American and Indigenous peoples all over the world.
An inside view of Indigenous peoples from Indigenous peoples, featuring Native American artists, drum groups, and musical talents, and activist standing up for Mother Earth. Every topic shines a light to help the world understand Indigenous peoples.
What’s going on in Canada’s podcast ecosystem:
New Releases:
Jan 9, 2024 — 50 WOMEN OVER 50 launched it’s second season. The first episode of Season 2 seeks to answer the question, “Is it OK to get a divorce or leave a long-term relationship as a woman over 50?”. It features interviews of 10 women who have faced this decision and offers concrete tips and advice for anyone in this dilemma.
Jan 10, 2024 — TVO Today launched Screen Time: The Battle for Reality. The new season of Screen Time examines the recent seismic shift in the online world, and how it continues to spill over into real life events such as the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the Canadian freedom convoy.
Jan 11, 2024 — Unspeakable Leadership: Exploring How Women of Colour Lead has launched. Hosted by Rohene Bouajram, the podcast delves into the vibrant and dynamic world of WoC leaders in higher education.
Jan 25, 2024 — The Ultimate Choice from TVO Today launches this week. Hosted by award-winning investigative journalist Rob Cribb, follow the journey of Michael and his wife Ann. Michael, housebound by pain, and incurable disease – sees his choice for a medically assisted death (MAiD) as a powerful solution to his suffering. The series explores Michael’s motivations and how his decision affects his family, friends, and longtime doctor. This investigative series is in partnership with the Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Toronto Star.
You should know…
604 Podcast Network is celebrating its one-year anniversary this week with a “new release week”. New releases include: The Vocal Lab, Mental Health Mondays (an Instagram livestream), Intrusive Thought Cast, and “a surprise tease on a podcast hosted by 604 Records Inc. President himself, Jonathan Simkin.”
Scarborough’s Matthew Chapman of Gent’s Talk was featured on BlkPodNews™ this week. Give his interview with
a read!A Saskatoon Police Podcast has people raising their eyebrows. From the CBC report: “Producing an in-house podcast is a gambit that University of Saskatchewan sociology professor Julie Kaye said raises its own red flags. ‘We only have access to the information that they're willing to release’”. Read the article.
Transitor’s Justin Jackson is asking if it’s worth it to start a podcast in 2024. Reflecting on the headlines of "The podcast industry is in decline!", Justin created a video about it.
Events:
Toronto Podcast Meet-Up this Thursday, Jan 25th @ 6pm ET! Quill Inc has organized a local podcast meetup featuring a fireside chat with Dan Misener & Miriam Johnson from Bumper. There will be food and drinks! Get tickets here.
For your pod:
From
: The Top Reasons You Should Have a Website for Your PodcastYouTube is officially supporting podcast RSS feeds: learn how to set yours up.
Just Joe (humming “these boots are make for walkies”)…
If you have thoughts or Canadian podcasting news, please share them with me! Leave a comment or reply to the newsletter email.
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Thanks for supporting Pod the North, I’ll be back in your inbox in two weeks!
Kattie
@Podkatt (Twitter, Spotify, and Goodpods) | @ PodtheNorth (Bluesky)
I’m intrigued…