Pod-Alization: Noble Champions To Return: Rebranding In Canada; Theroux -- Not Thoreau -- from The Pond

 Talkhouse's Noble Champions & That's How Remember It with Craig Finn podcasts return for second seasons

The season two debut of That's How I Remember It with Craig Finn,  Each episode will feature a discussion between Craig Finn and one creator — a musician, author, filmmaker, etc. — about the role that memory plays in their art. These conversations will reveal the different ways each creator synthesizes their remembered life experiences to tell stories about themselves and the world we live in. This podcast is not a nostalgia trip, but rather an exciting conversation about storytelling, process, and the desire to create art that reflects the world the artist has experienced. The first episode of the second season will feature George Saunders, the author of eleven books, including Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the 2017 Man Booker Prize for best work of fiction in English.

 

Talkhouse has also announced the renewal of Santigold's Noble Champions, which Variety named one of the Best Music Business Podcasts of 2022. 

 

Premiering later this year, Noble Champions' second season will further push culture forward alongside leading artists, activists and thinkers in salon-style conversations. 

 

It's a good show. The host, Santigold (AKA Santi White), excels at interviews that go beyond blah-blah-blah. The talented musical artist avoids the superficial and extracts the most from her guests. Santigold / White got the idea for the podcast — and the inspiration for its title — from a quote by the legendary Russian painter and art theorist Wassily Kandinsky, who wrote in 1910 that periods “during which art has no noble champion, during which the true spiritual food is wanting, are periods of retrogression in the spiritual world."

 

In its inaugural season, Noble Champions discussed topics such as spirituality with Yasiin Bey and Sanford Biggers, Black music with Questlove, Angela Yee and Tunde Adebimpe, motherhood with Olivia Wilde and Rebecca Walker, climate change with Saul Williams and Mary Annaïse Heglar, and cancel culture with Idris Elba and Dan Kovalik.

Libsyn partners with two popular Canadian podcasts

According to the Infinite Dial 2022 Canada, more people listen to podcasts in Canada than in the U.S. or Australia each month, with 43 percent of Canadian adults report listening to podcasts monthly. Advertisers are following suit and, in fact, podcast listening has grown nearly 300 percent for iconic Canadian Sportscaster Bob McCown's Podcast since signing as an exclusive advertising partnership with Libsyn's AdvertiseCast last September.

 

Libsyn, the hosting and advertising platform for podcasters, recognizes the momentum podcasting has gained in Canada. Therefore, the company just announced two separate exclusive advertising partnerships between Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast, and the 604 Podcast Network and The Suspendables podcast.

The newly rebranded 604 Podcast Network (formerly Comedy Here Often Podcast Network) features comedy podcasts like Poor Lil’ Thing with award-winning comics Ryan Steele and Amy Goodmurphy. The expanded 604 Podcast Network will be delving into true crime, news and sports. Some of the new shows include “Fin Looked into It” hosted by international journalist Fin Depencier, Podcast by Proxy, a Canadian true-crime podcast hosted by Katie Thomson and Olivia Wassbauer.

The Suspendables is a weekly podcast hosted by world renowned former NHL star Russ Courtnall and his pal, comedian Jungle Jim Jerome. Russ shares classic NHL stories about the legends of the game, along with his unique take on what’s happening in hockey today.

“Comedy is one of the most popular podcast genres and our AdvertiseCast marketplace is now home to two of the largest collections of Canadian comedy podcasts with our previously announced partnership with The Sonar Network, and now, the addition of the 604 Podcast Network as an exclusive partner," said Bob Kane, Country Manager of Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast in Canada

So now Canada is beating us in hockey, friendliness, and podcasting. Let's go people. Put in those earbuds. Turn on a podcast.

 

Theroux interviews across the pond

 

No, it’s not Henry David Thoreau and it's not Walden Pond.  

 But this new podcast does come from “across the pond.”

Spotify has announced the latest addition to its Spotify Exclusive podcast roster, unveiling The Louis Theroux Podcast, a brand-new show hosted by the award-winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, broadcaster and author, Louis Theroux. 

 

I know. I've never heard of him, either. 

 

Theroux will apparently drop into the lives of busy and notable stars from both sides of the Atlantic, embarking on in-depth and freewheeling conversations in his own unique style, whatever that is. 

Oddly, Theroux was careful not to reveal who his upcoming guests are, but if we look at his previous interviews on The Louis Theroux Podcast, there is hope. 

On his most recent BBC series Louis Theroux Interviews, he spoke with stars like Dame Judi Dench, Bear Grylls, Stormzy, Yungblud, Rita Ora, and Katherine Ryan.

Speaking about his brand-new podcast, Louis Theroux said: "I am thrilled to be back hosting podcasts. Long form conversation is a dream format for me - when I started doing them a few years ago, I couldn’t believe how much response I was getting." 

 

Theroux goes on to say: "The plan is for this to be an intelligent and fun space to connect with a variety of high-profile guests. You can listen while cooking, doing the laundry, and even cycling, though that’s not recommended as you may be so entertained, your concentration could lapse."

The Louis Theroux Podcast joins a varied roster of Spotify Exclusives in the UK, including The Receipts Podcast, JaackMaate's Happy Hour and Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe’s Parenting Hell. 

 

This is an interesting divergence from the U.S. strategy, where Spotify is cutting jobs and podcasts.