A non-boring podcast about European news🎙️🇪🇺 + A Celebration

Eurowaves #24

Hey podcasters,

In this issue, we’re celebrating a very exciting day (Hint: it’s not Halloween. Sorry, Halloween fans). It’s been almost 11 months since the launch of this newsletter, and we have officially reached 1,000 subscribers! Thank you all for being a part of this community, for contributing to the conversation, or simply following along. The official Eurowaves anniversary is December 6, so you can expect a special issue of the newsletter coming soon! If you found a new podcast, a new opportunity, or a new idea thanks to this newsletter, please share it with a friend.

For now, I am re-running one of the first interviews I published here, one with Katy Lee of The Europeans. They recently released their latest series, Who Does It Best?, and you can tell that I am a fan! This is a valuable interview that shows how the team is redefining news podcasts in Europe, how they collaborate internationally, and how they’re able to sustain this important work.

Before we get into it…

• The Ambies submission deadline has been extended to Nov 28. You can submit your podcast here. I’m thrilled to be a judge and discover some of the best podcasts the industry has to offer.

• I recently guested on NCP’s Your Next Chapter podcast talking all things European audio events. Thank you, JT, for the invite!

• Prea Sărac, a new Romanian podcast about debt, precarity, and inequalities, that I had the pleasure to contribute to, is now available on YouTube with English subtitles.

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🇪🇺 Podcasting & Community News 🇪🇺

• 🌎 The International Podcast Alliance (IPA), a global collaboration for podcast and audio producers, businesses and publishers, launched. It’s been spearheaded by PIA - Syndicat des Producteurs Professionnels et Indépendants de l’Audio, France and AudioUK.

• 🇪🇸Tribeca Festival is now accepting podcasts in Spanish (source: AudioGen.fm)

• 🇬🇧 Audio UK’s APAs nominations are now live!

• 💻The State of Social Impact Podcasting is a free online panel where you’ll get to hear from audio industry leaders at the intersection of social impact. Sign up to hear from speakers like Ayo Oti (Sounds Like Impact) and Austrian podcaster Regina Larko.

• 🎙️T&J: A Roman Empire Love Story wrapped after three incredible years, and released a Byzantine-themed album of all 12 end-of-episode songs.

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Eurowaves Update ☘️

Since the last issue, we have…

…+37 new subscribers.

We are now at 1,000 subscribers!

Share this issue with your podcaster friends to keep the community growing.

If you’d like to support my work, you can sign up for a paid subscription. Reply to this email for classified ads and sponsorship opportunities.

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How The Europeans is Redefining Podcasting, with Katy Lee🎙️🇪🇺

When we talk about European podcasts, ask anyone on the continent or beyond, and they’ll likely mention The Europeans. This podcast makes European news fun and digestible. And when the topics aren’t exactly fun, they still keep them engaging and accessible. There are plenty of well-produced, mind-blowing podcasts covering European affairs, but this one stands out.

Katy Lee is a print and audio journalist based in Paris. Since 2017 she has been one of the co-hosts and producers of The Europeans, an award-winning podcast about European politics and culture.

You can connect with Katy on Linkedin and listen to The Europeans wherever you get your podcasts.

What inspired you and Dominic to create The Europeans, and how has your vision for the podcast evolved?

Dominic and I have been friends since meeting at university in the UK (a very long time ago!). Podcasting boomed in the years that followed, and as audio obsessives, we’d often send each other recommendations for things to listen to.

We had also, by coincidence, both moved to continental Europe—Dominic to Amsterdam and me to Paris. Dominic is an opera singer by profession, and I’m a journalist. We’ve both been lucky to work with people from all over Europe and travel across the continent for our work. This has given us the privilege of experiencing what an amazingly diverse place Europe is in terms of its people, cultures, and landscapes.

In 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union. It was a major shock for both of us as Brits living in Europe. One thing that really stood out in our conversations after the vote was how ‘Europe’ had been treated in the UK media. The European Union, in particular, was always depicted as something very boring and complicated—something you’d never understand no matter how hard you tried.

Our life experiences had taught us that ‘Europe’ was much bigger than just the EU. It was also its incredible diversity in music, different countries’ senses of humor, and so many other things. At the time, there didn’t seem to be any podcasts that reflected this version of Europe—only dry ones about EU politics aimed at people who worked in Brussels. So, we had the idea to start a podcast that celebrated European culture while also making European politics more accessible for people outside the EU bubble. People like us: curious individuals living in Europe who wanted to better understand their neighbors and feel more connected.

Our original plan was to create a kind of European version of This American Life, with narrative stories about everyday Europeans. We quickly realized we didn’t have the kind of budget needed to produce something like that (in fact, we had no budget at all). So, we started with a much simpler format—calling each other every week between Amsterdam and Paris to discuss major news stories, highlight underreported ones, and interview interesting people from across Europe.

This format has served us well and remains the backbone of the show. However, as we’ve grown and monetized the podcast, we’ve been able to branch into narrative reporting. This means that we now occasionally produce episodes that sound much more like the This European Life we originally envisioned. We love both formats, and one of the great things about podcasting is its flexibility—it allows you to experiment and explore different approaches within the same feed.

Your show highlights underrepresented stories from across Europe. What challenges have you faced in finding and telling these stories?

For our weekly show, our team usually scours national media across Europe to find stories worth discussing. Between us, we speak six languages and can read in a few others, but being able to speak even more languages would certainly help us catch stories we might be missing (although Google Translate is a big help!). Our audience, which is spread across Europe, is also great at sending in suggestions for stories that may have flown under our radar.

Even with these strategies, we know that we miss important stories—especially in countries where independent media is under pressure or being repressed, meaning crucial stories might not even make it to the news.

For our narrative episodes, we’ve often focused on telling personal stories of Europeans. One challenge we face as a podcast is that we generally need to interview people who speak English well. We’ve never found dubbing to be a great solution for podcasts, and while some major podcast apps now offer subtitles, those don’t help people who listen while walking, cooking, or doing other activities. This has led to an uncomfortable over-reliance on the voices of highly educated, relatively privileged Europeans who are comfortable being interviewed in English.

To address this, our producer Wojciech Oleksiak has been experimenting with AI tools to clone interviewees’ voices (for example, in the episode The Big-Agri Bully Boys). This allows us to interview people in their native language and then generate English audio that still sounds like them—maintaining their voice and accent. It’s a time-consuming process, but the results are impressive, and we’re excited about the potential of this technology to help us feature a much broader range of voices. I’m generally cautious about AI, but this is an application that seems genuinely useful.

Cross-border collaboration is central to your work. What do you think makes podcasting such a powerful tool for connecting Europeans?

Its intimacy. I spent many years of my career as a print journalist, and while I still love writing, I’ve always been drawn to how audio can instantly convey the emotion of a situation.

We wanted The Europeans to feel like listening to a conversation between well-informed friends, and we love when listeners tell us they enjoy the tone of our show—warm and friendly, yet still highly informative. That’s one of the things about podcasting that helps connect Europeans: when you listen to a show, you’re choosing to spend time with the hosts and their guests each week. It’s different from simply turning on the radio as background noise. It’s deliberate.

Because of this, people often form close relationships with their favorite podcast hosts in a way that doesn’t happen with traditional media. There’s a parasocial element that helps The Europeans feel like a friendly space where people can gather for 40 minutes a week to explore their European identity.

How do you balance making European current affairs accessible to a global audience while staying true to the complexities of the topics?

There’s a cliché in journalism: “Explain it like you were explaining it to your mum.” I’ve always found that a bit sexist—why is it always a mum, and why assume she wouldn’t understand complex things?! Instead, my approach when writing scripts for The Europeans is: “Explain it like you were in a bar, talking to a friend who doesn’t know much about politics.”

Our listeners are smart, but we don’t assume they already understand the ins and outs of the EU or the political systems of every European country. In fact, we’re on a journey of learning alongside them. We use a deliberately casual tone—just as we would in any conversation with friends.

One segment that makes complex topics more accessible is Good Week, Bad Week, where Dominic and I each choose a European politician, country, or public figure and explain why they’ve had a particularly good or bad week. This format works well because one of us is always in the dark along with the listeners, allowing us to ask questions in real-time, much as a listener might.

We’re also aware that we cover politics and cultures from countries we don’t live in, which means we sometimes lack full context. For particularly sensitive stories, we often run our scripts by someone from that country to ensure we’re getting the nuance right.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to podcasters who want to explore international themes or foster a sense of community across borders?

Interview people from across those borders!

There’s a particular style of journalism—especially in the U.S.—that assumes you can understand a place simply by reading foreign reporting in your own language and then offering your own analysis. I find this approach arrogant. In audio journalism, I’m less interested in hearing one person’s ‘take’ on international affairs—I want to hear from people with firsthand experience.

No matter your podcast’s focus—whether politics, sports, or something entirely different—invite guests from different places to weigh in. Things can look very different from the other side of a border, and your podcast will be richer for reflecting that.

Is international collaboration part of your strategy for growing the podcast’s audience? What partnerships are you open to?

Absolutely! We’ve collaborated on cross-border investigations with journalists in Hungary and Bulgaria, as well as with Lighthouse Reports, a Netherlands-based investigative outlet. These partnerships have been invaluable, allowing us to work with journalists who can conduct interviews in languages we don’t speak and provide essential local context.

We’re very open to more collaborations like this—the challenge is finding the time! We’re already working on an ambitious mini-series this year, but we’d love to continue exploring these kinds of partnerships in the future.

Thank you, Katy!

🎙️🌍 Podcasts I’ve been listening to 🌍🎙️

Stories from the Beauty Parlor

Looking for a beautifully produced and sound-designed podcast? You’re in the right place. A friend recommended this show, and I loved it from the get-go. It combines topics like feminism, politics, and world issues with culture and many people’s third space: the beauty salon. You get to hear critical conversations about the state of the world and diverse cultures, from Ukraine to Morocco. It’s clear that a lot of soul has been put into this. Just one request: please add this beautiful podcast to all listening apps!

The Europeans, Who Does It Best?

Well, this one really needs no introduction. You already know it’s one of my favorites. This is the first series the team has ever produced with 100% crowd-funding (more on that here). It’s a great example of making podcasting sustainable and in service of its audience. I’m a regular listener of the weekly episodes and I also enjoy their other series, like The Oatly Chronicles, which I wrote about in a previous issue. Who Does It Best? hits all the right points about European policies, taking a critical look at past and present, from Paris to Prague. The first two episodes explore all things housing, where you get to learn some surprise twists and turns, and the latest one goes in depth exploring childcare. It’s a beautiful, informative listen!

How Do We Manage?

Next in my queue: Each week, host Stephanie von Bismarck (half-German, half-Swedish) interviews extraordinary people. Stephanie launched the show in response to the overwhelming pace of change in which technology, AI and social media are reshaping our world. Speaking to thinkers, experts, activists and creatives, her podcast explores questions like: “How can we stay healthy, happy, and resilient without resisting progress?” She platforms thinkers across the globe, including many European guests.

What podcasts have you been listening to lately?

🇳🇴 Podcasts from Norway 🇳🇴

“For the past ten years, podcasts have held a special place in my heart. I was there when podcasting was commercialized in Norway, and since then I have worked every day chasing the biggest talents to try and help them establish, grow, and make money from their podcasts.”

- Thomas Veheim

• Gåten i Isdalen / Death in Ice Valley is a true crime podcast about a woman who was found dead in “Isdalen” in Bergen back in 1970. Investigations showed that she was dressed naked and had swallowed sleeping tablets before she was burned. During her time in Bergen had used fake passports, different currencies, and stayed in different hotels. People had noticed her, but no one knew who she was. The Norwegian broadcaster NRK started their own investigation trying to tie together all loose ends, and with the help from new technology they focused on DNA findings as well as samples from her teeth. I remember this podcast had it all - excellent storytelling, a soundstage that sets the tone, and I kept my hopes up throughout the whole podcast that they were going to solve this mystery.

Gåten i Isdalen er en true crime-podkast som handler om en kvinne som ble funnet død i Isdalen i Bergen i 1970. Undersøkelser viste at hun mest sannsynlig var kledd naken, inntatt sovetabletter og brent på et bål. Det viste seg at hun hadde bodd på flere hoteller rundt om i byen, men da med falske pass og flere typer valutaer i kofferten. Likevel var det flere som hadde lagt merke til kvinnen, men ingen visste hvem hun var. NRK går grundig til verks for å prøve å nøste opp i hva som har skjedd, og ved hjelp av ny teknologi fokuserer de blant annet på DNA-spor og grundige undersøkelser av tenner. Jeg husker at denne podkasten hadde hele pakken. En god historiefortelling, et lydbilde som setter stemningen og ikke minst levde håpet om at saken endelig kunne bli oppklart.

• Roger Bullman: Etterlyst av Interpol is a podcast series from “Avhørt”. The story starts in Thailand back in 2019. Bullmann ends up in a fight that results in murder, and he decides to escape the police. Avhørt is regularly in contact with Roger, and they also travel to Asia in an attempt to get him home to Norway. Four years on the run definitely taken their toll on Bullmann. What strikes me most is how it affects him as a person. He lives in constant fear, forced into hiding, and he misses his family beyond words. In conversations with Bullman, it’s painfully clear how his spark for life is slowly fading away. Even though Bullman has taken a life, I can’t help but feel sympathy for him. There’s no doubt that he regrets what he has done, and he’s also ready to face his punishment. I can understand why he wants to serve his sentence in Norway — he fears he could be killed and never see his daughter again if he ends up serving time in Thailand.

Roger Bullman: Etterlyst av Interpol er en podkastserie fra Avhørt. Historien starter i Thailand tilbake i 2019. Bullmann ender opp i et basketak som resulterer i et drap og han bestemmer seg for å flykte fra politiet. Avhørt er regelmessig i kontakt med Roger, og de drar også til Asia i et forsøk på å få han hjem til Norge. Fire år på flukt setter definitivt sine spor hos Bullmann, og det som gjør ekstra inntrykk på meg er hvordan det tærer på ham som menneske. Han lever i konstant frykt, må leve i skjul, og savner familien sin ubeskrivelig mye. Jeg merker veldig godt på samtalene med Bullmann hvordan livsgnisten sakte men sikkert forsvinner. Selv om Bullmann har drept et menneske, får jeg likevel sympati. Det er ingen tvil om at han angrer på det han har gjort og han er også klar til å ta straffen sin. Jeg kan også forstå at han ønsker å sone i Norge i frykt for at han kan bli drept og aldri se datteren sin igjen dersom han ender opp med å sone i Thailand.

• Mannen i Theresesgate is, in my opinion, the best Norwegian podcast ever made – or at least the best I’ve ever heard. Created by Joachim Førsund, the podcast tells the story of Rustam Louis Foss, who was shot and killed by police in Therese Street in November 2021. It’s a heart-wrenching story that shines a light on mental health, while also honoring Rustam as a person and showing who he truly was. There’s no doubt that Rustam had a difficult life. He fell in with the wrong crowd, struggled with substance abuse, and had behavioral issues. But he also had a big heart, and many people came to care deeply about him and love him. What makes this story so tragic is that neither society, the healthcare system, nor the police were able to help him get back on track. Music from the podcast can be found here. There’s also a clip on YouTube of him playing piano: here.

Mannen i Theresesgate er etter min mening den beste norske podkasten som er laget – eller i hvert fall den beste jeg har hørt. Podkasten er skapt av Joachim Førsund og forteller historien om Rustam Louis Foss, som ble skutt og drept av politiet i Theresesgate i november 2021. Det er en hjerteskjærende historie som setter søkelyset på psykisk helse, men som samtidig løfter frem mennesket Rustam og hvem han var som person. Det er ingen tvil om at Rustam hadde det vanskelig. Han hang med feil folk, slet med rus og hadde et problematisk atferdsmønster. Men han hadde også et stort hjerte, og mange mennesker ble vanvittig glade i ham og brydde seg dypt om ham. Det som gjør historien så tragisk, er at verken samfunnet, helsevesenet eller politiet klarte å hjelpe ham tilbake på rett spor. Musikk fra podkasten finnes her. Det ligger også et klipp på YouTube der han spiller piano her.

Thank you for sharing, Thomas!

You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.

🚀Events and Opportunities🚀

• NCTJ Awards for Excellence (The UK)

The NCTJ runs the premier training scheme for journalists in the UK. They provide a world-class education and training system that develops current and future journalists for the demands of a fast-changing multimedia industry. The NCTJ Awards for Excellence are open for entries from students, trainee and apprentice journalists across the UK. Free to enter, the annual awards recognise the achievements of talented individuals with promising journalism careers ahead of them.

When? November 12.

• Punto de Escucha Live (Madrid, Spain)

Organized by Andrea Morán, Punto de Escucha Live will bring together audio lovers for listening sessions. They are all creations in which love (in different forms and latitudes) has prompted someone, for example, to turn on a recorder, or to think aloud about a gesture, to want to share that current of electricity that gave rise to a story, or to need to evoke a memory, a voice. There was no better place for such a session than a bookstore specializing in non-fiction and narrative journalism: Espacio Late. Join Andrea and subscribe to her newsletter!

When? November 27.

• On Air Fest (International)

On Air Fest is expanding, and they want your collaboration. For eight years, On Air Presents has built a home for creative audio and storytelling in all its forms. They spotlight the artists, storytellers, and organizations driving cultural innovation. The stage belongs to those who are breaking form and reimagining what storytelling can be. Previous highlights have included immersive podcast performances, sound-driven art installations, and conversations with creators behind culture-shaping shows. Pitch them your session, experience, performance, or installation. Selected participants will be invited to present live at On Air Brooklyn 2026, February 24–26 in Williamsburg.

When? December 5.

That’s it for now, thank you for reading!

Got an opportunity, podcast recommendation, or event to share for the next issue? Reply to this email or drop me a message.

Until next time,
Andreea Coscai