BBC’s The Lazarus Heist podcast returns for season two
Yes, Americans, the British do have quite a few ear worthy podcasts. In fact, the BBC World Service has just announced the launch of season two of the internationally-acclaimed true-crime podcast, The Lazarus Heist.
The new trailer is now live on BBC Sounds and other podcast platforms.
The true-crime podcast tells the story of the theft of billions of dollars around the globe. Investigators claim a secretive ring of elite North Korean hackers is responsible. Nicknamed the Lazarus Group, season two reveals that they are now accused of more bank heists, teaming up with sophisticated dark web criminals. North Korea says it has nothing to do with these cybercrimes, saying the United States is making these allegations to try and tarnish its image.
Season two begins at an ATM, possibly near you. Imagine a massive heist on cashpoints, taking place in 28 countries, on the same day, all at the same time. Millions of dollars-worth of bank notes are withdrawn, by criminal minions doing the dirty work of highly skilled hackers. In just over two hours, nearly $15m is stolen - all from the accounts of Cosmos Bank in India.
Since season one, the hackers’ tactics have been evolving faster than investigators can keep up. While North Korea is often characterized as a closed, secretive country, The Lazarus Heist Season two will investigate claims that the Lazarus Group has connected with partners in crime around the world.
These hackers are not slowing down - they're only getting more ambitious, more audacious, and more successful. Investigators say they've pivoted from robbing banks, to stealing from cryptocurrency businesses - and now they're raking in billions of dollars.
The new season is presented by returning hosts - journalist Jean Lee, who opened the first and only U.S. news bureau in North Korea, and Geoff White, an investigative journalist covering tech and organized crime.
The second season follows the success of the first, which was nominated for a Peabody award. The first season told the stories of the Lazarus Group's alleged hacks on Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Bank of Bangladesh - in which the hackers attempted to steal a billion dollars through fraudulent online bank transfers - and the WannaCry ransomware attack, which infected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world.
The Lazarus Heist Season two premieres on March 27 on BBC Sounds and most other podcast platforms. There are nine episodes.
It will also be broadcast as a radio series later this year on the BBC World Service.
Listen to the Season 2 trailer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f82fmk
On Air Fest 2023: Three Takeaways On The Future of Podcasting
This year's On Air Fest affirmed its role as the most influential event shaping both the culture of audio and the future of podcasting.
During the festival:
On Being host Krista Tippett and US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy explored the country's loneliness epidemic.
CNN anchor Audie Cornish accepted the Audio Vanguard Award alongside a career-spanning interview with Kara Swisher.
The host and producers of Slow Burn: Roe v Wade dissected the process of creating Apple Podcasts' Show of The Year.
Audible and Higher Ground debuted an early look at Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast.
Following the week spent taking over Brooklyn's Wythe Hotel by On Air Fest's team of producers and curators, here are three takeaways and trends that emerged, further redefining the creative possibilities of sound:
1. Podcasting is transcending: Throughout this year's On Air Fest, the inaugural edition of On Air: The Podcast Experience delivered the first-ever immersive installation devoted entirely to podcasts. Taking over an entire floor of hotel suites, it gave listeners the opportunity to physically step into newly imagined, tactile worlds of shows including On Being, Radiolab, The Heart, Object of Sound and My Favorite Murder. Behind each door there was "a story waiting to be told," as Time Out New York recapped.
2. Fans want their favorite shows to be more than a solitary listening experience: On the debut of On Air: The Podcast Experience, Associated Press added that "listening to a podcast is something one tends to do alone, but a new set of displays has transformed the podcast into a groundbreaking immersive experience."
Throughout the weekend, both the Main Stage and Podcast Penthouse were packed to capacity for live recordings of La Brega, Mobituaries, NPR's Life Kit, People's Party with Talib Kweli, Sheroes, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, That's How I Remember It with Craig Finn, Vox's Unexplainable and more, highlighting a sense of community and belonging that proves podcasting's place in the broader hierarchy of art, culture, entertainment and commerce.
3. Creators are taking control as the medium shows new power to reinvent itself: In an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at smash hit Normal Gossip, host Kelsey McKinney and producer Alex Sujong Laughlin also took the opportunity to break down their decision to bring the series to Radiotopia and PRX, explaining the importance of retaining both creative and intellectual ownership, and their control of the show. The increased importance of IP and independence that have been mirrored in other media sectors are now becoming more apparent in podcasting, especially as On Air Fest demonstrated how creators can turn existing content into multisensory installations and adapt their audio into new formats.
Anchor, the podcast hosting platform, has combined with Spotify for Podcasters
Just because the name has changed of a product or service does not mean it's better. After all, a used car is still a used car, even if you call it "pre-owned.
But in this case of podcast hosting, perhaps the name change includes more than a reconstituted title and includes new features for podcasters.
Let's take a look.
Anchor, the world's largest podcast hosting platform, has combined with Spotify for Podcasters to create an all-new, first-of-its-kind platform with everything you need to create and grow a podcast.
The announcement was made at Stream On, Spotify’s event highlighting new innovations for creators and fans.
This is a breakthrough for all creators, opening up Spotify’s unique, interactive features to all podcasters, no matter where your show is hosted.
In the announcement, Spotify says: "The new Spotify for Podcasters will serve as the foundation for building a more vibrant, more interactive experience around podcasts."
For current Anchor and Spotify for Podcasters users, "this means they’ll get more tools than ever just by logging into their existing account. If they’re new to Spotify for Podcasters, they can still sign up easily by using an existing Spotify login."
We'll see. After all, Spotify is to promises what George Santos is to truth.
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