Radio companies are well represented among podcasting’s finalists for the fifth annual Signal Awards. iHeartMedia, Audacy, NPR, and a string of public radio stations from New Hampshire to West Texas are competing for honors to be announced in October.
The Signal Awards, run by Sounds Profitable, said submissions rose 30% for the second straight year. Finalists are now competing for the Listener’s Choice Awards, with fan voting open through October 15 at vote.signalaward.com. Winners of both the Listener’s Choice Awards and the Judging Academy’s bronze, silver, and gold honors will be announced October 20, followed by a Winner’s Party in Brooklyn on November 9.
Smart Talks with IBM, from Ruby Studio by iHeartMedia, is among the highlighted Finalists, while iHeartMedia’s Straightiolab is up for Best Comedy Podcast and CrimeLess, from iHeart Productions, is a Finalist for Best True Crime Podcast. Audacy’s unPaused Podcast, hosted by menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver, is a Finalist for Best New Podcast. NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin is competing for Best Video Podcast Host.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Operation Night Cat and Marfa Public Radio’s A Whole Other Country are Finalists for Limited Series: Documentary. KCRW has two entries, The Sam Sanders Show and Question Everything: Inside ICE’s Push to Go Viral, produced with Placement Theory, a Finalist for Best Podcast in News and Politics. Philadelphia’s WRTI earned a Best Arts and Culture Podcast nod for The Late Set, alongside GBH’s Antiques Roadshow Detours, and Radio-Canada landed two Finalists.
Radio entries share the ballot with shows hosted by Amy Poehler, Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Jon Stewart, Anderson Cooper, Monica Lewinsky, and Oprah Winfrey, along with independent shows including Flightless Bird, Bucket Podcast, and Zero to Well-Read.
Last year, iHeartPodcasts was named Podcast Company of the Year, and Listener’s Choice voting drew more than 385,000 votes from 127,000 voters worldwide.
Signal Awards General Manager Jemma Rose Brown said, “Podcasting has become more culturally influential than ever before. This year’s Finalists are a true testament to the medium’s growth in both breadth and depth.”
