Jessica Rowe on bringing a talk show to LiSTNR
Jessica Rowe has brought a new talk show to LiSTNR with The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show which has promised to dig deep with famous and successful people who appear to have it all together in the spotlight but in reality, make the same mistakes as the rest of us.
Mediaweek‘s Trent Thomas spoke to Rowe about her motivations for the show and what people can expect.
The show has been nine months in the making and Rowe credited the senior executive producer for LiSTNR original podcasts and the executive producer for the show Nic McClure for getting the show across the line.
“I love talking to people and I thought, I want to do a podcast and I want to have longer conversations with people about things that matter. I am so blessed because I’m working with the incredible Nic McClure, she’s my executive producer. We call ourselves the leopard ladies because we both love leopard print.
“She’s an incredibly experienced radio producer, having worked in FM radio for many years. We met many years ago. And she was really keen to work on this project with me. Thanks to Nic, LiSTNR has embraced the podcast. She was really passionate about it and made it happen.”
New episodes of the podcast will drop each Wednesday which started with Karl Stefanovic and was then followed by Sophie Monk and Osher Günsberg.
Talks shows used to be the domain of TV but now Rowe believes that podcasts are well-positioned to be best the best platform for the genre.
“With so many people in different sort of situations with lockdown, we have more time. And we’re yearning for that connection. Even though we’re physically isolated from people, we still want to be socially connected.
“To me, that is the beauty of podcast, there’s a real intimacy that comes from that style of communicating and broadcasting. Nic and I want people listening to the podcast to feel that they’re just taking part in the conversation as well. That it’s sort of a companion for them, especially now.”
When the podcast launched with Stefanovic as a guest the announcement generated a lot of interest, and when asked why she chose Stefanovic, Rowe said it felt like the right time.
“We hadn’t spoken for 15 years. And I thought that the time had come for a conversation. And I thought you know what, I’m gonna ask him if he’ll come on my podcast as my first guest. And Karl very generously agreed to do that.
“Neither of us knew what would happen. And I certainly didn’t expect that he would apologise and be so open with me. For both of us, it was cathartic. It was meaningful for me, it meant a lot to me that he did that.
“We recorded the conversation when you could be face to face. To actually be in the room with him and both be in tears was really quite extraordinary. It means a lot to me, as I know it did to him. There is a real beauty that can come from confronting those difficult conversations. And I didn’t expect this. But it was just extraordinary the way it unfolded.
“The theme of the podcast is having real conversations with people in the public eye. You might think you know someone or know their story, but everyone has something behind that or something that they’ve struggled with or a time when they’ve been vulnerable or a time that they’ve regretted. The focus is very much having conversations about the things that matter, and seeing a different side to people who we think we know, or think we understand. There’s always a lot more to everyone than meets the eye.”
Across the rest of the series, Rowe will chat with Sarah Wilson, Pauline Hanson, Firass Dirani, Mitch Tambo, Julia Morris, Steph Rice, Candice Warner, and Curtis Stone.
Asked about what her dream guest list for the show would be, Rowe said they don’t have to be big stars.
“I love Drew Barrymore. I think she is just such a great woman. Angelina Jolie, wouldn’t she be incredible? I’d love Hugh Jackman. It doesn’t have to be big overseas people. But it’s just people who have a story to tell and obviously people in the public eye, and I feel very lucky with this first series that who I’m talking to are such great people. Some of them are my friends, some I’ve admired, and some I sort of wondered about.”
When asked if she had any inspirations for the show, Rowe pointed to a few examples.
“Richard Fidler is extraordinary and he is a listener. That’s what I think is the key. And my beautiful bestie Denise Drysdale really taught me in terms of interviewing people and performing with people that look really look, and listen, really listen. Too often people don’t do that and you can miss the gold that’s there. So you really need to listen and Richard Fidler does that incredibly.”
Rowe said that she is having a great time producing the show and her main goal is that it keeps on keeping on.
“It’s been so good for my soul to do this during this very uncertain time. Long term, I don’t think any of us can get too far ahead, because none of us knows what’s around the corner. But for me, I want to keep doing these really open-hearted conversations with people.”
[Listen to The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show here]
Mike and Emma on what makes the breakfast show podcast special
Every weekday morning Mike Etheridge and Emma Chow broadcast to Western Sydney from ARN’s The Edge 96.1 and further afield on the iHeartRadio app and DAB+ station. Etheridge and Chow spoke to Mediaweek’s Tess Connery about how the breakfast show’s podcast comes together.
The team behind the scenes is a small one, and it’s Chow who is in charge of getting the podcast out after the show. Etheridge credits the Mike E & Emma podcast’s strong numbers to the fact that Chow has a knack for identifying extras that listeners could only hear on the podcast.
“The podcast is an extension of the show with extra bits that we can deep dive into,” said Chow.
“People mainly resonate with things like the title of a podcast that says ‘The five signs that your relationship is about to be over’, the things that they can relate to and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, is that me? Is that what’s going to happen to me?’
“On the podcast, listeners also seem to care more about money issues. We did a chat with Victoria Devine from She’s On The Money, and they really love anything about buying your first property. Even getting into the neuropsychology of why you need to get rid of toxic friends and that kind of thing, they’re really into that deep-dive conversation. We wouldn’t normally do an eight-minute break on a topic, but they love to listen off the radio and on the podcast.”
Etheridge says that the pair put thought into how they talk about the podcast on air.
“When we’re on air instead of just a throwaway line about ‘listen to our podcast after the show’, every half an hour we’re saying, ‘hey, there’s a great episode up now, which is about why your relationship could fail’, or ‘five ways to get your foot onto the property ladder’. We’re giving them extras and telling them if you want to hear more, download the podcast.”
For Chow, the podcast gives listeners an opportunity to learn more about what goes on off-air. “If I’m listening to a radio show and I head to the podcast, I don’t want to hear the same stuff that they’re already talking about. I want to hear different sides, I want to hear different opinions.
“A lot of the opinions and the stories and the angles that we take in the podcast exclusive interviews are still us, but it’s kind of a behind-the-scenes of how we live our lives as well. So they’re getting a different viewpoint than what they would normally get of us on air.”
[Listen to Mike E & Emma podcast here]
Kumi Taguchi and Michelle Stephenson join DM podcasts for The Best Podcast Ever
Journalist and host of Insight Kumi Taguchi and Nova news director Michelle Stephenson launched The Best Podcast Ever on September 1.
After following each other on Twitter, Taguchi and Stephenson have decided to get to know one another on their weekly podcast while chatting about politics, social media, books and music.
The Best Podcast Ever is promising to be like a dinner reservation, where the girls meet each week to get know each other and ultimately see whether they like each other enough to meet again next week.
With both hosts bringing 20 years of media experience to the table the two worlds of commercial radio and broadcast TV collide.
The Best Podcast Ever is the latest addition to DM Podcasts and the Nova Entertainment Podcast Network.
[Listen to The Best Podcast Ever here]
Cooking with Richo new season on LiSTNR
Cooking with Richo returns with a new season on LiSTNR, offering an immersive experience for the audience to learn about a technique of cooking and then cook alongside Richo in real-time.
Throughout the podcast Richo focusses on different cooking techniques, including pan-frying and grilling, with roasting featured in the new season – these techniques provide the amateur chef with the foundations that can be applied every time they set foot in the kitchen.
Adrian Richardson said: “Cooking with Richo has been a fantastic way for me to pass on the skills and some of the tips that I have picked up over 35 years of cooking. I look forward to you joining me in my happy place and sharing my love of all things food with you in season 2 of Cooking with Richo.”
Cooking with Richo is produced by LiSTNR Producer Mat Dwyer.
[Listen to Cooking with Richo here]
Do You Even Influence? secures TikTok Australia’s user division
Following its launch in May, Do You Even Influence? has released the first-ever podcast interview with TikTok Australia’s user division this September.
Hosted by Renee Buckingham, Do You Even Influence? pulls back the curtain on the world of influencing.
In a new series of episodes, listeners will hear from the likes of TikTok Australia’s Community Marketing Manager Thomas Grainger in the company’s first Australian podcast interview from the user team.
Matt Hey, Hayley Anderson, Abby Gilmore, and Taryn Williams will also appear on the show.
[Listen to Do You Even Influence? here]
Jules Robinson to co-host Kidspot’s The Juggling Act
Kidspot.com.au has announced a new co-host of its parenting podcast The Juggling Act, businesswoman and mum-of-one Jules Robinson. Robinson joins Kidspot.com.au editor and mum-of-two Melissa Wilson for the podcast each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The Juggling Act podcast covers the latest opinions, challenges, expert advice, celebrity interviews, real-life stories plus much more for busy parents.
The podcast also features special contributors Lauren Patterson (health and wellness), Evie Farrell (family travel) and Laura Mazza (advice needed columnist) sharing their expert advice.
The Juggling Act is available through Kidspot.com.au, Apple Podcasts and Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
[Listen to The Juggling Act here]
