Guardian Australia’s flagship daily news podcast celebrates five years
Since launching in October 2019, Full Story – Guardian Australia’s flagship daily news podcast – has had more than 1350 episodes published, and it has been downloaded over 46m times.
Full Story launched on 17 October 2019, with episodes on land clearing, Robodebt and Barnaby Joyce. In its first month, it was downloaded 118k times and achieved a listenership of 55k. By 2021, 221k people were listening to Full Story every month.
Throughout the last five years, several special series have seen great success within the Full Story feed. The first major series, Australia vs the Climate was downloaded nearly 350k times. Ben Roberts Smith v the Media, launched in 2022, achieved nearly 700k downloads, and Who Screwed Millennials, released in 2024, was downloaded over 340k times.
Mediaweek spoke to associate editor of audio and visual at the Guardian, Bridie Jabour about the history of the podcast, how it has evolved, its strategy and what’s in store for the future.
In the 5 years of Full Story, how has the podcast evolved from launch to what it is now?
At the beginning, we launched with three episodes a week and a team of four people. Now we deliver episodes every weekday with bonus content on weekends during particularly newsworthy periods (at the moment you can listen to Politics Weekly America every Sunday in the Full Story feed). We have two brilliant co-hosts, Nour Haydar and Reged Ahmad and a team of eight producers and sound designers.
At its core we are still doing the same thing – bringing Guardian Australia’s rigorous, independent journalism to an audio audience, but we’ve worked on many massive projects over the years too – Who Screwed Millennials, Ben Roberts Smith vs the media and Who Cared? The Disappearance of Amber Haigh, to name a few. Combined, those series alone have had more than 1 million downloads.
As one of Australia’s leading commercial news podcasts, what is Full Story’s podcast strategy to ensure maximum listenership?
Our strategy is quite simple – being responsive to the news cycle so we can deliver the podcast on topics the audience is most interested in, presenting complex issues in an engaging way, and working on narrative podcast series we can put in the Full Story feed once or twice a year to attract even more listeners.
Our episodes used to be slightly longer and we’ve found that episodes between 18 and 22 minutes are the real sweet spot for listeners wanting to get up to date on the story of the day. Switching to a co-host model has boosted numbers as well, giving the team space to create quality episodes five days a week. This is only a hunch but I also think listeners really connect with the considered and thoughtful hosts Nour and Reged – who both have such engaging, yet different, personalities.
We see huge spikes in listenership when we do the narrative series and then work hard to keep them in the Full Story feed. We try to make sure we have a few blockbuster Full Story episodes in the next couple of weeks after narrative series launch that will keep new listeners’ attention and get them in the habit of listening every day. We’ve certainly seen sustained growth in audience this year since Who Screw Millennials was launched.
What is something that Full Story is doing that makes it stand above all other available news podcasts in the country?
You won’t find another piece of audio in Australia with the mix of timeliness and analysis that Full Story has. Being able to draw on Guardian Australia’s reporting team is a huge asset, the depth of expertise across multiple areas such as environment, social issues and politics is unmatched on any other commercial daily news podcast.
We also have a stellar international team that we call on. This year we’ve tapped into the global newsroom for insights on the US and UK elections and the Middle East among other issues. We’ve interviewed these people ourselves, but also republish episodes done by the global podcast team when they are relevant to Australia. We are not delivering the headlines, we are delivering the story in its full, vital context.
What’s in store for the podcast looking to 2025?
We are beginning work on another narrative podcast that I think could be the biggest one we have done yet. It’s unlike any other series we’ve done, and I can’t say much more than that! We also have a really exciting summer series coming up that will feature a mix of our journalists and some of Australia’s biggest names in show business and literature.
LiSTNR investigates coercion and murder in a new podcast docuseries, Crime In Focus: Killer Charm
The disturbing case of a suburban grandmother who orchestrated the murder of her ex-partner via a woodchipper takes centre stage in the new LiSTNR exclusive docuseries, Crime In Focus: Killer Charm.
Host and investigative journalist Tara Cassidy examines how and why Queensland woman Sharon Graham coerced two lovers to stage Bruce Saunders’ death as an accident on a friend’s rural property.
After five years of following the story Cassidy uncovered new information about Sharon Graham and the case, and secured interviews with Graham’s former best friend, as well as her daughter and several ex- lovers who are speaking out for the very first time.
In the six-part series, listeners get access to forensic evidence, witness statements, never-before-heard covert surveillance recordings and police interviews. The investigation exposes patterns of control, greed and coercion, and sheds light on the dangers of how these behaviours emerged in a seemingly harmless woman.
“This case has intrigued me from the moment it came to light,” Tara Cassidy said. “As an investigative journalist I have covered every step of it and, in this series, I explore what drives someone to such extremes and discover if there were signs that went unnoticed before tragedy struck.
“I was able to secure unheard surveillance recordings and interviews with some of the key people in Sharon’s life, including her own daughter, to give listeners a front-row seat to one of Queensland’s most notorious murder cases in recent history.”
Black T-Shirts – James Hurman
This week, Adam Ferrier and Brent Smart are joined by James Hurman, a New Zealand-based entrepreneur, investor, author and advertising effectiveness expert. James is also the founding partner of Previously Unavailable, a creative company that partners with, creates and invests into high-growth startup companies.
In this episode, James talks about working his way up from the agency IT guy to one of the world’s better-known experts on marketing and advertising effectiveness. He also unpacks his latest way of conceptualizing as activating current and future demand.
Uncomfortable Growth Uncut podcast: Episode 4 – Peter Horgan, The Tensions of Leadership
Get ready to peel back the layers and meet the real Peter Horgan, or as he likes to be called, Horgs.
He’s been navigating the media scene with a cool mix of supportive leadership and a fierce drive for results. In this episode, he shares his thoughts on finding that sweet spot between backing your team and keeping them accountable—a tricky balance that can easily tip into entitlement if not handled right.
Peter opens up to Rowena Millward about some intense moments when the future looked a bit shaky. He and his crew faced the rapid changes of a competitive market and had to pivot fast to stay ahead. It’s a raw look at the pressures of keeping clients happy, the need for open conversations, and the strength of a united leadership team.
Listeners will be hooked on Peter’s journey from facing potential setbacks to bouncing back and reclaiming their spot as industry leaders. It’s all about taking those tough moments and turning them into powerful opportunities for change.
If you’re into agency leadership, client relationships, or just curious about where media is headed, this episode is packed with gems. Peter’s experience reminds us that uncomfortable growth isn’t just something to endure—it’s a chance to redefine what success means in this fast-paced world.