The Search for Sound 🕵️
LeVar, PJ Vogt, +Top 5 and just added!
Hey Poddy People!
Last week I posted the Great Pods Top Podcasts here. The master list of publications picks are still coming in. I’ll publish that next week. I’m in the process of some more video content for y’all.
Let’s GOOOOO!!
The Round-Up
On Air Fest - Brooklyn announced their first lineup for 2024. You might remember I went to the LA Annex in November and had a good time. The original Brooklyn edition is happening on February 28th-March 1st, 2024. Lucky you, I’ll be there and will share my hot takes like before. Early bird tickets here. Read about it here.
Podcast Evolutions - The smaller Podcast Movement offshoot announced their keynote speaker for March 2024. Hrishikesh Hirway from the most excellent Song Exploder. More info here.
Barbie launched on Max streaming service today. Get to know Barbie in LA Made, which was recommended when the movie came out. It’s a fascinating history. Listen here.
Podcast to TV: A 2020 iHeart podcast, Fight Night, is being adapted for Universal for Peacock starring Kevin Hart. Read more here.
Podcast to TV: Wondery’s award-winning podcast, Dying For Sex is being adapted into a FX Series starring Michelle Williams. It’s a great podcast if you haven’t listened to it yet. Read more here.
Wondery’s renewed ‘Tis The Grinch Holiday Talk Show for a second season in 2024. Read more here.
Defector writes that Wondery is using AI as a test host in the New York market for their sports show, The Lead: Starting Five. Quite the interesting take on it and what it might mean. Read more here. Can anyone from the New York area confirm?
As Apple pushes for more Dolby Atmos sound, Dolby says business is booming. Read more here. My hot take is that the music engineering could bleed into more podcasts being mixed in Atmos. QCode already does it for all their fiction podcasts.
Meme of the week:
On to my picks this week…
Podcast: Sound Detectives
Genre: Kids & Family
Publisher: Stitcher
About: LeVar Burton presents SOUND DETECTIVES – a funny, engaging, and thought provoking podcast that invites elementary school-aged kids to explore the magic and mystery of sound. Breaking News – Across the globe, sounds are mysteriously going missing! Waves aren’t crashing, crickets aren’t chirping, and the familiar jingle of the ice cream truck is a distant memory. Follow Detective Hunch (Vinny Thomas) and his new sidekick Audie the Ear (Jess McKenna) as they solve sound mysteries and track down the nefarious Sound Swindler … all with a little help from LeVar Burton himself!
This is a great podcast for the family to listen to. LeVar pops in occasionally to move the story along, but it’s about Detective Hunch and Audie the Ear. Hunch likes to play off the detective noir, while Audie is a realist. It’s cute. For kids learning to listen and pick up on what sounds like what, it’s perfect for the format while using your imagination. In the first episode, I couldn’t figure out the missing sound until the end. For the second episode, it was easy peasy. Comes with a WeWOW style-like intro song.
Alina Barrera • Common Sense Media
"This pod has an engaging and fascinating storyline and offers useful skills for little listeners…it's clear that so much care, intentionality and attention to detail was put into all aspects of this podcast, from the writing to the audio production. It's sure to be a fun listen for the whole family."
Podcast: Search Engine
Genre: Society
Publisher: PJ Vogt
About: No question too big, no question too small. On Search Engine, host PJ Vogt answers the kinds of questions you might ask the internet when you can't sleep. If you find the world bewildering, but also sometimes enjoy being bewildered by it, we're here for you. Publishes Fridays.
I’ve seen Search Engine on lists and whilst adding some reviews I finally dropped on my queue. It’s quite enjoyable. PJ Vogt from the well-known Reply All hits all the notes with this one. One episode on the sushi scams was a nice reminder with more information than what I read about a couple of years ago on the Red Snapper scams. PJ enlists a researcher, a professor from Hawaii to help him and us understand key differences and potentially who to trust. I like it!
Claire Woodward • The Times UK
"...charming PJ Vogt answers a listener’s query in depth with experts. Great questions; better answers."
Just Added This Week…
Intrigue: Million Dollar Lover - BBC
Mortal Sin - NBC News
The Plate Show - The Plate Show
The Run-Through with Vogue - Vogue
Springleaf - James Acaster, Mighty Bunny
Amy and T.J. Podcast - iHeartPodcast Network
HBO Girls Rewatch - Amelia Ritthaler, Evan Lazarus
The Second Victim - Audible
This Is Not A Drill - Podmasters
Gooned - Emma Lehman
Murder in Boston Podcast - HBO, The Boston Globe
Radical - Campside Media, iHeartPodcast Network, Tenderfoot TV
Dr. Death | S4: Bad Magic - Wondery
Down Range - QCode, Tenderfoot TV
The Pirate of Prague - Apple, Blanchard House
Top of the Pods this past week on greatpods.co (December 4th-December 10th):
5. Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad - Sony Music *New to charts
4. The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett - Steven Bartlett
3. Stolen: Multiple Seasons - Gimlet/Spotify *Resurgence via Spotify cancellation
2. Who Killed JFK? - iHeartPodcast Network
1. Amy and T.J. Podcast - iHeartPodcast Network *New to charts
Listening with you,
Captain Ron
Great Pods is your best friend in podcast discovery. Get immersed in engaging critic reviews and ratings to help you decide on your next podcast listen. Tell a friend!
You always have such great suggestions! Thank you. Going to add a few of these to my queue :)