The Human Podcast Recommender
With 25 podcast apps on her phone and an all-day listening habit, Phoebe Lett is one of podcasting’s biggest fans. Well known as the founder of the NYT Podcast Club Facebook group, Lett now publishes listening lists for The Times, adding her voice to the small-but-growing arena of tastemakers shaping what gets heard. We spoke with Phoebe about what’s worth listening to today, and how she finds it. Read the full interview here.
Our new favorite thing: Room Tone, a collab between MoMA PS1 and The Creative Independent is a new series of studio visits with musicians streamed on IG Live. Each episode happens in-studio with a conversation on creativity during COVID-19 followed by a performance or listening session.
Announced today: Michelle Obama is going podcast. The ex-FLOTUS’ first show will debut exclusively on Spotify on July 29th.
Also in the news, Tracy Clayton is the newest host of Going Through It which launched its second season earlier this week. Each episode will feature a prominent Black woman discussing a pivotal moment in their lives when they decided it was time to make a change.
This On Being conversation between trauma specialist Resmaa Menakem and author of White Fragility Robin DiAngelo is required listening.
For a short and affirming listen, check out Best Advice Show. Launched early in quar as “a daily reminder that there are weird, delightful and effective ways to survive and thrive in this world” each episode runs < 5 minutes and lands with a meaningful piece of wisdom. Hear advice from Adrienne Maree Brown,Jay Allison, Hanif Abdurraqib and more.
NYT Magazine asked 29 authors to write new short stories inspired by the moment, and this week you can listen to audio versions of two of them, by Tommy Orange and Edwidge Danticat.
Looking to get your podcast to a bigger audience? Shouts to Elena Fernández-Collins for crafting a guide to writing a podcast press release.
Inside/Outside/Inside is a virtual walking tour guided by special guests through Google Maps’ street view and tab hopping. The next one is coming up July 29th.
We’re listening to this episode of Talkhouse Podcast featuring musicians Black Belt Eagle Scout, SASAMI, and Vagabon.
This week’s RadioLab ‘The Flag and The Fury’ looks at the story behind de-flagging in Mississippi. Reported and produced by On Air alum Shima Oliaee.
What’s on your radar? We’d love to hear where you’re finding inspiration. Send us an email at hello@onairfest.com, and we’ll share out some of our favorites in the next Off Mic.
Our Conversation with Phoebe Lett
We asked the prolific listener how she finds new shows, and what goes into her selection process. Here’s an excerpt.
On Air Fest:
In the showdown between algorithmic vs. human recommendations, who wins?
Phoebe Lett:
My favorite question to hear is “What should I listen to?” Recommending podcasts is a little more complicated than recommending music. What exactly is drawing a person to it. Is it the subject matter? Easy. Is it this certain flavor of dry humor? Is it the speaker’s endearing twang? The friendship between the show hosts? The caliber of guests? The community engagement between show and audience? Those things are harder to quantify without asking podcasters to really atomize exactly what their show is, and the trick will be pairing that with totally atomized listeners.
