The country that shaped the beginnings of European podcasting 🎙️

Eurowaves #4

Hi friends,

A lot has happened in the world since the last issue. Truly, A LOT. Maybe too much. I hope you find space to rest, recharge and be inspired. The beauty of podcasting is the community bond of the industry. Let’s focus on that and draw energy from it.

Before we get into today’s newsletter, a few recommendations for where to get your podcasting news:

• PodcastingToday is your go-to UK podcasting website. You’ll get the latest news in the industry in terms of new releases, podcast reviews and tips. Check it out and bookmark it! I personally check it on the regular to stay updated with what’s new in the UK space, as well as internationally.

• Ear Worthy is another great one to keep on your radar. Frank consistently shares news from the podcasting world from the latest releases to podcaster profiles and reviews. Ear Worthy is truly dedicated to building community and that’s what the industry is all about - supporting one another.

I also highly recommend you subscribe to the AudioGen 3x3 newsletter, even if you are not a Spanish speaker. Google Translate or limited language skills (in my case) will be your friend. It regularly shares insights from the Spanish-speaking podcasting industry. If you want to familiarize yourself with the space and get inspiration on building international connections, this is a great resource.

Some highlights from Issue #89:

• The Hispanic and Latin American podcasting industries are expanding into the US space, which could inspire European initiatives towards a similar path;

• European podcasters are exploring new ways to sustain themselves: live shows, subscriptions, brand partnerships, and host-read ads;

  • Monetization is a hugely important topic for European podcasting, in a different way than it is for US podcasting. I’m planning to cover it in upcoming issues.

• Despite technological advancements, maintaining the core essence of audio—intimacy and connection between creator and audience—remains critical.

Big YES to the last point.

And since we are talking about Spain, Podimo is hiring a PR Manager to join the local team in Madrid. If you or a friend might be interested, give it a go! Podimo is a company that is very involved in the expansion of European podcasting and you might just find an interview with them in an upcoming newsletter.

Other jobs available in Europe and in the UK on Podnews.

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Eurowaves is growing ☘️

We are only at issue #4 and the newsletter has reached:

…300 subscribers!

This is so exciting for a new project, and I thank you all for joining me on this ride. I hope you are finding it helpful. That said, there are still many networks the newsletter hasn’t reached yet—networks that would benefit from it. I would appreciate it so much if you shared this in your network, with a friend who you think would enjoy it, or just a fellow podcast listener!

My 2025 goal for Eurowaves is to reach 1,500 subscribers.

That might seem like a big jump but I know we can get there. Aim high!

There are so many amazing European podcasting initiatives and my hope is to keep connecting them.

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🎙️🇪🇸PRISA Audio’s Ana Ribera García-Rubio on The Spanish Podcasting Ecosystem 🇪🇸🎙️

The first time I had a call with Ana, it slowly transitioned from introducing ourselves to full-on nerding out about what podcasts we were listening to, what’s next in our queue, and what needs to be dug out of there. We could have gone on and on for hours. Ana is a gem in the podcasting industry not only because of her expertise, but because she truly loves the medium. You have to love podcasts to understand them: how to make them, how to market them, and how to grow the industry in the long run. She also has an infectious positive energy, it’s always a pleasure to chat with her!

In this interview, you’ll learn about the Spanish podcasting industry, from its inception to the most popular genres (which might surprise you) and what makes it unique. There’s so much we can learn from it.

The full interview is available here. You can find Ana on Substack and on Linkedin.

Ana Ribera García-Rubio is Editor-in-Chief of Prisa Audio, where she manages and edits podcasts for Prisa Audio brands in Spain and Latin America, and Coordinator and Executive Producer of WePod, a transnational podcast production collaboration with nine partners from seven European countries. Drawing on more than 20 years’ media production experience, Ana established collaboration processes among different Prisa Audio brands to stimulate the creativity of podcast professionals and produce the best audio projects in Spanish.

What makes Spain’s podcasting ecosystem unique, and what would you say other countries can learn from it?

The podcast ecosystem in Spain is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, in Europe outside the Anglo-Saxon countries. Since 2015, and especially in 2016 with the creation of Podium Podcast (a label created by Prisa for the production of original podcasts), an industry has begun to take shape, and an audience for this medium has begun to consolidate. Another thing that makes the Spanish podcast industry unique in Europe is the reach that we have in many other parts of the world, especially in Latin America, thanks to the language.

How does Prisa Audio foster collaboration across brands to produce standout audio projects?

Working with brands takes time, patience, and a bold yet didactic approach.
Brands are conservative by nature, and podcasts are an advertising medium that they feel a bit intimidated by. They don't control it in the same way that they control press ads, radio spots, or advertising campaigns, so it's necessary to start with a didactic approach to the specifics of the format, its strengths, and what can be expected from it beyond a quantitative KPI that goes beyond downloads.

Original approaches that go beyond pure promotion are the ones that work best for the listener and create a much more effective identification with the brand and brand recognition than the so-called "advertorial."

What storytelling techniques from Spanish podcasts could inspire podcasters globally?

More than 572 million people in the world speak Spanish, of which 477 million are native speakers. Spanish podcast creators know that their podcasts will reach an audience beyond their borders, from Spain to Latin America and vice versa. Podcasts, especially narrative podcasts, travel back and forth, allowing both professionals and listeners to learn from other places, not only in terms of stories and themes but also in terms of production, distribution, and marketing formats. Of course, co-production partnerships that work in the same language and share some cultural similarities make such collaboration much easier.

Thinking about a listener with whom you share a language but not all the cultural, social, geographical, or economic references has an impact on the way you write, on the way you tell things so that no listener is left out.

How do you see podcasting in Spain and Latin America evolving in the next few years?

I believe that podcasting in Spanish, in Spain and in Latin America, will continue to grow. It will not be without suffering, but I believe that both the conversational format, increasingly supported by video, as well as narrative non-fiction and fiction, will continue to grow in volume and number of listeners. I am optimistic and convinced that the Spanish-speaking listening community will become increasingly curious about what is being produced beyond its borders, which will encourage the collaboration between the industries on both sides of the Atlantic that has already begun but will gradually consolidate. In addition, and despite the fact that I am not a big fan of video podcasts, this format will be very good for the recognition of certain podcasters who are already famous in Mexico, Argentina, or Spain in other countries.

Share a few of your absolute favorite podcasts but they can’t be ones you worked on!

• La Casa Grande. For me, the best podcast of 2024 in Spanish. It is a podcast about abuse and coercive control in couples, thanks to the testimonies of women who have been sheltered in the pioneering centre for abused women in Spain. It's a tough podcast, but it answers the eternal question of those who don’t know: why didn’t the woman leave if he was abusing her? Shocking, but a must-listen. Its creator, Isabel Coello, has been working independently on this project for 3 years.

• Hechos Reales. Independent stories on topics as diverse as the life of Bin Laden's son in France, Facebook content moderators, the story of the Spanish engineers who landed a man on the moon, Spanish mercenaries in Ukraine, and the story of a terrorist who is now out of prison by day and working as a psychologist.

• A discovery of the past year, a very strange but captivating fiction: Modes of Thought of Anterran Literature. It's a wonderfully written piece, which has the undeniable merit of being challenging to listen to.

🎙️🌍What I’ve been listening to🌍🎙️

Boots presents Taboo Talk (UK)

I am very interested in learning more about European branded podcasts and Boots’ was an interesting one to start with. The last episode is from February 2024 but I found an extensive catalogue to go through. It’s a chatty show that explores different taboo topics and brings on special guests that range from celebrities to activists. I listened to the episodes on neurodiversity and coming out . The conversations were nice to listen to, but I wish they had more structure and went deeper into the taboos discussed. One thing I did love, though, was the focus on personal stories—that’s what podcasting is about.

BRUBBLE (Belgium)

A friend recommended this one, and it’s definitely a win for podcast listeners! The podcast is focused around conversations with young people in Brussels and every episode, they discuss a different European-relevant topic. I listened to Ranking EU Tourism Slogans. I think from an outsider’s perspective, this has the same “cult-like” energy as Eurovision. I loved it. One thing I also appreciate is the diversity in the topics they cover. The next episode in my queue is Women Candidates in the 2024 Elections.

ARE WE EUROPE

This is a phenomenal podcast that released a series called This Is What A Generation Sounds Like. It’s a collection of intimate stories, bursting with sound design. Right up my alley. I was instantly hooked when I found the episode with Denisa, a Romanian young girl who moved to Germany when she was just a teenager. She goes into detail about her experience, the rollercoaster of emotions and the nuances of it. This is perfect for fans of narrative podcasts.

🇫🇷Podcasts from France🇫🇷

Eloïse is a French Audio Producer, Podcast Marketer, and Writer originally from Réunion Island and now working freelance in London. With a focus on narrative and experimental audio and community-driven projects, she has collaborated with Europe 1, Women&Podcast network, Transmission Roundhouse, ELAN, Audio Always, independent podcasters and more. Both her creative audio work and industry articles have been featured in the UK and internationally.

You can connect with Eloïse on LinkedIn here or @eloiselovespodcasts on Instagram.

• Enlèvement à l’italienne: Quand je pense à ce que la France fait de mieux en production audio, Arte Radio me vient immédiatement à l’esprit. Avec la récente disparition de la journaliste Marine Vlahovic, il m’a semblé évident de mettre en lumière une de ses séries documentaires. “Enlèvement à l’italienne”, c’est l’histoire de Daniel Nieto, un braqueur marseillais reconverti dans le kidnapping, qui raconte lui-même une prise en otage bien particulière. Pour les fans du POV anti-héros charismatique (particulièrement intéressant selon moi à l’heure du phénomène internet Luigi Mangione), c’est un récit troublant explorant la relation complexe entre un criminel et son otage, porté par un sound design immersif inspiré des bandes-son du cinéma italien des années 1970.

• RomComment?: C’est l’un de ces podcasts conversationnels indé’ “feel-good” qui tire son charme de son côté brut et authentique – l’un des premiers que j’ai découverts et l’un des seuls que j’écoute encore cinq ans après. A chaque épisode, Flore et Clara décortiquent l’histoire d’amour d’un film romantique culte à sous le prisme du trope (ou schéma narratif récurrent) qu’il explore. A mi-chemin entre la critique de film et le format "réaction" ultra populaire sur YouTube, les deux hôtes analysent les scènes clés et les arcs narratifs, prennent parti pour les personnages, et commentent le traitement des relations amoureuses d’hier par rapport à aujourd’hui, le tout avec à la fois beaucoup de justesse et d’humour. Point bonus : la DA du podcast est une véritable pépite.

• Transmission: Il y a une place spéciale dans mon coeur pour les podcasts qui mettent en avant la création de formats expérimentaux par des auteurs émergents. Quand j’ai commencé à travailler dans le podcast en France, j’allais aussi souvent que possible aux soirées d’écoute de La Cassette à Aubervilliers, un lieu associatif consacré à la radio tenu par le collectif Transmission. Le podcast du même nom regroupe les travaux réalisés au fil des ans par les membres ayant participé aux ateliers, mêlant unitaires intimes expérimentaux et premiers essais documentaires de journalistes qui ont depuis fait un long chemin.

Thank you so much for sharing, Eloïse!

🚀Events and Opportunities🚀

• EBU Audio Storytelling Festival (Lithuania)

The four-day festival agenda will incorporate unique insights into the Lithuanian audio storytelling scene, alongside group listening sessions and facilitated discussions, the “How I made it” masterclasses by the award-winning authors, and many more talks around the best practice and craft of audio storytelling, as well as carefully curated cultural evening events.

We are asking for suggestions of the best, most inspiring and impactful crafted audio programmes from across the world.

When? May 25-28; The deadline to submit is January 31.

• Leipziger Hörspielsommer Short Audio Drama Competition (Germany)

Since 2020, Hörspielsommer e. V. has been organising a Short Audio Play Competition to accompany the festival. Audio pieces (including radio plays, sound collages or features) with a length of up to 3 minutes can be submitted. There is no specific theme or motto.

As part of Germany’s largest audio drama festival, the 23rd Leipziger Hörspielsommer, a selection of the best entries will be presented to the public in July 2025. The audience will choose three winners during the festival.

When? The deadline to apply is February 1.

• SONOHR Radio & Podcast Festival (Switzerland)

The SONOHR radio & podcast festival is a three-day celebration of creative documentary and fictional audio stories that are rich in sound, and an event which also allows for an active exchange between authors and the audience. We offer the unique experience of enjoying thrilling radio dramas, intriguing documentaries, experimental sound art or interactive audiowalks together with friends and like-minded people.

When? February 21-23.

Before you go…

As covered by Podnews, the Daily Mail has launched its first US podcast: Welcome to MAGAland: Inside Trump’s Second 100 Days. It’s exciting to think about the opportunities that can emerge from cross-industry collaborations. While this is at a large network level, smaller networks and independent producers can also get excited about the possibilities that may come up from projects like these.

That’s all for this issue—see you next month!