Compiled by Tess Connery
What podcasts are Aussies searching for?
Google Search is a barometer for what the world is talking about, and at SXSW Sydney last week, a session by WPP’s Rose Herceg and Google’s Mel Silva got to the bottom of everything Australia has been searching. From “What is my IP?” to “How to cook rice”, one of the lists the pair analysed was Australia’s most searched podcasts.
The top ten list of Australian search terms overall from January to September 2023 were:
“True crime is a big trend, and Aussies disproportionately love a true crime podcast,” said Silva.
“I think The Teacher’s Pet also got a bit of that pent-up interest because it wasn’t available during the whole course of the case. It finally became available again this year after the verdict, so there’s a lot of catching up to do. But I love the fact that The Imperfects is up at number two.”
‘There’s Aussie content there as well,” added Herceg.
“We’ve got US content at number one, but there’s a lot of Australian content and that should make us really, really proud. The great trick of content, I think, is to keep Australia’s culture alive. We have our own unique tone of voice, of how we live Done Under. We have 270 nationalities, it’s an incredible country. I like seeing Aussies on the list and that we’re not just blown out by global content.”
[Read more from SXSW Sydney here]
LiSTNR cracks the case on UnTrue: an (Un)True Crime Podcast for Kids
LiSTNR is launching UnTRUE: an (un)true crime podcast for kids, produced using binaural recording and spatial audio design techniques, which ensures an immersive listening experience. The first series also launches with an Australian-first companion game on global metaverse platform, Roblox.
UnTRUE is an (un)true crime fiction podcast series that’s both a fun mystery for kids and a ‘true crime’ comedy for grown-ups. It launched on Tuesday, with new episodes each Wednesday.
The first season of UnTRUE: The Underdogs – Catch a Cat Burglar is adapted from the children’s graphic novel The Underdogs – Catch a Cat Burglar by Kate and Jol Temple and illustrated by Shiloh Gordon.
“UnTRUE: The Underdogs – Catch a Cat Burglar is the first in a new (un)true crime fiction podcast series for families. Based on the kid-friendly crimes of the Australian junior fiction series, The Underdogs unpacks the baffling case of a cat burglar on the loose in Dogtown,” said co-author Jol Temple.
“LiSTNR have taken our graphic novel series and built an immersive world where families are right in the middle of Dogtown as the action unfolds. UnTRUE is pioneering the kids’ podcast genre in Australia using audio drama techniques and spatial sound design that provides families with an enhanced listening experience as they work together to solve the case.”
Over eight episodes, kids and parents will be drawn into the mystery, as investigated by true crime dogcaster, Trudie Poodle, and the second-best detective agency in Dogtown – The Underdogs. Each week Trudie and The Underdogs will sniff out clues as they come closer and closer to unmasking the felonious feline behind Dogtown’s unsolved crimes. Listeners will love guessing who the Cat Burglar is, not to mention the rollicking puns and colourful characters.
Parents will recognise some of the voices in the cast, including The Chaser’s Chris Taylor who voices Detective Barkley and fellow Chaser Andrew Hansen who voices four characters, and Zehra Naqvi from the Octonauts who voices Dr Spots and Rita Ringus.
[Listen to UnTRUE: The Underdogs – Catch a Cat Burglar here]
Author Dr Yumiko Kadota tells Yvie Jones about being a female surgeon
On the latest episode of Nova Podcast’s Two Girls One Pod, Yvie Jones was joined by Dr Yumiko Kadota to chat about how burn out changed her life.
Dr Yumiko Kadota worked in the hospital system for 12 years and has seen the toll that has on herself and her colleagues around her. She went through a period of burnout from her job which left her unable to control her bodily functions and hospitalised.
She shares her story, and speaks about how she turned that period of her life into a book which she now hopes other members of the medical community will learn from.
Speaking about leaving her job as a plastic surgeon, Kadota said that “I didn’t see anyone who did it, who people spoke well of. And that’s the problem. When people leave…they’re like, oh, they couldn’t handle it. Or they’re were never meant to be a doctor. Or people will say stuff because it’s so much easier to blame the individual than look at the potential systemic factors that might have driven them to leave. So I knew that I would be bad mouthed.
“If I were to leave people said, oh, yeah, she couldn’t handle it. She was weak. She couldn’t cope with the stress. I knew that. And people did say a lot of those things afterwards. And I knew they would. … I did the right things, I went through the right channels to try and say, look, I’m not able to cope with this workload, it was just way too much. And it takes a lot for anyone, especially a junior doctor to even say that. So for me to ask for help was a big deal. And then to not have anything addressed. I was just like, this is not gonna work.”
[Listen to Two Girls One Pod here]
Behind every great selfie is a great woman: Monash podcast examines influencer culture and feminism
Monash University’s podcast, What Happens Next?, has published a two-part exploration of influencer culture, parasocial relationships and feminised labour featuring notable content creators and academic experts.
The rise of influencer culture has taken over social media, television screens, and even the big screen. But what’s happening behind the selfie stick, and how does it relate to gender dynamics?
In these episodes hosted by academic and commentator Dr Susan Carland, listeners explore the not-so-shallow world of influencers, learning to challenge gender biases both online and offline.
Influencer culture is not just a hobby; it’s a billion-dollar industry primarily powered by women. Despite this, male influencers are paid approximately 30 per cent more than their female counterparts.
The podcast series features a lineup of influential guests, including Instagram influencer and content creator Olivia White, and veteran radio broadcaster and comedian Jo Stanley, a Monash alumna who is the co-founder and CEO of Broad Radio, an organisation promoting women’s representation in media. Dr Kate Fitch, a senior lecturer in Monash University’s School of Media, Film, and Journalism, adds her expertise as a leading scholar in feminised labour and public relations.
[Listen to What Happens Next? here]
