Compiled by Tess Connery and Grace Gollasch
LiSTNR’s Dadtime Story Collection and how to make content for kids
Back in December, SCA announced the acquisition of Kinderling, the Australian kids’ radio and podcast company.
Now working under the LiSTNR brand, the Kinderling team have rounded up some famous dads, uncles, and pops to read their favourite bedtime stories for kids in a new podcast series called Dadtime Story Collection.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke to Lorna Clarkson and Evan Kaldor from LiSTNR’s Kinderling about Dadtime Story Collection and making podcasts for kids.
Clarkson: “We were trying to work out how to expand out our story collection, and we’re always looking at creative ways to do things.
“When Father’s Day was coming up, ather than doing the usual roll your eyes at dads, dads getting it wrong, dads making a really shit dinner, we thought how do we celebrate dads in a more positive way? How do we celebrate the really positive connections that dads have with their kids and the time that they spend with their kids?”
On board to read stories are people like Dave ‘Hughesy’ Hughes from 2Day FM’s Breakfast show Hughesy, Ed and Erin who will read How (Not) To Annoy Dad, Triple M rugby commentator Wendell Sailor reading Pig the Winner, and children’s author and one-half of podcast duo Hamish & Andy, Andy Lee, reading his own Do Not Open This Book.
Clarkson: “As soon as other people heard about it, they were like, ‘Oh, can I read a book?’. It just grew from there. We realised, well, it doesn’t have to just be a Father’s Day collection, we’ll launch it for Father’s Day, but we’re going to start to add stories to this collection over time, as we get other great dads in to read books.”
The selection of stories in Dadtime Story Collection covered a huge range of topics, something that is very important to the Kinderling team.
Kaldor: “We really try to balance the titles kids recognise because they’re reading it at home, they see it in their libraries, or at school, with the other issues. Stories are a really powerful way to communicate with kids around their place in the world, and right now, it’s a very tricky place. There’s a lot of stuff going on Covid, identity, mental health, all these kinds of things. Stories are a great way to help kids process what’s happening.
“You can get these really straightforward dads reading stories and just enjoying the moment, but it is also a really important way to have conversations and to broach topics like that without it being too earnest and wordy. That’s what we’re trying to do, balance the entertainment side, the education side, and inclusiveness as well.”
The rise in kids’ podcasting has been meteoric, a fact which the pair attribute to a number of factors.
Kaldor: “Covid certainly increased consumption of family media – we had phenomenal growth in terms of podcasts. I think it’s one of those things where with families, the way we approach content is very much around asking how we create audio that sparks imagination, and really talks to giving kids a screen-free alternative.
“We’re not saying no screens, but as the kids get more and more focused on screens – whether it’s the metaverse or at school – there is a real desire to balance that with audio.
“If you look at the consumption patterns, 80% of podcast usage is at home, which speaks really well to what we’re doing with families.”
There is a lot to consider when creating any podcast, but there is a whole other layer to work with when making content aimed at children.
Clarkson: “They have to be appropriate, they have to be safe. When we’re creating kids podcasts, we put a lot of thought into the language that we use because we realise kids are absorbing information in a way that is beyond what an adult does – because everything to them is true. Everything is real. So any information we give to them, we’re really considering that we’re giving them the right message, especially if it’s educational content.
“We want it to be appropriate for a child, but we don’t dumb it down. We’re really careful to make sure that the kids’ content we’re making is not patronising to a child, that we really understand that kids are intelligent.”
There is one other – potentially surprising – aspect that sets childrens’ content apart from adult podacsts.
Clarkson: “I’d say the production quality of our kids’ content is far deeper and more rich than adult content. Adult content is really designed around conversation, because that’s the way adults will absorb it. The actual sound design behind it isn’t as important. But for a child, you’re building a world for them and they will absorb every detail of that.”
[Listen to Dadtime Story Collection here]
LiSTNR launches season two of The Howie Games Artist Series
Mark “Howie” Howard, host of sports-based podcast, The Howie Games, is continuing to expand with the launch of a second series of The Howie Games Artist Series on LiSTNR.
The Howie Games Artist Series sees Howie interview famous artists and creatives from diverse fields who also have a passion for sport.
To kick off season two, Howie talks exclusively with TV presenter and Logie winner Tony Armstrong.
Season two of the Artist Series also features TV presenter Grant Denyer, Australian comedian Glenn Robbins, senior sports journalist Robert Craddock, TV presenter and swimming legend Johanna Griggs, TV and radio presenter Ryan Fitzgerald and Zimbabwean former cricketer and singer Henry Olonga and superstar Jack Johnson.
Mark Howard said: “To be able to combine the sporting sphere with the creative space is a true joy. So many of our artistic performers love their sport and it’s an opportunity to hear a side of them you’ve never heard before.”
[Listen to The Howie Games Artist Series here]
“Vibrant podcast country”: Matt Deegan on the 2022 Australian Podcast Awards
Earlier this year, Australia officially overtook the U.S as the world’s biggest podcast listening nation, according to data from Edison Research.
In light of Australians turning up the podcast dial, it’s no surprise that this year’s Australian Podcast Awards are shaping up to be one of the biggest yet.
The country’s most prestigious and well-recognised podcast awards, powered by iHeart, will celebrate existing and emerging talent across the podcasting landscape, with the addition of new categories and more inclusivity to recognise a broader range of creators.
Mediaweek met with Australian Podcast Awards director, Matt Deegan, to discuss this year’s awards and the evolving podcast landscape.
Deegan says Australia is a “vibrant podcast country,” with its podcasting roots stemming from its “very competitive radio landscape.”
“When you combine that competitive spirit with an exciting bunch of new creators all across the country, who are creating really good work, it makes it brilliant for listeners.”
Matt Deegan
Rising podcast popularity
The Australian Podcast Awards allows creators of all experience levels and follower counts to have the chance to be recognised in the world of audio.
“There can be so many kinds of great creators, and what we have to try to do with the awards is just reflect that great work and champion the great Australian podcasts,” he said.
“There are some shows that may have a few 100 listeners that haven’t quite cut through, and they just need someone to pick it up from that pile and go, “Oh, my God, this is amazing, everyone should listen to this to this podcast.” So that’s what I think we’re most proud of – when the lights can shine on great shows.”
Australian Podcast Award extends submissions deadline
The Australia Podcast Awards (APAs), powered by iHeart, has extended its deadline for entries.
The new date to submit an entry is Monday, October 3 at midday. The new deadline is right before Podcast Day 24 in Sydney on Tuesday, October 4.
Over 90 judges listened to nearly 1,000 submissions in 2021, awarding gold to 29 top podcasts across categories from True Crime to Comedy and Sex and Relationships.
The 2022 Australian Podcast Awards promises to be bigger and better than ever with a total of 33 award categories from best new podcast to podcast of the year and every genre-based category in between.
There are also new awards including podcast climate aware and best parenting podcast.
Piccolo Podcasts celebrates third birthday
The multi-award-winning production house, Piccolo Podcasts, is celebrating three years of producing branded and original content.
The podcast production company boasts partnerships with the ASX, The PR Hub, NewsCorp, Macquarie University, Sydney University and more.
Andrew Menczel
Beginning in 2013, founder Andrew Menczel started one of the first regular Australian sports podcasts with the Australian Cricket Podcast, which has featured interviews with a dozen Australian cricket captains. In 2019 Menczel was approached by brands and businesses looking for producers with podcast expertise, and Piccolo Podcasts was founded.
Piccolo then produced their first branded podcast in collaboration with New Republique Agency, creating the Digital Growth Hacking Podcast, Australia’s first podcast dedicated to all things conversion rate optimisation, experimentation and personalisation.
[See Piccolo Podcast’s work here]
Best-selling Melbourne author launches new podcast
At 24 years of age, Melbourne-based author Matt Rogers has forged an impressive career: selling more than 1,000,000 copies globally of his 31 novels in just six years.
Best known for his fiction series, King and Slater, Jason King, Will Slater and Dante Jacoby, Rogers is now launching a new podcast that probes a surprising plot twist in his own narrative.
The self-published author’s new podcast, Heroic Traits: A Best-Selling Author’s Guide, will explore themes of revelation and personal discovery through the lens of fictional storytelling.
Joined by host Billy Bentley, Rogers discusses the confronting nature of the self-publishing industry, crafting an engaging protagonist, and how writers can learn from their critics to become successful authors.
During the first episode, Rogers reveals how he blurred the lines between self-improvement and fiction in his new Dante Jacoby series. He speaks with Billy about his protagonist’s journey and how these lessons have connected with his own life and those of his readers.
Heroic Traits: A Best-Selling Author’s Guide launches October 4.
[Listen to the Heroic Traits: A Best-Selling Author’s Guide preview here]
iHeart and KIIS announce original podcast Concealed with Art Simone
Launched on September 27, iHeart and KIIS’s latest original podcast, Concealed with Art Simone takes listeners through a journey of discovery, with each episode featuring a guest with an incredible secret life.
As one of Australia’s most beloved drag queens, Art Simone uses her trademark panache in conjunction with deductive reasoning and well-rounded smarts to discover the secret of the guest by the end of the episode. Once Art has revealed the truth, her guest lays bare all the details on their secret life that will leave listeners hungry for the next episode.
On the launch of her show, Art Simone says, “It’s finally here! I am so stoked to be launching my brand-new podcast, Concealed with Art Simone (that’s me!). I have had a ridiculous amount of fun recording these episodes and putting my investigative skills to the test – as I explore and celebrate extraordinary sides from everyday lives. I can’t wait for you all to join in on the fun and fall in love with these fabulous fellows just like I have!”
[Listen to Concealed with Art Simone here]
SCA and AFL extend partnership by announcing podcast co-collaboration
SCA and the AFL have announced a multi-year podcast co-collaboration agreement to develop audio-on-demand concepts for the league and extended their long-standing partnership for Audio Broadcast Rights.
The Australian-first agreement is an extension of SCA and the AFL’s long-term radio broadcast agreement with Triple M.
The AFL and LiSTNR will collaborate with their respective resources in creating, producing, distributing, and commercialising in app programming and feature podcasts including SCA talent and AFL league stars.
The new radio partnership covers the 2023 and 2024 AFL seasons and includes the exclusive FM radio rights in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and rights on all other Triple M metro and regional radio stations around Australia, including SCA’s Canberra joint venture station Mix 106.3.
The new agreement also confirms that all AFL men’s matches in every round will be available anywhere in Australia on LiSTNR and selected AFLW women’s matches, including the AFLW grand final, will also be available anywhere in Australia on LiSTNR.
Effective from 1 November, the rights agreement will see Triple M continue its AFL programming.
