Like most of the sizable podcast networks now haunting the ears of millions of listeners, Vox does tout the raw number of podcasts in its network. From there, however, Vox diverges from many other podcast networks.
With the growth of advertising and downloads, podcasts have attracted celebrities from other media formats and social media. Since social media “influencers” are typically not the most self-reflective people, the podcasts have an "enough about you, how about me" quality to them.
TV celebrities seem to want to clone Marc Maron’s WTF podcast and interview their circle of friends in some room of their massive home. However, they often lack Maron’s delicious caustic wit, so consequently, these podcasts have a daytime TV ambiance with all the accompanying self-revelatory schlock and empty-headed prattling.
Vox hosts innumerable SBNation sports teams podcasts like Cincy Jungle for Cincinnati Bengals fans (you’ve suffered so much Bengals fans) to Canes Country for NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes fans. These podcasts perform as they are expected--providing fans with information on their favorite teams and acting as a listening post for fan enthusiasm or, in some cases, outrage.
Beyond those sports podcasts, Vox hosts some true quality shows. The Cut is a weekly audio magazine exploring culture, style, sex, and politics led by host Avery Trufelman – a 99% Invisible acolyte with solid credentials and crazy-good hosting skills.
Land Of The Giants focuses its microscope on the five tech giants – Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. In partnership with Recode, the podcast has gone well below periscope depth when chasing after the DNA of these tech giants.
Vox’s signature show on popular music, Switched On Pop, transforms “it has a good beat and is easy to dance to” nonsense into enlightening conversations about music theory and how popular artists craft songs with mechanistic clarity.
Vox’s latest show arrives via a partnership with CAFÉ. It’s called Stay Tuned With Preet where the former U.S.Attorney Preet Bharara breaks down legal topics in the news.
Last July, the Gastropod podcast
formed a long-term partnership with Eater and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Gastropod is a podcast that is equal parts about food and history. The podcast seamlessly infuses each episode with a pinch of historical perspective and a smidgen of foodie nerdiness.
Along with Today, Explained, Vox Quick Hits, The Vergecast, and other quality shows, Vox manages to integrate its disparate media properties into a coherent whole. It’s a dangerous strategy, and corporate giants like Verizon, AT&T, AOL, and ViacomCBS have tasted the ignominy of defeat when attempting to integrate multiple media formats into a functioning company with an overarching goal and laser-focused business strategy.
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