What is the worth of podcasting in Europe?💭

Welcome to the first Eurowaves issue!

Hi friends!

Starting off strong with a bold title.

First off, thank you all SO much for joining the community. The reception of the newsletter has been warming my heart for the past week, and it just goes to show, once again, how unique the podcasting community is. What makes this industry stand out is people's hearts and openness to collaboration, supporting one another, and working together towards the common goal of growing the medium. I’m finding myself counting my blessings!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been meeting with creators, producers, consortium podcasters, youth media organizations, and many more. Yes, you will hear from everyone in upcoming issues. They all have unique stories to share and contribute to the conversation about where podcasting is headed.

The chats I’ve had while building all these wonderful connections made me wonder, though… What is, really, the worth of podcasting in Europe?

The continent is fragmented by language, culture, differences in resources and funding, and, most of all, truly different listening habits. While Spain might already be used to narrative audio (shoutout to PRISA Audio’s mind-blowing work), countries like Romania, where I’m from, can’t help but stay hyper-focused on celebrity interviews and video podcasting. Sure, that’s true for podcasting everywhere, but it feels more accentuated in some countries than in others.

Even for projects working to tie different European industries together, funding remains top of mind. That’s not so different from the US podcasting industry.

I’ll keep investigating this and reporting back to you. We’ll get to the bottom of this together! My biggest hope for this newsletter is to bridge those connections, not just at a European level, but internationally.

This first issue is going to be a long one, but don’t fret. You’ll only get this in your inbox every other week, so you have time to really get into all the goodies.

Let’s get into it!

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🌁News Decoder's Andrea Knezevic on Bridging Podcasting Borders🌁

I was so excited to connect with Andrea, a fellow Balkan-gone-international podcaster!

Here’s a sneak peek of an interview where she shares some of her work and insights into European podcasting. You can read the full interview here and you can connect with Andrea on LinkedIn here.

Andrea Knezevic is a communications expert, journalist, and university professor with over a decade of experience in strategic storytelling, media, and education. Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, she holds extensive international experience, having moved to Paris for her studies and now working across Paris and Brussels. As the Communication Manager for WePod, Andrea leads efforts to foster cross-border collaboration in podcasting, combining her expertise in journalism and communication to amplify European voices and stories.

Your background is in journalism and communication. What brought you to the podcasting space?

Podcasting attracted me because it combines my two biggest passions: storytelling and connecting with people. As a journalist, I’ve always loved finding stories that matter and finding ways to share them. Podcasting felt like a natural next step because it’s such a personal medium. Hearing someone’s voice adds a layer of intimacy that you don’t always get with written articles or videos.

Collaboration is at the heart of Sounds Like Europe. Can you share some insights into the process of producing a multicultural podcast in different languages?

Producing Sounds Like Europe, WePod’s main podcast, has been an incredible learning experience for me. It’s produced in English and focuses on the podcasting scene across Europe, but the real heart of WePod is in our co-productions, like Sea of Rage and Truck Drivers. These projects go deeper by exploring stories in their original languages.

What role do you see podcasting playing in connecting European stories?

Podcasting is one of the most powerful tools we have for connecting European stories. Europe is such a diverse continent, with so many cultures, languages, and experiences. Sometimes that diversity can feel like a barrier, but podcasting has the ability to turn it into a strength.

How do you see podcasting in Europe evolving in the coming years?

Podcasting in Europe is at an exciting turning point. More creators are experimenting with innovative formats, and audiences are growing. But there’s still a lot of work to be done. One of the biggest gaps I see is the lack of resources for smaller creators, especially those working in less widely spoken languages.

Can you recommend a few European podcasts that you think highlight the creative potential of the medium?

I’d recommend Legend, a French podcast that tells extraordinary stories of both famous and everyday individuals, blending storytelling and music for an immersive experience.

Another is Buka Podcast from Bosnia, where the executive editor of Buka Magazine discusses current issues with insightful guests, offering valuable perspectives on regional topics.

Thank you, Andrea, for candidly sharing your thoughts!

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Want to be featured?

Consider this your official invitation to contribute to Eurowaves!

If you have any news from the European podcasting universe to share, simply reply to this email or shoot me a message at andreea.coscai@gmail.com.

And if you’d like to be featured in an interview or a mini-curation in your native language, I’d love to share your story with the community.

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🎙️🌍What I’ve been listening to🌍🎙️

Here are some podcasts to add to your queue (because your queue is not long enough, surely). In this section, I’ll share some podcasts or podcast episodes from the European landscape. Let’s get into it!

Titania/Unleashed by Podium Podcast (PRISA Audio) - Spanish/English

If you’re a fan of fiction podcasts or an audio nerd like myself, do yourself a favor and check this out. The podcast is an audio thriller where “technology changes the rules of the game.” The sound design is top-notch and the acting absolutely lures you in. It’s a must-listen with headphones on to do it justice. The production is originally in Spanish and it made absolute waves in the Spanish-speaking world. Titania won many well-deserved awards: “Best Podcast” in Premios Ondas 2023 and “Best Branded” in Premios Ondas Globales del Podcast 2023. The Spanish version will soon wrap up season 2, and the English version was newly released this year. Goes to show how creative these kinds of partnerships can get if brands are open to the possibilities of audio. I started listening to both the English and Spanish versions so I can practice my language skills, and it’s working! Consider me hooked!!

(EDIT: Season 2 in Spanish has wrapped up!)

Europod•News - Behind the scenes of “Porto, please don’t stop the music” - English

Europod has become one of my favorite resources to go to for all-things European podcasting. They have done such amazing work at bridging different cultures and languages. I loved this episode because earlier this year, I went on a city break to Lisbon to visit one of my closest friends. I didn’t get to visit Porto this time, but Lisbon was already outpouring with energy and art. One day, we went walking in Praça do Comércio and found a live impromptu concert given by a big group of singers, musicians, and dancers. The energy was contagious. So, listening to this episode, which goes deeper into Portugal and Porto’s music scene, was absolutely fascinating. It also touches on very important issues like the systemic limitations of public funding (please support your local artists) and even goes into some multicultural analysis between Portugal and the UK. By the way, Europod•News is available in French and English! Talking about practicing language skills.

Little Devils by TRZ Media - English

From Spain to Portugal, and now we’ve landed in Germany. This show. WOW! There has been so much discussion in the industry these past couple of years about video’s role in podcasting. Consider me on the team of audio-only fans. This podcast goes to show just why audio is so unique. I won’t spoil what the first episode is about, but just know it’s a testament to being human. The podcast as a whole, actually, is a testament to how far being curious about the human experience will take you. Take a listen with your headphones on, try not to multitask while listening to this one. Really let yourself be guided by the vulnerability and realness. Then tell me – can you imagine this with video? It would entirely change the experience and take away all the magic of the audio. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m putting this on pause and running to listen to the second episode that was just dropped.

Special shoutout to The Europeans for releasing an episode on Romania’s intensely chaotic political state over the past month. I’ll be reviewing more of their episodes in upcoming issues. It’s such a great resource, and the tone is refreshing for the European podcasting news genre. Take a listen to this episode to get yourself up to date with what’s going on on this side of the continent. It’s insanity. All I can say is I can finally get a good night’s sleep and not live in constant anxiety about the state of the world. Since the episode came out, the presidential elections have been fully cancelled and postponed. Hooray for a stress-free holiday season!

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🇷🇴 Podcasts from Romania 🇷🇴

This is the section I’m most excited about in the newsletter! I’m a big language fan, can you tell?

Every (other) issue, I’ll be sharing a mini-curation from podcasters all over Europe in their native language. We have curations coming up from Switzerland, Portugal, France, Austria, Germany, and the list goes on.

To get us started, I’ll share a few podcasts from Romania, in Romanian. Skip over this section or Google Translate the page if it got you curious!

• mame

  mame este un podcast în care Oana Sandu și Ana Maria Ciobanu explorează nuanțele, dilemele, provocările și bucuriile maternității. Este un podcast plin de substanță, cu invitate alese cu intenție, care aduc la suprafață conversații vulnerabile, reale și curajoase. Rolul femeii și al mamei în societatea românească dezvăluie multe despre dinamici pentru care este nevoie de mult mai multă educație. mame a fost produs de DoR între 2018-2022 și continuă să fie publicat de Scena 9.

• Reconectat

  Conversații autentice despre relația cu noi înșine și cu cei din jur. Un podcast absolut, dar absolut superb! Deschide discuții „tabu” (de ce oare tabu??) și educă despre cum corpul nostru și imaginea asupra lui se dezvoltă de-a lungul vieții. Ne învață cum să fim mai blânzi cu noi înșine. Mai multe informații despre podcast și noutăți aici.

• Obiceiul pământului

  Un proiect jurnalistic multimedia despre amprenta sclaviei asupra relațiilor dintre romi și români. Unul dintre puținele podcasturi narative în română și un subiect atât de puțin discutat în România. Are un script excelent și, în 6 episoade, abordează subiecte de la istorie la rasismul sistemic și la nivel de societate din prezent. A must-listen și de combinat cu această carte.

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🚀Events and Opportunities🚀

To wrap up the newsletter, every issue I’ll be sharing a round-up of upcoming events and opportunities across the continent. Maybe we’ll meet at some of these events! While we’re at it, use this section to help you plan out your 2025 city breaks.

• Sphera Media Lab (Brussels)

  On January 23rd, 2025, European Lab, the discourse programme platform, is back in Brussels with a new edition of the ’Sphera Media Lab’. Organised as part of the Sphera Network, this event will bring together media actors from across Europe for a day of talks, workshops, live recordings and screenings to celebrate independent media and their impact as essential pillars of a functioning democracy!

• Radiodays Europe (Athens)

  Radiodays Europe 2025 will be held in Athens, March 9-11. It’s the event in the Radio, Podcast and Audio World bringing together over 1,500 visitors from 65 countries over 3 days. The event is organised into sessions including keynote speeches, panel discussions, interactive sessions, summits, workshops and networking events. More to come on this in upcoming issues from the organizers themselves.

• European Podcast Academy (Milan)

  The European Podcast Academy is the first masterclass on cross-border podcasting, targeting a wide European audience of audio professionals and journalists with a keen interest in audio production. Running from the 17th to the 21st of March 2025 in Milan, the Academy is designed for professionals in the media field who already have a basic knowledge of audio storytelling and podcasting and will feature a rich program of lessons and workshops. Sign up by December 20.

If you have an event or opportunity you’d like to share with the community, reach out!

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Before I let you go, I wanted to say another big THANK YOU to all the podcasters who have already supported the launch of Eurowaves. I highly encourage you to subscribe to their newsletters and keep the supportive train going! They are all wonderful humans doing amazing (dare I say, God’s) work for the industry.

• Podnews

• EarBuds Podcast Collective

• Podcast Marketing Magic

• Ear Worthy

• Please Hustle Responsibly

• Podstack

• Sounds Like Impact

• Bingeworthy

• Sounds Profitable

• Podcasting Today

• Podwires

• Podcasting by the Moon

• Find That Pod