Audio Ink

WGN Radio has launched its new traffic app, Traffix Chicago, which calculates the three quickest routes for any destination. Users get real-time data and tips coupled with audio traffic reports pertaining to the roads within a given journey.

The new series will tell original sports stories made exclusively for audio. Two of the topics that will be featured in the first season of 30 for 30 Podcasts will be “Dan and Dave Revisited,” the true story of the massive 1990s marketing campaign around the world’s two best decathletes, and “On the Ice,” the story of how a group of amateur Brits became the first all-women’s team to make it to the North Pole."

The company says that's because of direct deals Pandora has with the labels. Collections in Q1 were $161.9 million, compared to $189.3 million in Q1 of 2016. The company says even though collections were down, membership is up, with 10,000 new artists and rights owners joining SoundExchange in the first quarter. 32,000 members received a payout in Q1.

The celebrity podcast is called iHeartRadio’s Label Defiers with ZICO Coconut Water, and it launched with a bang, Wednesday, featuring Miley Cyrus as the debut guest. Hosted by nationally syndicated radio personality Elvis Duran, the bi-weekly podcast features stars discussing how they perceive their own labels, challenges they’ve faced, and their idiosyncrasies.

First Play is a new podcast program offering early releases of new episodes of podcasts from networks like WNYC Studios, Gimlet Media, HowStuffWorks, Wondery, Feral Audio and StarTalk. New episodes will be available early, up to one week before they’re available on other platforms, and they will be free to all TuneIn users.

Want to get your kids away from “screen staring” for a while? NPR’s podcast Wow in the World just might be the answer — and 40 new episodes are being rolled out starting November 6. The show was launched in May, and has topped the kids and family podcast charts, reaching over five million downloads.

On Thursday, SiriusXM announced a new agreement with CEO James Meyer. The deal will pay him $2 million per year and run through the end of this year. Meyer will also be eligible for a bonus if the company achieves certain performance goals. And he'll get a 3-year $6.6 million consulting deal with the company if he's fired. Here's more on that...

Colin Cowherd, host of FOX Sports Radio and FS1’s The Herd, is launching The Herd Podcast Network. Debuting on iHeartRadio and other podcast platforms today, the Network will feature Cowherd’s daily and weekly podcasts, as well as other podcasts hand-picked and curated by Cowherd.

The host of Sunday Night Slow Jams and Director of Programming for San Diego’s XHTZ and XHRM, has just set foot in his 100th country: Iraq. R Dub! is currently on a mission to see all 193 countries of the world and is launching a new travel podcast.

The NextRadio app, which allows users to hear, see, and interact with live, local FM radio, has now been launched for smartphones in Mexico, including an iOS version for iPhone mobile device users.