True crime has long been a popular category for podcast listeners. The podcast is the perfect platform for investigations into the criminal world. The crime editor for PodcastOne is journalist, author, broadcaster and podcaster Adam Shand.
He was a foundation partner when PodcastOne launched with his series Trials Of The Vampire.
More recently he has launched the UnderState series, which investigates where justice is sometimes elusive after a police investigation.
The series goes back to August 1969 when a 20-year-old woman Lucille Butterworth disappeared from a bus stop in Hobart. Police believed she was a runaway who would return and they failed to respond adequately for weeks. Eventually, a suspect was identified but not charged and no trace of Lucille was ever found. In 2010, the boss of a suburban police station reviewed the file and discovered crucial evidence embarrassing for Tasmania Police.
There are five UnderState Lucille Butterworth episodes and Shand told Mediaweek there could be an update via a sixth episode with a development in the case.
Of his role as crime editor, Shand said: “We are looking for long-form stories in true crime. We are also recording interview-based podcasts, which will be discussions about crime. We did one on Chopper Reid and had his two managers, who basically debunked all the stuff that he talked about.
“There will be one podcast out this month about a guy who goes to his ATM and discovers he can take unlimited money and subsequently steals $1.6m.” That podcast will be released under the Adam Shand At Large brand.
Shand said there was an exciting start-up feel to PodcastOne with the platform looking for exciting projects.
Shand is developing both Trials Of The Vampire and Lucille Butterworth into a TV project with Bryan Cockerill and Gerri Coy’s Full Box for Nine’s third season of Australian Crime Stories.
Listen to Trials Of The Vampire
Listen to UnderState Lucille Butterworth
Teacher’s Pet now a global success story
News Corp Australia has reported The Teacher’s Pet podcast was this week #1 on iTunes podcast charts in Australia, the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, with more than seven million downloads.
Investigating the probable murder of Sydney mother Lyn Dawson in 1982, The Australian’s investigative series, by Hedley Thomas and co-producer Slade Gibson, is developing a huge international following as it uncovers new evidence and witnesses in the cold case.
Listen to The Teacher’s Pet podcast
Merrick and Rosso on Game Changers
Merrick Watts had some special advice recently for podcast listeners – “If you want to be a big on radio… do not compromise. All the big shows – no compromise.” Watts was speaking on the latest Game Changers radio podcast where he was reunited with Tim Ross. Game Changers podcast host Craig Bruce and executive producer Jay Mueller had the former triple j and Nova hosts working together again. The prolific podcasters have close to 60 radio interviews so far and other guests this year have included Dean Buchanan, Kyle Sandilands, Jo Stanley and Brad Blanks.
Listen to Merrick & Rosso on Game Changers
Potty talk during EFTM podcast
It got a bit grubby, but it was very entertaining, in a dirty kind of way.
In the most recent episode of Trevor Long’s EFTM podcast, he and his podcast co-hosts, and new business partners, Geoff Quattromani and Chris Bowen, started talking about toilets, which turned into a long, sometimes awkward, yet strangely compelling, discussion. It was as if they had returned to the early days of the EFTM podcast, which was a very edgy product, which made it an essential listen if you had an interest in tech, cars and lifestyle. In between then and now the podcast had become a lot about cars and became quite serious… until this week.
Long announced last week that Quattromani and Bowen had been given equity in the business along with videographer Rob Locke and Long’s original EFTM co-founders Damian Francis and Nick Broughall. Bowen, who has worked in radio with Long at 2GB in the past, will now work full-time for EFTM.
Long also co-hosts the long-running (350+ episodes) tech podcast Two Blokes Talking Tech with Stephen Fenech.
Confessions of a Twenty Something Train Wreck
One of Acast’s most successful podcasts has been Confessions of a Twenty Something Train Wreck. (Acast operates in Australia in partnership with Nova Entertainment.)
Podcast host Phoebe Parsons won Acast’s inaugural Podquest competition and the podcast has gone from strength to strength – Parsons is recording a live podcast in Brisbane next month.
The pitch to listeners is that Phoebe’s got it all… a fancy degree and her dream job. But her personal life… it’s a train wreck!
The podcast has already had five seasons and the live show will be the season’s final episode.
Listen to Confessions of a Twenty Something Train Wreck
New from the midwife to the stars
PodcastOne has just released a new series of Birth, Baby and Beyond with midwife to the stars Cath Curtin. Having delivered thousands of babies, Curtin is known for being practical and realistic when it comes to advising people about their parenting issues. No judgment or idealism to be found here.
The second series of Birth, Baby and Beyond covers the fundamentals for parents after they have been through the first six weeks and Curtin widens the remit of content this series interviewing same-sex parents Natasha Hardy (vice captain of Essendon AFLW team) and her wife Natalie East. Their little girl Macey is the first baby in Australia to have her mothers recorded as “Married” on her birth certificate! The women talk about their personal journey, the lack of information out there for same-sex couples to get started, the options, donors, and also share some of the odd comments they have had, e.g. “Are you excited to be a Dad”?
Listen to Birth, Baby & Beyond
