Podcast Industry

Why Podcast and Creator Awards Matter | Cameron Stack, Recognized.fm #675

~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

New Media Show with Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee and Guest Cameron Stack of Recognized.fmIn Episode 675 of the New Media Show, host Rob Greenlee welcomes Cameron Stack, founder and curator of Recognized.fm, for a conversation about podcast awards, creator credibility, industry recognition, and the growing business behind awards, nominations, platform distinctions, editorial selections, and career honors.

Podcast awards can be easy to dismiss as another trophy or promotional exercise. Credible recognition can have a much larger impact on a creator, a show, a network, or a media company.

An award nomination or win can strengthen a media kit, support sponsor conversations, attract better guests, generate press coverage, and give prospective listeners another reason to take a show seriously.

The difficult part is deciding which awards deserve the investment.

Podcasting now has a wide recognition ecosystem that includes juried competitions, audience-voted awards, editorial selections, regional programs, platform honors, niche-category awards, professional distinctions, and lifetime-achievement recognition such as the Podcast Hall of Fame.

Cameron created Recognized.fm to organize this expanding market and help creators understand their options. Recognized currently tracks more than 100 audio and podcast awards, with information that can be filtered by factors such as geographic scope, entry fees, voting format, and prestige. 

They discuss why creators should begin with a clear objective before paying to submit. A widely known international award may bring general visibility, while a smaller award focused on a creator’s profession, region, language, or subject category may carry more influence with the people they most want to reach.

Example 1: A medical podcast may receive greater credibility in healthcare than from a broad entertainment competition.

Example 2: A true-crime show may benefit more from an award respected by that community than from competing across every podcast genre.

Submission fees also need to be considered. Independent creators may only have the budget to enter one or two competitions, while networks and larger publishers can treat award submissions as part of a broader marketing strategy.

Cameron explains why creators should compare costs against potential returns in visibility, authority, business development, audience growth, and professional validation.

The judging process matters just as much as the entry fee. Creators should understand who operates the award, how judges are selected, what criteria are used, whether the process is transparent, and how much weight the recognition will carry with the intended audience.

Every award has its own purpose and incentives. Some are selected by industry juries. Others rely on fan voting, editorial judgment, platform data, or a combination of methods. Recognized.fm is building a clearer taxonomy so creators can understand those differences before committing their time and money. 

Awards also function as social proof. Audiences already use ratings, reviews, trailers, artwork, recommendations, and visible audience activity to decide whether a show deserves attention. A respected award or nomination adds another outside signal that the work has been evaluated and recognized.

The recognition can strengthen sponsor decks, improve outreach to potential guests, support speaking opportunities, and help creators position themselves as credible voices within a category.

The impact can continue long after the ceremony, as recognition becomes part of the creator’s biography, website, introductions, and business materials.

We also explore the larger “recognition economy”. Awards are one part of an industry that includes trophy manufacturers, submission platforms, consultants, event producers, sponsors, judging systems, media organizations, and the businesses that support professional recognition.

As creator-led media grows, new awards will continue to emerge around podcasts, YouTube shows, livestreaming, newsletters, social video, and other online formats. Established awards will also need to adapt as audiences and media habits change.

Artificial intelligence will bring another layer of change.

Cameron expects AI-related categories and dedicated AI awards to emerge as organizations seek ways to recognize new forms of production and technological achievement.

Rob raises the trust questions that will accompany that shift, especially when established human-centered awards begin considering synthetic or substantially AI-generated work.

The episode closes with a look at the physical trophies themselves. Cameron shares examples from the Webbys, Signal Awards, iHeartPodcast Awards, international design competitions, and other recognition programs. A memorable trophy can become a visible symbol of the award and extend its value through videos, studio sets, social posts, and public appearances.

For creators, producers, networks, and media companies, Episode 675 provides a practical framework for deciding when awards are worth pursuing, how to evaluate them, and how credible recognition can support broader media and business strategies.

Topics Covered in This Episode

* Why credible podcast recognition matters
* Cameron Stack’s background in podcast production
* The development of Recognized.fm
* Juried, fan-voted, editorial, regional, and platform awards
* How creators should decide which awards to enter
* Submission fees and potential return on investment
* Broad awards compared with niche recognition
* Awards as social proof for listeners and sponsors
* Strengthening media kits and guest outreach
* Podcast Hall of Fame and career recognition
* Judging standards, transparency, and organizational bias
* The larger recognition economy
* AI-generated content and future award categories
* Creator-native awards and legacy media ceremonies
* Why memorable trophy design matters

Chapter Time Stamp Markers:

00:00 Why podcast awards and recognition matter
02:05 Cameron Stack and the origin of Recognized.fm
04:08 Recognition expands beyond traditional podcast awards
05:47 Building a comprehensive guide to audio awards
07:34 Should every creator submit to awards?
10:23 The full podcast recognition ecosystem
11:56 What creators gain from recognition
13:33 Broad awards compared with niche awards
15:00 Editorial selections and platform recognition
17:16 Awards as credibility and social proof
19:03 Measuring the return from an award
21:39 Mapping the taxonomy of podcast awards
24:52 Inside the Recognized.fm platform
26:03 Events, jobs, and recognition-industry resources
28:09 Future award discovery and submission tools
29:54 Niche communities and the demand for recognition
31:52 Judging standards, transparency, and trust
34:15 Submission fees, bias, and due diligence
38:23 How AI may reshape awards
40:59 AI categories, positioning, and possible backlash
43:22 The growing recognition economy
46:01 Creator-native awards and legacy ceremonies
48:06 Why the physical trophy matters
52:27 The Webbys, Lovie Awards, and digital recognition
53:31 iHeartPodcast Awards and major-industry trophies
54:53 Signal Awards, the Ambies, and podcast trophy design
56:00 Recognized.fm and closing thoughts
58:49 End of episode

Guest Links: Cameron Stack, Founder and Curator, Recognized.fm

Recognized.fm: https://recognized.fm
Podcast Awards Taxonomy: https://recognized.fm/podcast-awards
About Recognized: https://recognized.fm/about-recognized
Recognized Newsletter: https://recognized.substack.com
Cameron Stack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-stack

Recognized.fm, curated by Cameron Stack, focuses on making the awards and recognition industry easier to understand and navigate. 

Rob Greenlee and New Media Show Links

Rob Greenlee Website: https://robgreenlee.com
New Media Show: https://newmediashow.com
New Media Show Audio on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649
New Media Show on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow
Rob Greenlee on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@RobGreenlee
Podcast Hall of Fame: https://podcasthall.com

About Trust Factor Lab

Trust Factor Lab helps creators, media leaders, executives, and brands build stronger audience trust across AI, video, podcasts, and creator-led media. Founded by Rob Greenlee, it focuses on media positioning, content strategy, authority development, AI transparency, audience growth, and trust-centered business outcomes.

AI Disclosure Note:

I used AI tools to help organize and edit this episode and its description, then create chapter markers from the episode transcript. The editorial direction, final review, industry perspective, and responsibility for the published content remain mine. The discussion reflects the views expressed by my guest and me during the recorded conversation.

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What Is New Media Now vs Podcasting? | Ashley Christenson / @Ashni #665

~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

In episode 665 of the New Media Show, hosted by 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee, Rob talks with Ashley Christenson, also known as Ashni, for a deep conversation about one of the most important questions facing podcasting, streaming, creator media, startups, and traditional media right now:

What does “New Media” actually mean today?

The term “New Media” has been around since the late 1990s, but its meaning is shifting again. What once described digital media outside traditional broadcast and print is now being used by creators, VCs, startups, streaming strategists, AI companies, and professional communities to refer to something more specific: creator-led media that builds trust, influence, industry position, and direct audience relationships.

Ashley brings a unique perspective from 13 years in online media, Twitch streaming, YouTube education, startup marketing, community building, and creator strategy. She explains that she sees the creator economy as building an audience as the asset, whereas the emerging version of New Media is more about building status and position within an industry conversation. In her view, the key difference is not simply between consumer and professional audiences, but about what the media operation is designed to build and protect.

Rob brings the longer history of podcasting and digital media into the discussion, asking whether podcasting was one of the first major expressions of New Media and whether it now sits within a much larger creator-led ecosystem. The conversation explores how podcasting, YouTube, streaming video, newsletters, live shows, X, AI-generated content, and Apple Podcasts’ move toward HLS video streaming are all blurring the old lines between podcasting, creator media, and professional media.

A major theme in this episode is whether podcasting is still its own category or has become a powerful format within the broader New Media industry. Rob argues that the word “podcast” is increasingly defined by audiences and platforms, while creators may need to think more broadly as show builders, media operators, and participants in the creator economy.

Ashley and Rob also explore how X is becoming a real-time professional media layer, why founders, investors, executives, and AI builders are returning to the platform, and why companies are experimenting with live streaming, clipping, launch videos, short-form content, and creator-style formats to reach professional audiences.

The episode also moves into AI-generated media, human-hosted content, AI clones, disclosure, and trust. Rob argues that human-created and AI-created content may both need clear labeling, while Ashley points out that long-form podcasts may remain more defensible because listeners often build real relationships with hosts over time.

This conversation lands on a bigger media reality: New Media is no longer just a technology term. It is becoming a business category, a creator category, a trust category, and a professional influence category. Podcasting helped build the foundation, but the next version of New Media is broader, more video-driven, more AI-assisted, more platform-diverse, and more dependent on trust than ever before.

Key Topics:

  • What “New Media” means in 2026
  • Creator economy vs. New Media
  • Audience as an asset vs. status as an asset
  • Why podcasting helped define early New Media
  • Whether podcasters should now think more like creators and show builders
  • Apple Podcasts HLS video and the return of video podcasting
  • YouTube, Spotify, X, and the platform shift around shows
  • Why VCs and startups are using the term New Media
  • X is a professional media and live content platform
  • Traditional media is trying to become more internet-native
  • AI-generated podcasts, AI clones, and synthetic media
  • Human-hosted content, disclosure, and audience trust
  • Why long-form podcasts may remain defensible in the AI era

Chapter Markers:

00:00 Cold Open and Welcome
00:32 What Does New Media Mean
02:08 Podcasting Meets Multi Format
03:14 Meet Rob Greenlee
04:01 Introducing Ashley Christensen
04:53 Ashley’s Creator Economy Journey
08:26 AI Definitions of New Media
12:35 Creator Economy vs New Media
16:29 The Kill Switch Test
21:38 Is VC Rebranding New Media
24:10 Niche Status Media Examples
31:55 Traditional Media Goes Internet Native
34:59 Podcasting Identity and Convergence
41:35 Creator as a Catch-All Term
43:56 Naming New Media
46:11 Podcast Term Debate
51:02 X Shapes Media
55:35 X Video Creator Push
01:00:51 Twitter Podcast Roots
01:04:38 AI Flooding Podcasts
01:07:48 Human Trust Labels
01:11:34 Clones and Disclosure
01:17:49 Trust Factor Wrap
01:18:19 Closing and Where to Follow

Guest and Host Links

Guest: Ashley Christenson / Ashni

Streaming strategist, creator economy, and new media operator

Host: Rob Greenlee

About the Host/Author:
Rob Greenlee is a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee and Chair, a global new-media leader who bridges podcasting’s human roots and its AI-driven future. As founder of Trust Factor Lab and host of the “New Media Show” and “Spoken Human”, Rob helps creators start, grow, monetize, and future-proof their content. He’s held leadership roles at Microsoft, Spreaker, Libsyn, StreamYard, and PodcastOne, and serves as Chairperson of the Podcast Hall of Fame. Learn more at RobGreenlee.com and join the Trust Factor Lab Creator/Podcast Services.

Personal/AI Disclosure Note: I used AI tools to help organize and edit this episode and generate show notes. I have many hand edits; the views, clarifications, responsibility, and industry perspective are mine and my guests’. I have been working in podcasting and platform adoption for more than two decades, and this article reflects my own position. The original word choice was mine, and so is the clarification.

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Why “Fringe” Was the Wrong Word and What I Actually Meant About Podcasting 2.0

~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

By Rob Greenlee
New Media Show with Rob Greenlee - NewMediaShow.comThis article provides context about my comments on New Media Show episode 660 with Libsyn CEO Brendan Monaghan, where we discussed Podcasting 2.0, RSS tag adoption, and the gap between innovation and mainstream platform implementation.
During my recent interview conversation with the Libsyn CEO, I used the word “fringe” when discussing Podcasting 2.0 RSS extension tag ideas. That comment in an extended audio clip was played and discussed on “Podnews Weekly Review“, and understandably, it raised concerns in parts of the podcasting 2.0 community, including Dave Jones and Adam Curry on the Podcasting 2.0 podcast.  Let me say this clearly. That was not the right word for me to use, and I regret saying it that way. Not because I am backing away from the broader point I was trying to make, but because the word itself does not reflect how I actually view the work happening in the Podcasting 2.0 and open RSS ecosystem.
The comment came out quickly in a live discussion and did not carry the full context I intended.
What I was trying to describe is something I have repeatedly seen said over the past two decades working with large platforms, hosting companies, and media organizations: there is a real difference between something that is not widely adopted yet and something that is not valuable.
Podcasting 2.0 Innovation Has Real Value
Podcasting 2.0 innovations are valuable. RSS namespace expansion, new tags, and experimentation around monetization, identity, transcripts, funding, and distribution all matter. This is where much of the real innovation in podcasting is happening.
At the same time, many of these capabilities have been around for several years, in some cases for close to five years. That historical context matters. My comment was not about the value of the ideas themselves. It was about the pace and pattern of adoption, especially among larger platforms.
When I used the word “fringe,” I was referring to the broader set of emerging and evolving tag ideas within the Podcasting 2.0 initiative.
There are many tags and concepts at different stages of maturity, market fit, timing, and implementation. Not all of them have broad agreement or adoption, even within standards-focused efforts like the Podcast Standards Project. From a product and platform perspective, this creates a spectrum of adoption rather than one unified standard that everyone has fully embraced.
What I Was Trying to Say
What I meant is that market fit and timing play a major role in what gets adopted at scale. Larger podcasting platforms tend to move more deliberately. Their decisions are shaped by user experience, engineering resources, monetization models, product stability, support complexity, and business priorities.
That often means only a subset of new capabilities gets integrated into mainstream products at any given time. That has been the pattern over the past several years. But it is also important to say this pattern is changing.
Momentum Started Very Slow, But Is Building
Over the past year or so, we have started to see real momentum around some Podcasting 2.0 tags and capabilities. More platforms are experimenting. More tools are supporting them. More creators are becoming aware of what is possible and how these features can be used in real workflows.
That has been great to see
I believe we will continue to see more adoption of certain RSS tags as platforms, tools, and creators find clearer ways to integrate them into everyday use.
Some Tags Are Seeing More Adoption
You can already see this progression in parts of the ecosystem.
Tags like transcript, chapters, and person have seen meaningful adoption because they provide immediate and understandable value. The Alternative Enclosure tag is being more widely adopted across platforms, too. They improve accessibility, discovery, context, and creator attribution.  The funding tag has gained traction within parts of the ecosystem, especially among creators and platforms exploring alternative monetization models. The value tag, which supports value-for-value and streaming payment models, has been adopted within specific apps and communities, though it has struggled more recently and has not yet become mainstream across larger platforms. Other tags and ideas are still at an earlier stage. Some are being tested. Some are evolving. Some are still looking for the right use case that will drive broader adoption. That is what I meant by a spectrum of innovation.
Innovation and Adoption Are Not the Same Thing
Podcasting operates across two layers simultaneously. 
There is an innovation layer, where developers, independent platforms, and forward-thinking creators create and test new ideas. Then there is a platform layer, where those ideas are evaluated, prioritized, supported, and integrated into products used by millions of people.  The gap between those two layers is where much of the tension comes from.
I have seen this pattern many times. Podcasting itself began outside the mainstream.
Mobile listening took time to become the default. Video podcasting has gone through multiple cycles before finding its current role. Programmatic advertising in audio took years to mature.  Innovation usually moves faster than adoption. Adoption follows when user demand, product fit, creator benefit, and business alignment come together.
That is where many Podcasting 2.0 capabilities have been.
My View of Podcasting 2.0 and the Podcast Standards Project
I also want to be clear that Podcasting 2.0 and the Podcast Standards Project are not the same thing. They overlap in some areas, but they do not necessarily embrace every tag or idea in the same way.
That is part of the larger point.
When standards-oriented efforts evaluate which capabilities to support, it shows that this is not simply a question of innovation versus resistance. It is about maturity, usefulness, interoperability, timing, and market fit.  That is the context I was trying to convey, though I did not do so well at the time.
I Respect the Podcasting 2.0 Community
So when I used the word “fringe,” I was trying to describe how some organizations have historically perceived ideas that had not yet reached scale or product integration. But I understand how that word sounded dismissive of Podcasting 2.0, and that is not how I really see it.

I respect and appreciate the innovation and work happening through PodcastIndex.org, Podcasting 2.0, and the broader open podcasting community, including the work and advocacy of Adam Curry, Dave Jones, Daniel J. Lewis, and many others.

The opportunity now is to build on the momentum emerging and move the most valuable ideas toward broader adoption. That means making these capabilities easier to use, improving listener experiences, aligning them with sustainable business models, and demonstrating clear value at scale. That is how innovation moves from experimentation into everyday use.
My Role in the Conversation
I do not want to frame this as one side versus another. I am focused on helping connect what is being built with what is actually being adopted and used at scale.
That is the conversation we are having every week on the “New Media Show“. Join us LIVE on Weds, 3 pm PST/6 pm EST, or on demand in all the podcast apps and live on YouTube.com/@robgreenlee, LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, and X.com
So, yes, I regret the word “Fringe” I used.  But I stand by the broader point that there has been a gap between innovation and adoption in podcasting over the past several years. The good news is that momentum is building, and that gap is starting to close.  That is where the real opportunity is for all of us in this industry.

About the Author
Rob Greenlee is a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee and Chair, a global new media leader who bridges podcasting’s human roots with its AI-driven future. As founder of Trust Factor Lab and host of the “New Media Show” and “Spoken Human”, Rob helps creators start, grow, monetize, and future-proof their content. He’s held leadership roles at Microsoft, Spreaker, Libsyn, StreamYard, and PodcastOne, and serves as Chairperson of the Podcast Hall of Fame. Learn more at RobGreenlee.com and join the Trust Factor Lab Creator/Podcast Services.

Personal note: I used AI tools to help organize this article and hand-edited it; the views, clarifications, responsibility, and industry perspective are mine. I have been working in podcasting and platform adoption for more than two decades, and this article reflects my own position. The original word choice was mine, and so is the clarification.