The time for independent podcasting in Europe is now. 🇪🇺

Eurowaves #11

Hey podcasters,

Welcome to another issue of Eurowaves!

I’d like to start off by revisiting the last edition’s topic focusing on the history of podcasting. Correction! Podcasting definitely did not begin with NPR. As you’ll hear in What’s a Podcast?: The Revolution Redefined, which is reviewed below, NPR helped push podcasting into the mainstream. But the beginnings of it were democratic and all to do with the freedom of audio, as Steph Fuccio kindly pointed out. James Cridland also shared valuable resources about the history of podcasting in the UK along with a list of articles to review and keep in our back pocket, all courtesy of Podnews. Thank you, both, for sharing your knowledge! The podcast community is all about supporting and learning from each other. The more we know, the better we can anticipate what’s coming and help grow the industry!

In other news, last weekend I attended a sound art and creative documentary workshop in Bucharest organized by Semi Silent and the French Institute. Théo Boulenger walked us through his artistic process, and I was mind-blown by the level of attention to detail and intentionality behind his choices. Audio is always top of mind. Thank you to Semi Silent and Anamaria Praviceanu for organizing! Fun fact - Théo composed for Inside Kaboul, Superhéros, and Les Couilles sur la table - all French podcasts with a huge reach.

Before we get into it, a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Opportunity: Voting is now open for the first edition of the Essential Listening Poll from Left of Dial Media. Podcast creators and lovers are coming together to build a list of the top podcasts of all time. If you’d like to participate, reply to this email. Eurowaves is an official media partner.

• Opportunity: Join The European School Radio and Podcasting Community for Active Citizenship Education. It’s the only Student Radio and Podcasting Social Network.

• News: Auphonic has optimised its automated filler-word removal for podcasts in Greek, Romanian and Hungarian.

• Reflection: Should you consolidate your podcasts into one feed? Kattie Laur discusses “Umbrella Feeds” in the latest issue of Pod The North. This is a practice I’ve noticed a lot in the European market!

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Eurowaves Update ☘️

Since the last issue, we have…

…+32 new subscribers.

Please share with your network to keep the community growing! My goal is to reach a community of 1,500 podcasters this year.

If you are interested in advertising in Eurowaves, reply to this or email me at andreea.coscai@gmail.com.

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🤔How can independent podcasting be sustainable?🤔 with Mercury's Liam Heffernan

Liam Heffernan is an award-winning podcast producer with over 15 years of experience in the audio and media industries. He has been fully dedicated to podcasting since 2021, working as a freelancer, for agencies, and independently. In early 2025, Liam combined her extensive knowledge of independent production with years of firsthand experience to launch Mercury, a brand-new independent podcast network that represents the best indie shows from around the world.

Mercury is also launching a new original show on May 4 (this Sunday): Beth's Spooky Story Time. It’s a new horror anthology podcast, with immersive sound designed to be enjoyed least while alone at night with sound-cancelling headphones on. From paranormal experiences to creepy encounters and terrifying ordeals, these stories are the stuff of nightmares... if you get to sleep at all.

You can connect with Liam on LinkedIn and read the full interview here.

Mercury is a new network for the best independent podcasts in the world. What is your vision for it?

What I found from talking to a lot of other creators is that big networks fail to provide the support that's needed, and that's because big networks are only really set up as a sales and marketing function. They're great if you're already big enough to make money, but pretty completely ineffective for all of the great indie shows with best in class content in need of a little boost.

I wanted to create a network for those shows big enough to be earning and scaling, but not big enough to command the attention of the big networks. Mercury is filling that gap, and we're doing it by kinda redesigning what the foundations of a network should look like. We're not built on sales, or marketing, or PR. We're built on content. When we recruit new shows, the last question I ask is their downloads, and it's usually after I've already decided on whether they're a good fit. We have to make money, and therefore finding a healthy balance of shows, particularly while we're starting up, is important, but it's the final consideration once we've vetted the podcaster and their content, because we only represent shows we truly believe in and love ourselves.

[…]

What differences do you see between podcasting in the UK and US for independent podcasting?

The short answer is I think the UK are just a few years behind the US in terms of uptake. There's no denying that America is the centerpoint of the global podcast industry. This is changing rapidly around the world, but in the UK specifically I think there is still a challenge in embedding podcast consumption into daily life. There's still a big untapped market in the UK, especially among older listeners, whereas in the US I think podcast listening is becoming more habitual for a majority of people.

I also think when you look at huge gatekeepers in our industry like Spotify from a business perspective, they deal in USD and Euro, and as someone who is trying to scale a startup in this space within the UK, I can tell you the global infrastructure is not as accommodating as it should be to anyone working outside of USD. It's not insurmountable, but it does reflect the work that still needs to be done in the UK podcast space to create something a bit less dependent on US companies.

Share 2-3 of your favorite podcasts at the moment!

So I'm gonna stay impartial and not mention anything on Mercury (but please visit mercurypodcasts.com to find your next favourite podcast haha). Here's some of the other great stuff I'm listening to:

Americast: I always switch between this and The News Agents, but I'm very much in my Americast era at the moment. It's a staple part of my playlist because I'm way too obsessed with American culture and politics, and I do resent endorsing such a high profile show from the BBC, but it is such a great example of how to nail a news format and deliver it in a super engaging way. It continues to be the blueprint in its genre.

How Very Hannah: I am somewhat skeptical about the increasing expectation of video in podcasting but if there's ever a great case study for how to nail it, look no further than How Very Hannah. The production value, the branding, the fabulousness of it all is just so fun, and whether you watch or listen it's super bingeable. Hannah is a great host, though it is very shamelessly theatrical, so it may not be for everyone, but man do they do a great job with this show.

…Read the full interview here.

🎙️🌍What I’ve been listening to🌍🎙️

Before we get into this issue’s recommendations…In October 2024, it was reported that Polish radio station OFF Radio Krakow replaced journalists with AI ‘presenters’, weeks after letting its journalists go. Following outcry, they abandoned the use of AI. The station’s editor said they were “surprised by the level of emotion that accompanied this experiment” I wonder why the surprise. AI can be used to cut down costs but not those associated with human talent.

Chroniques du Grand Domaine

This podcast is documentary style, and the creator, Théo Boulenger, kept the specificities of audio in mind throughout the entire process. And you can really tell. The playfulness of jumping from interview to interview, from soundscapes to Lili Sohn’s narration, makes it incredibly immersive. Listen at 1x speed for the best experience. (This is mostly a reminder to myself. My go-to is 2x because my queue is long but when sound design is prioritized, we need to slow down and enjoy every bit of it.)

What’s a Podcast?: The Revolution Redefined

This is the kind of podcast that makes me feel grateful for the podcasts. It is an incredibly well told history of podcasting and the industry behind it. Allyson Marino narrates it beautifully, bringing in experts not just to recount events but to reflect. It is a must listen for anyone working in podcasting. Although it focuses on the US, there is so much here for European podcasters to learn.

Meanwhile in Europe

Shoutout to Vlad Iavita who I met at the podcasting workshop in Bucharest last weekend! He is the co-host of this European podcast, of The European Correspondent, that wrapped up last year. But it has a back catalogue full of valuable episodes. Vlad and Charles Cohen discuss everything from tax abuse to tourism and climate change. It’s a great educational podcast with an academic note and with an approachable tone, at the same time. The episodes are also bite-sized and can fit perfectly right in your day!

🇷🇴Podcasts from Romania🇷🇴

Luciana Baicea is the Project Manager on the Mind Architect team, a top Romanian podcast launched in 2019 as part of a broader project dedicated to personal development and self-knowledge grounded in science. Luciana is passionate about exploring communication tools and practices that foster collaboration, with the goal of building relationships, communities, and professional projects where people genuinely want to be involved and invest their resources.

• Istoria României

Podcastul creat de Călina e o poveste de la un capăt până la celălalt. Spre deosebire de multe alte proiecte de podcasting, care vorbesc din diferite unghiuri despre momentul prezent, Istoria României e un podcast care începe de la „Amintiri în epoca de piatră” și se încheie în prezent (sau, mă rog, în prezentul de la momentul la care a apărut ultimul episod, în 2024). E o călătorie care cred că merită făcută, indiferent dacă ești sau nu familiarizat în detaliu cu Istoria României.

The podcast created by Călina is a story from beginning to end. Unlike many other podcasting projects that speak from different angles about the present moment, The History of Romania is a podcast that starts with "Memories in the Stone Age" and ends in the present (or rather, in the present as of the release of the last episode, in 2024). It is a journey that I believe is worth taking, whether or not you are deeply familiar with the history of Romania.

• Obiceiul Pământului

Obiceiul Pământului e o serie de 6 episoade, parte dintr-un proiect jurnalistic mai amplu, sub semnătura echipei DoR și vorbeste despre sclavia romilor și amprenta celor 500 de ani de sclavie asupra momentului prezent. E o colecție de episoade în care Ana Ciobanu a spus atât povestea mare a temei podcastului – sclavia romilor și rasismul încă atât de prezent – cât și părți din poveștile individuale ale celor care i-au fost parteneri de conversație.

Obiceiul Pământului is a series of six episodes, part of a larger journalistic project under the signature of the DoR team, and it speaks about the slavery of the Roma people and the imprint that five hundred years of slavery have left on the present moment. It is a collection of episodes in which Ana Ciobanu told both the big story of the podcast’s theme — the slavery of the Roma and the racism that is still so present — as well as parts of the personal stories of those who were her conversation partners.

• Hacking Work

Parte din manifesto-ul pe care Doru Șupeală a ales să îl creeze pentru Hacking Work conține credința că oamenii și organizațiile merită mai mult decât primesc astăzi în viețile lor profesionale. E un podcast care cred că merită urmărit, îmi vine să zic mai ales de către cei care sunt preocupați de o viață profesională care să-i satisfacă, nu doar să-i uzeze, dar îndrăznesc să presupun că asta se aplică majorității dintre noi.

Part of the manifesto that Doru Șupeală chose to create for Hacking Work includes the belief that people and organizations deserve more than what they are currently receiving in their professional lives. It is a podcast that I believe is worth following, especially for those who care about a professional life that fulfills rather than drains them — though I dare say that probably applies to most of us.

Thank you for sharing, Luciana!

You can connect with her on LinkedIn here.

🚀Events and Opportunities🚀

• The Podcast Show (London, UK)

Just a few weeks left to grab your tickets! The Podcast Show is the biggest international celebration of the podcasting industry with visitors from over 40 countries descending on London.

Eurowaves is a partner of The Podcast Show to bring European podcasters together! Catch me there speaking on the European market holding dedicated moments in the Internationally Gallery Lounge. You can read about more European speakers in the latest spotlight article!

Use the Eurowaves discount code: EW10 for 10% off on your tickets.

When? May 21-22.

• The Lovie Awards

Recognising European Internet excellence in the fields of culture, technology and business. The mission of The Lovie Awards is to recognise the unique and resonant nature of the European Internet community across culture, technology and business. We believe that by elevating the best digital innovations from Europe, we can inspire a better internet, globally.

Work is judged in seven native languages including; Spanish, Italian, Dutch, French, German, Swedish and English.

When? Submit by May 9 (Early Entry). Find all deadlines here.

• Sonic Arts Voice as Legacy Workshop (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Sonic Acts invites you to apply to the archiving sound workshop Voice as Legacy: Tracing the Unwritten, led by multidisciplinary artists ghenwa (noiré) abou fayad and Yara Said. From 11 to 15 June, participants will take part in a five-day workshop in Amsterdam, during which they collectively create archives of unrecorded vocal traditions and sound art histories that re-shape the history of electronic sound. 

When? June 11-15.