This European Life, or how to make politics podcasts more accessible
Eurowaves #5
Hi friends,
A lot has happened since the last issue, so let me give you a quick recap:
I was a guest on Podnews Weekly Review, chatting with the wonderful Sam Sethi all about the present and future of European podcasting and the opportunities you should keep an eye out for.
Thank you so much for having me on! You can find the transcript in the Podcasting Business Journal.
AIR Media included Eurowaves in their Audio Communities and Groups page. Thank you for always thinking global, AIR team!
If you’re interested in international collaboration (of course you are since you’re reading this), join the community.
Goodpods is the global community for podcast listeners! My favorite feature is that you can create your own lists and share them with the industry. I added one on European podcasting, and you can do the same for a topic you enjoy here.
I also curated a list for Podcasting Today, which you might have seen me shouting out before. It’s your go-to website for UK news, brought to you by Steve Collins!
I am beyond grateful for all the love Eurowaves is receiving.
More than anything, it’s proof of how needed a community for European podcasters and international podcasting opportunities was.
You’re in good hands here!
Eurowaves Update ☘️
Last issue I was telling you about my 2025 goal to reach 1,500 subscribers.
Well, as an update, from two weeks ago to today, we have…
…+50 new subscribers!
We reached the 400 mark, welcome everyone! If you find this newsletter helpful, please share it with your podcasting friends, fellow journalists or organization colleagues.
And a reminder to send me your pitches at <andreea.coscai@gmail.com>
(please make sure you are subscribed first)
🇪🇺🎙️Katy Lee on How The Europeans Redefined Politics Podcasts🎙️🇪🇺
When we talk about European podcasts, ask anyone on the continent or beyond, and they’ll likely mention The Europeans. This podcast makes world events and politics fun! 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. Read on to find out why!
The full interview is available here. You can find Katy on Linkedin and listen to The Europeans wherever you get your podcasts.
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.
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. […]
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.
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. […]
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.
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.
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.
Bonus Question: 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.
🎙️🌍What I’ve been listening to🌍🎙️
Before getting into this issue’s recommendations, I wanted to share a couple of news updates from the past weeks that gave me an extra boost of excitement for what’s possible in the industry, brought to you by Podnews:
There are more podcast listeners than ever in the U.S., according to new data. YouTube is still the most preferred platform, but from talking to podcast lovers every day, I know there are plenty of audio-first fans eagerly waiting for the next show to add to their queue.
German podcast marketers and publishers: audio podcasts are here to stay. To my previous point! This paper takes a closer look at the advantages of audio podcasts compared to the rising trend of video podcasts.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the video vs. audio-only debate.
My question is… does it have to be a debate? Or can we find a way to integrate video in a way that honors audio while also recognizing video podcasting as its own distinct format in the industry?
The Documentary Podcast, The dogs of Palermo
Some of my ultimate favorite podcasts are the ones showing bits and pieces of everyday life. When they are rich in sound design and full of heart, it’s an even bigger plus. This episode on stray dogs in Palermo, otherwise known as cani di quartiere, is for animal lovers and audio fans. Georgia Walker introduces us to the scene and keeps us right there throughout the 26 minutes. You feel like you are a part of it.
These past weeks, I have found myself in big need of moments of breathing in between life’s distractions, and this was a breath of fresh air. Not only that, but it leaves you with a warm lesson: communities coming together. For me, community is the concept we must always come back to, especially considering the times we are living in.
EU Confidential, In Trump's new era: does Europe still matter?
Talking about the times we are living in, this one is self-explanatory. In trying to keep up with the overwhelming waves of news, we can easily lose sight of details that actually tell a bigger story. EU Confidential is a podcast that brings in real-deal experts, helping listeners connect the dots at an international level.
Personal stories are crucial, and just as important is zooming out and looking at things from a systemic level. This episode was packed with information and put forward relevant points for Europeans to keep an eye on in the coming year.
Truck Drivers/Camioneros/Vie routier.e.s
If you’ve been subscribed for a few issues now, you know WePod needs no introduction! It’s been on my list to listen to one of their latest series covering the experiences of truck drivers in Europe.
I’m challenging myself to listen to all three versions: English, Spanish, and French. It’s taking more time than I predicted because it requires my full attention when I’m listening to the non-English versions (since my queue is mainly English/ Romanian). But am I glad I chose to do this! The podcast is so well-made and highlights so many important points about truck driving, drivers’ experiences, the gendered differences in the profession, and more.
All I’m saying is—keep an eye on WePod!
🇦🇹Podcasts from Austria🇦🇹
Valentin is the host of Orbit for Creators, a conversational show about building a sustainable solo creator business. After a decade in the film industry, he discovered the creator economy in 2020 and made it his mission to build a home for creators in Europe that enables genuine connection and collaboration.
You can connect with Valentin on LinkedIn here.
Erklär mir die Welt: Ein Podcast, mit dem du die Welt jede Woche ein bisschen besser verstehen sollst. Hosted by Andreas Sator. Ein sehr abwechslungsreicher Podcast, der mir immer wieder Themen näher bringt, über die man sich sonst wenig Gedanken macht. Als Österreichs größter Podcast sollte man da auf jeden Fall einmal reinhören.
Business WTF: Real-Talk und Learnings von zwei Gründer:innen, die von Business keine Ahnung hatten. Hosted by Iris Borovcnik und Andreas Fischer von Sissigrant. Dieses Podcast Duo spricht sehr offen und ehrlich darüber, wie sie als Kreative ein Business gestartet haben und was sie dabei gelernt haben. Da ich gerade in einer sehr ähnlichen Phase bin, ist es immer wieder gut zu hören, wie es ihnen dabei geht.
Future Weekly: Zwei startup Veteranen sprechen über Technologie, Business und die Zukunft. Hosted by Daniel Cronin and Markus Raunig. Gute Interviews mit Start-up Gründern und Background-Informationen von der lokalen und internationalen Szene, die mich in dem Berreich am laufenden hält.
Thank you so much for sharing, Valentin!
🚀Events and Opportunities🚀
Ö3-Podcast-Award und Festival (Vienna, Austria)
The Ö3 Podcast Award is being presented for the fifth time. Who will win the coveted trophies this year? This will be decided by the listeners as well as a jury made up of celebrities, experts and the Ö3 editorial team.
The program consists of a mix of live podcasts , keynotes , case studies , talks and exclusive workshops . In 2024 there were 300+ participants and 26 speakers.
When? The deadline to nominate is February 28.
The Franco-German Journalism Prize (France, Germany)
The Franco-German Media Prize serves to honour a personality or organization that has rendered outstanding services to Franco-German and European unification. The award ceremony is alternately held in Paris and Berlin and marks a high point in the Franco-German exchange. The Franco-German Journalism Prize (FGJP) is endowed with € 30,000 altogether.
From 2022, it will be awarded in the following categories across the media: News Formats, Documentation, Investigation, and the Special Jury Prize. A Young Talent Prize is furthermore awarded to one of the entries.
When? The deadline to apply is March 1.
Chora Festival (Milan, Italy)
A celebration of audio culture and its diversity. There will be three days of panels, stories, performances, debates and shows, enriched by photographic exhibitions, book signings, workshops and interactive laboratories for adults and children.
The most beloved voices of Chora Media and the Italian and international podcast scene, as well as notable guests from journalism, literature and entertainment.
When? February 21-23.