Who Profits From Video? The Real Cost of Video Podcasting | #691

October 17, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

“Is video podcasting making creators more profitable, or simply making their content more valuable to YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms? Plus the brewing AI content vs Human content battle that is developing”

New Media Show with Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee and Guest: Losh Moodaley In New Media Show #691, Host Rob Greenlee, Founder of TrustFactorLab.com, and Podcast Hall of Famer, welcomes guest Losh Moodaley, a podcast sponsorship and brand partnerships strategist.

They together explore the economics of video podcasting, creator monetization, platform control, audience ownership, and the future of human-centered media.

Losh brings more than 15 years of commercial experience across entertainment, retail, sports, and brand partnerships. Her article, The Price of Visibility: The Hidden Economics of Podcast Video, raises an important question for independent creators: when does investing in video actually make business sense?

What starts as a discussion about podcast profitability expands into a larger conversation about the changing definition of podcasting, direct sponsorships, live commerce, AI-generated media, human creativity, and audience trust.

Who Really Profits From Video Podcasting?

Video has become a major driver of podcast discovery. YouTube is attracting podcast audiences, Spotify and Apple are expanding their video capabilities, and creators are being encouraged to produce more visual content.

But financial tension underlies that growth.

Adding video often means additional equipment, production time, editing, graphics, lighting, and publishing work. Those costs do not automatically produce equivalent revenue.

Losh explains why creators should evaluate video as a business investment rather than simply follow platform expectations.

The question becomes: Are you building a more profitable creator business, or helping platforms generate additional viewing time?

The Video Threshold: When Does Video Pay for Itself?

Losh introduces her Video Threshold framework, which identifies the point where additional video production costs are justified by the revenue and business value created.

She discusses research suggesting that producing a video podcast can cost substantially more than an audio-only show, with one industry analysis finding production costs approximately 3.6 times higher.

But the economics vary considerably depending on how a creator earns revenue.

A podcast dependent on CPM-based advertising may need a very large audience to support professional video production.
A smaller show generating consulting clients, direct sponsorships, memberships, or product sales may justify video much sooner.

Video can be valuable without paying for itself through advertising alone.

Video as a Customer Acquisition Strategy

One of the most useful distinctions in the conversation is looking at video as marketing and customer acquisition rather than simply another content format.

A YouTube appearance, short clip, or full video episode might introduce someone to a creator for the first time.

But what happens afterward?

Does the viewer become a subscriber, customer, community member, consulting client, or someone who develops a meaningful relationship with the creator?

Rob and Losh discuss why discovery numbers alone cannot answer those questions.

The business value may come from the relationship that develops after someone finds the content.

Own Your Audience Instead of Renting It

The conversation turns toward the growing power of distribution platforms.

YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and other services provide access to enormous audiences, but their business priorities do not always align with those of independent creators.

Platforms optimize for engagement, viewing time, subscriptions, and their own revenue models.

Creators need to think differently: build relationships and assets they can control.

Rob and Losh discuss newsletters, websites, memberships, subscriptions, communities, and direct customer relationships as ways to reduce platform dependence.

They also emphasize owning intellectual property and building a business that doesn’t depend entirely on one distribution company.

Beyond CPMs: Sponsorships, Products, and Community

Traditional podcast advertising remains important, but Losh sees significant opportunity beyond standard host-read advertising and programmatic CPM revenue.

The discussion explores direct brand partnerships, integrated sponsorship experiences, premium offerings, consulting, live events, and audience-supported businesses.

Instead of simply inserting more ads into episodes, creators may develop experiences that connect sponsors and audiences more naturally.

An independent creator with a smaller but highly engaged community may generate substantial business value without competing for millions of downloads.

Audience trust and relevance can become more important than raw scale.

When Video, Community, and Commerce Come Together

The episode moves into live video commerce and a possible future for creator-led media businesses.

Rob Greenlee shares his experience and observations of the fast-growing platform Whatnot, where creators combine live video, merchandise, auctions, audience interaction, and collaborative community events.

That model suggests opportunities for podcasts and creator brands to extend beyond advertising into products, retail, live experiences, and direct transactions.

Losh sees growing potential in combining video, commerce, and community.

The future creator business may not be defined by a single show or distribution platform, but by the relationships and opportunities built around its audience.

Audio and Video Are Different Experiences

Rob brings his experience producing New Media Show in both audio and video for many years into the discussion.

As Apple Podcasts and other platforms adopt HLS streaming and integrated audio-video experiences, creators face new decisions about how to produce their content.

Should the audio and video versions always be identical?

Can a visually driven program deliver the same value when someone turns off the screen?
Do creators need separate edits to produce the strongest experience in each format?

Rob argues that creators should retain flexibility to build content around the strengths of the medium rather than be forced into one production model.

What Is a Podcast Now?

The conversation also tackles the continuing identity debate around podcasting.

Traditional podcasting was built around open RSS distribution, but audiences increasingly identify long-form conversations on YouTube and even streaming services such as Netflix as podcasts.

Rob Greenlee argues that audience behavior and platform terminology are increasingly shaping what people understand a podcast to be.

Losh and Rob discuss whether the industry can establish common definitions and meaningful measurements as video, streaming, downloads, and social media consumption converge.

Measuring Attention, Outcomes, and Trust

Views, downloads, listening time, impressions, conversions, and customer value each provide a different piece of the picture.

Rob and Losh explore whether the future of creator measurement should place greater emphasis on audience attention, financial outcomes, and return on investment.

They also consider whether AI might eventually help connect fragmented measurement systems and reveal deeper signals about the value of audience relationships.

The discussion returns repeatedly to trust as an important element of creator success, particularly when media is used to build professional authority, relationships, and business opportunities.

AI Media and the Future Human Creator

The second half of the conversation expands into the future of AI-generated and AI-enhanced media.

Rob Greenlee describes three developing categories:

Fully human-created content.
Human-created content enhanced through AI tools.
Fully AI-generated content.

Losh emphasizes the continuing value of human connection, particularly in conversational media where audiences develop relationships with real people.

The conversation then moves into synthetic characters, virtual personalities, immersive storytelling, digital worlds, and the potential for AI-created intellectual property to become part of real-world entertainment and commerce.

As production capabilities expand, imagination, creativity, judgment, responsibility, and ownership may become increasingly important.

Build a Business That Makes Sense for You

Losh closes with practical advice for creators. Do not invest in video simply because platforms encourage it. Consider why you are creating, who your audience is, what value you provide, and how the content supports your goals.

A podcast created as a hobby has different requirements from one designed to generate business revenue.

For creators building a business, consistency, a clear niche, audience trust, sustainable costs, and direct relationships remain essential.

Rob Greenlee also notes that creators should test whether their ideas and workflows are sustainable before making major investments in production and business infrastructure.

The central takeaway:

Video can grow your audience, but audience growth alone does not guarantee a sustainable business. Build for your audience and your own economic goals, not simply the objectives of the platforms carrying your content.

Key topics:

– The real economics of video podcasting
– Why video production can increase costs faster than revenue
– Losh Moodaley’s Video Threshold framework
– Video as customer acquisition and marketing
– Platform incentives versus creator profitability
– Owning audience relationships and intellectual property
– Direct sponsorships and alternatives to CPM advertising
– Community, memberships, products, and live experiences
– Whatnot, live shopping, and creator-led commerce
– Audio versus video production workflows
– HLS streaming and the future of podcast distribution
– YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Netflix
– The changing definition of podcasting
– Attention, ROI, and creator business measurement
– Human trust in AI-enhanced and synthetic media
– Building sustainable creator businesses

Chapter timestamps:

00:00 Who profits from video podcasting?
02:00 Meet Losh Moodaley
06:00 The pressure to move from audio to video
07:00 Is video becoming the price of discoverability?
10:00 Podcasts move into the living room
14:00 The rising production costs of video
16:00 Video as a customer acquisition investment
18:00 Building revenue beyond traditional advertising
20:00 Why creators need to own their audiences
25:00 Platform economics versus creator economics
28:00 HLS streaming and a video-first future
32:00 Direct sponsorships and authentic brand integration
36:00 Audience support, memberships, and premium content
39:00 Live commerce and the future of creator retail
43:00 Why audio and video need different creative approaches
47:00 Podcasting’s identity and measurement challenges
51:00 Attention, return on investment, and AI measurement
54:00 The human trust layer and AI agents
56:00 Human-created, AI-enhanced, and synthetic content
60:00 Virtual characters, intellectual property, and creativity
65:00 Limitless AI production and creative responsibility
70:00 Build the podcast around your business goals
75:00 Final advice for independent creators
77:00 Where to connect with Losh Moodaley

Chapter markers are based on the recording transcript and should be verified against the final edited video.

Guest: Losh Moodaley

Losh Moodaley is a podcast sponsorship and brand partnerships strategist with 15+ years of experience across entertainment, retail, sports, and commercial partnerships.

Her work focuses on helping independent podcasts develop sustainable sponsorship revenue, direct brand relationships, and business models that reflect the value of their audiences.

Connect with Losh:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loshm13/
The Price of Visibility, Podnews: https://podnews.net/article/the-video-threshold
Beyond the CPM, Podnews: https://podnews.net/article/beyond-the-cpm-podcast-advertising

Host: Rob Greenlee

Rob Greenlee is the host of New Media Show, founder of Trust Factor Lab, a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee, and Chair of the Podcast Hall of Fame.

New Media Show: https://newmediashow.com/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow
Rob Greenlee: https://robgreenlee.com/
Trust Factor Lab: https://trustfactorlab.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee
Podcast Hall of Fame: https://podcasthall.com/
Adore Network Audio: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio
Adore Network Video: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video
Apple Podcasts Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649
Apple Podcasts Video: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647

AI disclosure

AI tools helped organize and draft these show notes from the original episode transcript. The conversation features human participants. Editorial review and final publishing decisions remain with Rob Greenlee.

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How AI Is Changing the Creator Workflow | Descript CEO Laura Burkhauser #690

October 8, 2026October 8, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

WATCH OR LISTEN · EPISODE 690

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Show notes

New Media Show with Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee and Guest: Laura Burkhauser, CEO, Descript.com In New Media Show #690, Host Rob Greenlee, Podcast Hall of Famer and Founder of TrustFactorLab.com, joins Laura Burkhauser, CEO of Descript (https://www.descript.com), to explore how AI is changing the way creators edit, produce, and share their work.

As AI takes on more production tasks, what becomes more valuable about the human creator? Laura and I discuss creative direction, storytelling, authenticity, audience trust, and the role of tools such as Descript’s Underlord. The conversation also looks beyond editing to the business of creating media and the pressure to show up across more platforms.

From Editing to Creative Direction

We start with a question many creators are facing: is editing becoming more like directing?

Laura distinguishes between people whose craft is editing and people whose craft is the story they want to tell. Both can benefit from AI, but they may want very different levels of control.

For an editor, the small decisions are part of the art.

For a storyteller, editing may be the obstacle between recording an idea and sharing it with an audience. We discuss why a clear creative vision still matters.

Asking AI to edit a podcast can produce a usable result, but communicating a specific perspective, reviewing its choices, and refining the work are what help a creator make something distinctive.

Let AI Handle the Friction

Laura’s approach to AI starts with understanding what creators actually want help doing.

Creators want relief from repetitive production work while keeping their voice, vision, and story. Laura describes Descript’s philosophy as “struggle with your art, not with your tools.”

That leads to a discussion about the promises AI companies make and the trust they can lose when those promises overlook how creative work happens.

Rob Greenlee shares his experience moving from assembling radio shows by hand to using Descript in my current workflow. We explore how creators can choose the right balance of manual editing and AI assistance for the content they want to make.

Authenticity and the Choices Behind an Edit

Does editing make a conversation less authentic? Laura argues that thoughtful editing can bring its meaning into sharper focus.

A reaction shot or a well-timed close-up can help an audience understand the emotion in a conversation. The question is whether an edit serves what happened between the people involved.

We also talk about the difference between being authentic and performing authenticity online. Showing up as yourself can build connection, but it can also leave creators exposed to criticism.

Laura explains why a recognizable human presence and community engagement matter to her.

Rob connects that discussion to my work with Trust Factor Lab and the challenge of building trust as more synthetic media enters the mix is the growing opportunity.

Start Creating Before Expecting a Business

Laura was a Descript customer before she joined the company. Editing a podcast with a friend showed her she could put her own humor and perspective into the world without mastering a complicated production tool.

Her practical advice is to begin by recording something.

The opportunity is to talk about a problem you understand, a subject you care about, or an issue you can explore with another person. Then edit it, share it, and keep going long enough to learn from the experience.

We discuss how the expectation of immediate revenue can get in the way of the authentic creator process.

Creating media can support a business even when the media itself is not the product. For coaches, consultants, founders, and other professionals, a video or podcast can show their expertise and help start a relationship that leads to work.

Community, Revenue, and Reaching the Right People

Our business discussion moves into audience support, Patreon, and sponsorship opportunities.

Laura points to community support as one possible path for working creators. We also explore why a business serving a specific audience may be a better sponsorship prospect than a broad advertising buyer.

Local businesses and companies serving a particular interest give us examples to consider.

The discussion focuses on understanding your audience, what they care about, and which relationships could create value.

We also look at why more companies are building their own media operations and why creators feel pressure to produce both long-form conversations and short clips.

Algorithms and What Comes Next for Descript

Laura describes being intentional about her own media consumption, including turning off YouTube recommendations. I share how I use both subscriptions and algorithmic discovery.

A broader conversation starts about personalization.

Laura argues that the goals given to an algorithm matter. A system rewarded for attention does not automatically distinguish between an experience that helps someone and one that keeps them engaged through anger or distrust.

We close with Laura’s BIG Direction for Descript:

Helping creators across more of their content workflow, including identifying the subjects they want to own, building a library of useful material, publishing across platforms, and learning from what works. Laura describes that as a direction for future development as creators manage growing demands on their time.

Key takeaways:

AI can make production easier, but your perspective still gives people a reason to listen. Use the tools to reduce friction, make deliberate creative choices, and invest in the relationships that give your work lasting value.

Key topics

– AI editing, Underlord, and the changing creator workflow
– The difference between editing as a craft and editing as a production task
– Creative direction, specific prompts, and human judgment
– Reducing repetitive work while preserving a creator’s voice
– Authenticity, thoughtful editing, and audience trust
– Getting started without expecting immediate monetization
– Using media to support a coaching, consulting, or founder-led business
– Community support, Patreon, and targeted sponsorships
– YouTube discovery, subscriptions, and personalization
– Descript’s direction beyond editing into broader content workflows

Chapter timestamps

– 00:00 AI workflows and the value of the human creator
– 02:00 Meet Descript CEO Laura Burkhauser
– 03:00 Is editing becoming directing?
– 05:00 When storytelling is the creator’s main craft
– 07:00 Creative vision and directing AI
– 10:00 Standing out through your voice and perspective
– 12:00 AI promises, creator trust, and tool friction
– 14:00 From manual production to AI-assisted editing
– 16:00 Authenticity and the role of a good editor
– 18:00 What does it mean to be authentic online?
– 21:00 Technology, human needs, and useful AI
– 24:00 Trust Factor Lab and finding a balance with AI
– 26:00 Laura’s experience as a Descript customer
– 28:00 Record, edit, share, and build confidence
– 30:00 Does pressure to monetize hold creators back?
– 32:00 Content as a way to grow a business
– 35:00 Community support and creator revenue
– 36:00 Local businesses and targeted sponsorships
– 39:00 YouTube recommendations and intentional viewing
– 42:00 Personalization, engagement, and human outcomes
– 46:00 What comes next for Descript
– 48:00 Closing thoughts

Guest Laura Burkhauser

Laura Burkhauser is CEO of Descript. In this conversation, she shares her perspective as a technology leader, a humanist, and a former Descript customer who discovered the creative possibilities of editing her own podcast.

– Descript: https://www.descript.com
– Descript Underlord: https://www.descript.com/underlord
– Laura Burkhauser on the Descript blog: https://www.descript.com/blog/author/laura-burkhauser

Host Rob Greenlee

Rob Greenlee is the founder/builder of Trust Factor Lab (https://TrustFactorLab.com), host of New Media Show, and a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee and Chair. His work connects podcasting, video, creator platforms, audience trust, and the media business.

– New Media Show: https://newmediashow.com/
– New Media Show on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow
– Rob Greenlee: https://robgreenlee.com/
– Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee
– Podcast Hall of Fame: https://podcasthall.com
– Adore Network Audio: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio
– Adore Network Video: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video
– Apple Podcasts Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649
– Apple Podcasts Video: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647

AI disclosure

AI tools helped organize and draft these show notes from the completed Episode #690 transcript. Rob Greenlee and guest retain all editorial responsibility. The New Media Show is human-hosted with human guests. AI is used for light editing of the actual audio and video media files.

The Creator Reset: AI, Trust and What Comes Next | Jim Louderback #689

October 2, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

In New Media Show #689, I’m joined by Jim Louderback, publisher of Inside the Creator Economy and former CEO of VidCon and Revision3, to explore what the next phase of the creator economy means for people building media businesses.

Jim and I have lived through several shifts at the intersection of media and technology. This conversation connects the early days of video podcasting with today’s AI tools, changing audience habits, and the search for a lasting creator business. More ways to create and distribute content bring opportunity, but they also raise questions about attention, ownership, and trust.

Digital Jim and the Human Premium

We start with Digital Jim, the AI version of Jim that turns his human-written newsletter into short videos.

Jim explains how the team at Popcorn uses his words, an AI voice, and a visual avatar to help him reach audiences on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. He still writes the newsletter and reviews the videos before sharing them.

That experiment leads to one of the episode’s central ideas: the human premium.

Jim’s hypothesis is that, as audiences encounter more AI-generated media, they may place greater value on recognizable human voices, imperfect conversations, and experiences with real people. We discuss what that could mean for audience relationships, advertising, and in-person events.

Podcasting in a Bigger Creator Economy

We revisit Revision3, Diggnation, and the early use of short clips to introduce people to longer shows. Video podcasting and distributing a conversation in several formats have a longer history than today’s debate sometimes acknowledges.

Jim describes an audio-plus approach: people can listen when that suits them, while video creates another way to discover and experience a show. We also discuss why creators spread their work across platforms, how short-form awareness differs from monetization, and the risks of depending on one platform’s rules.

Could Personalized AI Media Disrupt YouTube

Our platform conversation moves from Netflix’s interest in creator programming to a bigger question:

What could disrupt YouTube? Jim suggests that a major technological shift, rather than another similar video service, could open the door. His audience-of-one idea goes beyond recommending existing videos. We explore the possibility of media generated specifically for an individual, along with what Jim calls robo-social relationships with AI characters that respond to and remember their users.

We debate these predictions, including how they might compete for time people currently spend with human creators.

Your Identity and Archive Have Value

We discuss the business value of a creator’s name, image, likeness, voice, and archive. I share my experience exploring Royall.ai and receiving inquiries about using past New Media Show conversations as AI training material.

That raises questions about guest permission, licensing, tracking use, and maintaining control over future uses of a creator’s work.

Jim also describes an audio watermarking approach he has encountered, while acknowledging that he has not independently established how well it works. The discussion is about taking identity and content rights seriously as new business models emerge.

Live Shopping and the Next Media Business

Jim explains what he wants readers to get from Inside the Creator Economy: timely reporting, his interpretation of the news, and ideas they can question. We talk about the differences between email subscribers, LinkedIn newsletter subscribers, and the audience numbers platforms report.

We then explore global creator markets, Whatnot, live shopping, and the role of personality and audience participation in commerce.

TBPN’s combination of a live show, a focused audience, and widely distributed clips gives us another example to examine. We close with local AI tools and a practical encouragement from Jim: keep experimenting.

My key takeaways:

Use these tools to expand what you can create, while giving people a reason to connect with you. Your ideas, judgment, and relationships shape the value of the media business you build.

Key topics

How Digital Jim turns a human-written newsletter into AI video
The human premium and the value of real audience relationships
Video podcasting’s history and an audio-plus approach
Multi-platform distribution, short clips, and platform dependence
Netflix, YouTube, and media generated for an audience of one
Robo-social relationships and competition for audience attention
Creator identity, archive licensing, AI training, and permission
Newsletter measurement, global creator markets, and live shopping
Whatnot, TBPN, and building a focused media business
Local AI tools, creative judgment, and continued experimentation

Chapter timestamps

00:00 Welcome to New Media Show 689, and the creator reset
01:00 Meet Jim Louderback and watch Digital Jim
03:00 How Popcorn produces Jim’s AI newsletter videos
06:00 Bringing podcasting and the creator economy together
10:00 Audio plus video and reaching audiences in more formats
13:00 Multi-platform distribution and creator business risk
17:00 The human premium in an AI media world
24:00 Younger creators and the changing meaning of podcasting
27:00 AI visuals and turning audio into video experiences
30:00 Netflix and the value of creator programming
32:00 What could disrupt YouTube
34:00 Personalized media and the audience of one
37:00 Robo-social relationships and AI companions
43:00 Human creativity and the limits of average content
44:00 Royall.ai and capturing a creator’s digital identity
47:00 Archive licensing, AI training data, and guest permission
49:00 Watermarking, content control, and future use
53:00 Inside the Creator Economy and newsletter measurement
57:00 Global creator markets and live shopping
58:00 Whatnot, collectibles, and audience participation
01:02:00 TBPN, live shows, and the power of distributed clips
01:06:00 AI platforms, local models, and new media tools
01:08:00 Keep experimenting and closing thoughts

Guest Jim Louderback

Jim Louderback publishes the weekly Inside the Creator Economy newsletter and produces, curates, and moderates creator events around the world. He is the former CEO of VidCon and Revision3, and his career also includes leadership and editorial roles at Discovery Digital Networks, TechTV, and PC Magazine.

Jim Louderback: https://louderback.com/
About Jim: https://louderback.com/about/
Inside the Creator Economy archive: https://louderback.com/blog/
Subscribe to Inside the Creator Economy: https://louderback.com/subscribe-to-my-weekly-newsletter/

Host Rob Greenlee

Rob Greenlee is the founder of Trust Factor Lab, host of New Media Show, and a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee and Chair. His work connects podcasting, video, creator platforms, audience trust, and the media business.

New Media Show: https://newmediashow.com/
New Media Show on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow
Rob Greenlee: https://robgreenlee.com/
Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee
Podcast Hall of Fame: https://podcasthall.com/
Adore Network Audio: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio
Adore Network Video: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video
Apple Podcasts Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649
Apple Podcasts Video: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647

AI disclosure

AI tools helped organize and draft these show notes from the completed Episode #689 transcript and edited the full show. Rob Greenlee retains editorial responsibility. The New Media Show is human-hosted with human guests; this episode also includes a disclosed AI-generated Digital Jim video demonstration.

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Podcasting’s Identity Crisis: Who Controls Podcasts Now? | James Cridland #688

September 25, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

Your podcast can be available everywhere and still be hard to find. So who controls its future: the creator, the audience, or the platform?

New Media Show with Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee and Guest: James Cridland, Editor of Podnews.net In New Media Show #688, Rob Greenlee welcomes back James Cridland, Editor of Podnews, co-host of the Podnews Weekly Review, and a 2026 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee, for a conversation about what Podcast Week in New York City revealed about our industry.

We compare notes on the IAB Podcast Upfronts, CreatorFronts, and a very different NYC Podcast Movement. James also shares his experience at the Sounds Profitable Business Summit.

The week had plenty of energy, but it also exposed real differences in how creators, platforms, and advertisers see podcasting’s future.

Podcast Movement’s Terminal 5 venue brought challenges around meetings, exhibitor space, and crowding.

James argues that the headphone-based sessions worked better than expected. We also reflect on Tom Webster’s tribute to Todd Cochrane and why the industry still needs people willing to speak up when something is wrong.

Podcasting has expanded its distribution. That doesn’t mean it controls where people discover shows.

Sounds Profitable: Tom Webster’s presentation leads us into YouTube, Spotify, and Netflix, where podcasts compete with much more than other podcasts. James Cridland also cautions against confusing whether someone has ever used a platform with where they regularly listen.

A major part of our conversation is measuring media consumption.

James challenges the IAB’s approach to audio and video, while making another important point: tearing down the download without a workable replacement can undermine the business we already have.

James offers a proposal worth discussing: share advertising revenue with podcast apps that provide useful consumption data.

James argues that apps need a financial reason to invest in discovery and better listening experiences. I raise the concern about taking revenue from creators, and we explore whether growing listening could make that trade worthwhile.

Rob and James also discuss open RSS, HLS video, and Podcasting 2.0 as ways to expand access. That includes discovery built around places and local interests, along with AI production tools that help humans make better content.

Adding video should not make the audio listener a second-class audience. The conversation still needs to work when someone cannot see the screen.

The question is how we keep podcasting open to a wide range of voices while competing in a much bigger media world. More reach matters. So do audience trust, creator choice, and a business that can sustain the work.

Key Topics

– Podcast Week NYC: the business summit, upfronts, CreatorFronts, and Podcast Movement
– Remembering Todd Cochrane and the value of speaking up
– Platform discovery versus open podcast distribution
– Audio and video measurement, advertiser trust, and the download
– James’s proposal to share revenue with podcast apps
– Netflix, YouTube, and rising video production expectations
– Open RSS, HLS, and location-based podcast discovery
– AI production assistance and respecting the audio listener

Guest: James Cridland

Editor of Podnews, co-host of the Podnews Weekly Review, and 2026 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee.

– Podnews Daily Newsletter and Podcast: https://podnews.net
– Podnews Weekly Review: https://weekly.podnews.net

Host: Rob Greenlee

– New Media Show on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow
– Rob Greenlee: https://robgreenlee.com
– Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee
– Podcast Hall of Fame Inductee & Chair: https://podcasthall.com
– New Media Show: https://NewMediaShow.com
– Adore Network Audio: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio
– Adore Network Video: https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video
– Apple Podcasts Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649
– Apple Podcasts Video: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647

AI Disclosure

AI tools helped organize and draft these show notes from the completed Episode #688 transcript, and I hand-edited for clarity and accuracy. The conversation and perspectives are human-led, and Rob Greenlee retains editorial responsibility. The New Media Show is human-hosted with human guests.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Podcast (audio): Play in new window | Download

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Hidden Revenue: What Media Publishers Are Leaving Behind | Sean Howard, Flightpath #686

September 10, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

Podcast media creator publishers may already have more revenue opportunity than they realize. The challenge is not always finding more listeners. It can be understanding what inventory is actually available to sell, what to sell, whether campaigns will deliver, and where revenue is being lost.

New Media Show with Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee and Guest: Sean Howard, CEO and co-founder of Flightpath.fm In this episode #686 of the New Media Show, Rob Greenlee talks with Sean Howard, CEO and co-founder of Flightpath.fm, about the growing complexity behind new media podcast advertising and why better forecasting, campaign management, publisher data, and revenue optimization are becoming more important.

Sean explains how Flightpath grew out of a problem he experienced from both sides of the business. As an ad buyer, he found that publishers often did not know how much inventory they really had available. As a publisher, he saw the same problem from the other side: uncertainty about whether sold campaigns would actually deliver. Flightpath was built to bring those pieces together through traffic management, prediction, pacing, and cross-platform revenue visibility.

The conversation also gets into dynamic ad insertion and the value of the podcast back catalog. Sean argues that publishers relying too heavily on baked-in ads may be leaving significant revenue on the table because listeners keep consuming older episodes long after release.

Rob and Sean also discuss a larger issue facing content creator publishers today: platform dependence.

As podcast companies expand across multiple hosting platforms, YouTube, Spotify, video, HLS, and other distribution systems, publishers need better access to their own data and a clearer understanding of the business risk that comes with relying too heavily on any one platform.

The bigger question is whether the next stage of media and podcast revenue growth may come not only from finding more audience, but from better understanding and monetizing the audience publishers already have.

Discussion Highlights
– Hidden revenue in existing podcast inventory
– Why forecasting and campaign delivery remain difficult
– Dynamic ad insertion and back-catalog monetization
– Frequency capping, pacing, and ad performance
– Publisher ownership and access to data
– Platform risk and using multiple hosting platforms
– YouTube, Spotify, HLS, and video monetization
– AI and revenue optimization
– Flightpath’s role as a publisher intelligence and traffic management layer
– Why better data can help sales and operations make better decisions

Key Topic Timestamps:
00:00 Hidden revenue opportunities publishers may already have
01:00 Sean Howard and what Flightpath does
03:00 Why Flightpath was built around forecasting and campaign delivery
05:00 Fragmented platforms and the growing complexity of monetization
07:30 HLS, open standards, and the return of video podcasting
11:00 Audio and video advertising collide
12:30 Using publisher data to identify campaign and platform problems
15:00 Why publishers need access to their own data
17:00 Dynamic ad insertion and the untapped value of the back catalog
19:00 Spotify, YouTube, and changing control over ad inventory
21:00 Choosing a hosting platform is becoming a business risk decision
23:00 Why publishers may need to work across multiple platforms
26:00 Measuring hosting platform performance and revenue impact
27:30 Publisher autonomy and Flightpath’s platform strategy review
31:00 Forecasting, pacing, and Flightpath’s Revenue Optimizer
35:30 Where AI fits into forecasting and sales recommendations
38:00 Podcast platforms evolving into intelligence and decision systems
39:00 Using publisher data with AI and LLMs
43:00 Advertising, subscriptions, Spotify, and YouTube
44:00 Apple video, Spotify, and the HLS opportunity
46:00 Podcasting becomes a more professional media business
48:00 Why publishers need an independent intelligence layer
50:00 Who Flightpath is built for
53:00 Flightpath onboarding and supported platform integrations
55:00 Closing thoughts and where to learn more

Guest
Sean Howard
CEO and Co-Founder, Flightpath
https://flightpath.fm
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanhoward

Host
Rob Greenlee

Rob Greenlee Website: https://RobGreenlee.com

Listen and Watch

New Media Show
https://NewMediaShow.com
Adore Network Audio
https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio/
Adore Network Video
https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video/
Apple Podcasts Audio
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649
Apple Podcasts Video
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647

AI Disclosure

AI tools helped organize and edit this episode and create the above show notes from the completed Episode #686 transcript. The conversation, perspectives, editorial direction, and final editing were performed, and responsibility for the episode remains human-led. The New Media Show is human-hosted.

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How Podcast Distribution Is Changing | Alban Brooke, Buzzsprout #681

August 15, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

In Episode 681 of the New Media Show, host Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee welcomes Alban Brooke, Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout, for a deep conversation about one of the biggest structural changes in podcasting: the evolution of podcast hosting from audio-file distribution to a broader audio-and-video creator infrastructure.

For most of podcasting’s history, the hosting model was relatively straightforward. A creator uploaded an audio file, the host generated an RSS feed, and that feed distributed the episode to listening apps worldwide.

That podcast hosting model is changing.

Video is once again becoming a significant part of podcasting, and podcast hosting platforms are being asked to do much more than store an MP3 and maintain an RSS feed. They increasingly need to manage video encoding, HLS streaming, direct platform connections, YouTube publishing, Spotify video, Apple Podcasts video, transcripts, analytics, AI-assisted publishing tools, and the traditional audio experience simultaneously.

Buzzsprout, which launched in 2009 as an audio-only podcast host, has now made a major move into video. Alban explains that the turning point was Apple’s decision to support HLS video streaming into Apple Podcasts.

Once Apple committed to HLS, Buzzsprout saw an opportunity to preserve one of podcast hosting’s original promises:

“Upload once and let the hosting platform handle the complexity of getting the show everywhere.”

Buzzsprout’s current video workflow allows creators to upload video and distribute it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube while continuing to deliver audio to traditional podcast apps.

The technology underneath that process, however, has become much more complicated.

A podcast host may now be managing RSS feeds, HLS playlists, multiple video resolutions, platform APIs, direct uploads, audio extraction, transcripts, and the different requirements of Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, iHeart, and other services.

Alban argues that creators should not have to understand most of that.
If podcast hosting is doing its job properly, the technical complexity should disappear into the infrastructure. Creators should be able to concentrate on making the show.

That leads Rob and Alban into a larger discussion about RSS and what it still represents.

RSS itself is not magical, Alban says. What matters is what RSS enables: a direct and portable connection between creators and their audiences. A creator using an open podcast feed can switch from one hosting company to another without rebuilding their audience from scratch. The relationship is not entirely controlled by a recommendation algorithm or a single platform. Alban contrasts this with YouTube and other social platforms, where algorithms ultimately determine how much of a creator’s content reaches subscribers.

A creator can build a large audience on a platform and still experience dramatic changes in reach when the algorithm, product strategy, or monetization model changes.

Podcasting offers something different.

Alban describes media distribution as a spectrum ranging from discovery to delivery. At one end are platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, which are extremely effective at helping users discover content. The platform decides what it believes each person wants to see next.

At the other end are systems such as RSS and email, where the user intentionally subscribes and expects to receive what that creator publishes.

The opportunity for modern creators may be to use both.

YouTube, social video platforms, and algorithmic platforms can enable discovery. RSS can provide reliable delivery and audience portability after that relationship is established.

That combination may become one of podcasting’s greatest advantages.

HLS, RSS and the Future of more Open Video Podcasting

Rob and Alban explore how HLS video could extend those same open-distribution principles into video.

Apple’s implementation currently involves a direct API relationship, but the podcast ecosystem is also experimenting with the alternate enclosure tag in RSS, which can place another media format inside the RSS feed.

Buzzsprout has already experimented with alternate enclosures on selected shows, although Alban explains that the company is approaching broader implementation carefully because video creates dramatically larger bandwidth demands than audio.

A bot downloading thousands of MP3 files is one problem. A bot repeatedly requesting multi-gigabyte video assets is another larger issue.

The larger objective, however, remains open distribution.

Alban believes HLS has the potential to enable multiple podcast applications to support video without forcing creators to confine their entire video audience to a single closed platform.

Can Video Damage the Audio Experience?

The conversation then turns to one of the most important creative questions raised by video podcasting. What happens to audio listeners when the video version becomes the source for both experiences?

Alban shares an example of watching a video podcast on Netflix where George Clooney and the host repeatedly discussed an object visible on camera without ever explaining what it was.

A viewer understood the conversation. An audio listener would have had no idea what they were discussing. That is exactly the kind of problem Alban wants creators to avoid.

His recommendation is that podcasts remain audio-first in their communication, even when video is an important part of the production.

That does not mean ignoring video.

Creators can use cameras, sets, graphics, demonstrations, lighting, and other visual elements. But when something important is happening on screen, the host should provide enough verbal context that the audio listener can still follow the conversation.

Rob raises the other side of the issue.

There is a real difference between producing a video podcast and producing a highly visual YouTube show.

YouTube creators may use graphics, demonstrations, rapid editing, screen captures, text, and visual storytelling that cannot realistically be translated into audio. If every visual element must work perfectly for someone with their eyes closed, video creativity can become constrained.

That may eventually create two related but distinct production approaches: shows built as unified audio/video podcasts and shows designed primarily as visual media.

Why Platforms Want Video

Alban believes the major platforms have obvious reasons for encouraging video. Video keeps audiences looking at the screen.

YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms benefit when users remain inside their applications, continually moving from one piece of content to the next.

Short-form vertical video takes this even further.

Alban says he deliberately limits his own use of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels because he finds the experience almost too effective at holding attention.

Audio works differently.

A podcast can accompany the listener while running, driving, traveling, cleaning, mowing the lawn, or simply living life.

Alban describes audio as a companion to life, while highly addictive video shorts platforms will increasingly compete to become the dominant activity itself.

We should remain strongly optimistic about audio.

Why Apple’s Move Changed the Market

Rob asks why Apple chose this moment to place renewed emphasis on video, even though video podcasts have technically existed within Apple’s ecosystem for many years.

Alban points to several forces coming together. YouTube has aggressively embraced podcasts and repeatedly highlighted the enormous amount of podcast viewing happening across its platform.

Spotify has expanded its video strategy.

Meanwhile, members of the open podcasting community have spent years exploring HLS as a more practical way of distributing video.

Once Apple embraced HLS, Buzzsprout concluded that the technology had enough platform support to justify a major investment.

Buzzsprout then built its video product around simplifying distribution across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and traditional audio apps.

Why 1080p Video Matters

Buzzsprout also decided to support 1080p video, something Rob sees as increasingly important as podcasts move from phones and laptops onto large television screens. HLS can provide different video streams depending on the device and connection.

A mobile device (phone, pad, or glasses) may not need the same resolution as a large television or large-screen laptop or desktop computer.

But as Apple Podcasts expands onto Apple TV and YouTube continues to report substantial podcast consumption on television screens, creators need source video that looks good in the living room.

Rob and Alban agree that this is another sign that podcast distribution is becoming much broader than that of traditional listening apps.

Audio Is Not Going Away

Despite Buzzsprout’s investment in video, Alban does not believe every podcast needs cameras. Some content is inherently better as audio. Scripted audio, documentary storytelling, intimate conversations, educational programming, and many other formats can deliver everything the audience needs without video.

Alban does not believe audio needs a technological gimmick to survive.
Spatial audio, immersive sound, and advanced codecs can create interesting experiences, but the central power of podcasting remains remarkably simple:

“The human voice and a compelling story.”

Good audio recorded decades ago can still be powerful today because the idea, voice, and storytelling remain meaningful.

Video is therefore additive rather than a replacement for audio.

Is Podcast Hosting Becoming a Commodity?

Rob then challenges Alban with another industry question:

Simply storing a media file is no longer difficult. Most hosting platforms can generate RSS feeds, distribute episodes, and provide common publishing features.

Alban agrees that hosting, narrowly defined as file storage, can look commoditized. But he argues that this misses the bigger job a podcast-hosting company should perform.

Buzzsprout sees its role as helping creators successfully navigate the entire process.

That includes technology, education, human support, distribution, publishing assistance, video, analytics, transcripts, and reducing the emotional and technical friction involved in putting something meaningful into the world. The competitive advantage is not simply storing the file. It is helping the creator succeed.

AI Should Remove Work, Not the Human

That philosophy carries directly into the episode’s discussion about artificial intelligence.

Buzzsprout already uses AI to help creators generate titles, descriptions, social content, blog material, chapter markers, and transcripts. Alban is comfortable with AI handling parts of production that creators may not enjoy. Buzzsprout’s own materials identify its Co-Host AI tools as assisting with publishing tasks, including titles, descriptions, chapters, and supporting content.

What he does not want AI to replace is the reason many people became creators in the first place.

Alban enjoys researching an idea, thinking about it, writing, talking with people, recording conversations, and producing something that reflects human experience.

If AI can clean audio, transcribe the episode, or reduce repetitive production work, that can be useful.

If it replaces the host, opinion, conversation, or creative process entirely, something important may be lost. Alban compares his preferred relationship with AI to using a calculator.

The technology is valuable. Yet, blindly refusing to use it entirely could be unnecessarily limiting. But just because a technology can perform a task does not mean the creator should hand over every task.

The important question is:

“Which parts of creating matter to you enough that you want to remain the person doing them?”

AI, Disclosure and Audience Trust

The deeper issue is trust.

Alban describes hearing what he believed was an AI-generated host-read advertisement in a podcast he regularly listened to. When he later asked the creator about AI and received a categorical denial of using it, Alban’s confidence in the show changed.

The problem was not simply that AI may have been used. The problem was the perception that the creator was not being transparent about it.

Rob and Alban agree that disclosure becomes increasingly important as synthetic voices, AI-written scripts, avatars, automated media, and cloned personalities become harder to distinguish from human-created content.

“Rob suggests that the industry may eventually move beyond labeling AI toward verifying or certifying what is human.”

As synthetic AI-generated audio and video content becomes more common, audiences may increasingly value signals showing that a conversation, performance, appearance, or relationship involves real humans.

That could increase the importance of live events, face-to-face meetings, physical communities, concerts, coffee shops, and other experiences where human presence is difficult to fake.

The Return of Offline Experiences

The episode broadens into a discussion about younger generations and technology.

Alban notes that some younger people are becoming interested in non-connected devices, point-and-shoot cameras, film cameras, books, and other technologies that do not constantly demand attention.

Rob sees similar interest developing around discontinued devices such as the Microsoft Zune portable media player devices.

The larger trend may represent a reaction to always-connected life.

Technology gives creators unprecedented reach, but human relationships still develop through attention, responsiveness, shared experiences, and time spent together.

That principle also connects back to podcasting.

Podcasting’s open architecture allows content to flow across applications and devices while maintaining a direct creator-to-audience relationship.

As Alban sees it, the strongest future for podcasting combines the best of both worlds:

“Open delivery through podcasting, algorithmic discovery through larger platforms, video when it adds value, audio when audio is enough, AI where it removes friction, and humans at the center of the creative relationship.”

Topics Covered in This Episode
– Why Buzzsprout moved from audio-only into video podcasting
– Apple HLS video and the turning point for podcast hosts
– Upload-once distribution across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and audio apps
– Why technical complexity should disappear for creators
– RSS as creator ownership and audience portability
– Discovery versus reliable delivery
– Algorithms compared with open podcast distribution
– Alternate enclosures and open video
– Protecting audio listeners when video is added
– Unified audio/video podcast experiences
– Video podcasts versus highly visual YouTube productions
– Why platforms want creators producing more video
– Short-form video and attention
– Why audio remains a companion medium
– 1080p video and television podcast consumption
– Why audio-only podcasting remains healthy
– Is podcast hosting becoming a commodity?
– Buzzsprout’s creator-support philosophy
– AI-assisted podcast production
– Which parts of creation should remain human
– AI voices, disclosure, and audience trust
– The possibility of verified-human media
– Younger generations and offline technology
– The renewed appeal of disconnected devices
– Open podcasting in the Liquid Content Era

Chapter Timestamp Markers
00:00 Welcome to The New Media Show Episode 681
00:24 Podcast hosting is moving beyond the audio file
01:18 Buzzsprout enters the video podcast era
02:00 Introducing Alban Brooke of Buzzsprout
03:15 What changed Buzzsprout’s thinking about video?
04:01 Why Buzzsprout spent years focused on audio only
04:50 Apple HLS video becomes the turning point
05:33 Upload once and distribute video and audio everywhere
06:00 Podcast distribution becomes technically more complicated
07:00 Why the hosting platform should hide the complexity
09:21 Podcasters increasingly do not know what RSS is
10:53 Why RSS still matters
11:08 RSS, creator control, and platform algorithm risk
13:08 The difference between podcast delivery and discovery
14:35 Using YouTube for discovery and RSS for audience delivery
15:37 HLS brings open distribution principles to video
16:49 Alternative enclosures and open video podcasting
17:18 The bandwidth and bot problem with video
18:04 Rob’s dual audio and video RSS strategy
19:20 The tension between MP4 video and HLS
20:15 What happens when video becomes the source of the audio?
20:52 The Netflix example of a broken audio experience
22:01 Why adding video can unintentionally hurt audio listeners
22:50 Alban’s case for audio-first communication
23:52 Why unified audio, video, and transcripts need to stay in sync
25:04 Video podcasts versus YouTube-first visual shows
26:15 Why platforms keep pushing creators toward video
27:15 The addictive power of short-form vertical video
28:32 Audio as a companion to real life
29:20 Why Apple chose this moment to emphasize video
30:34 The podcast industry’s push toward HLS
31:03 YouTube and Spotify increase competitive pressure
32:00 Why Apple’s HLS implementation changed Buzzsprout’s plans
33:23 Buzzsprout goes all-in on simplified video distribution
34:03 Why Buzzsprout chose 1080p
35:04 Podcast consumption moves onto television screens
35:41 How HLS adapts video quality to different devices
37:09 Apple TV and the big-screen podcast opportunity
38:43 Could HLS eventually replace audio delivery?
39:16 Why Alban believes audio-only podcasting remains strong
40:35 Video audiences can be additive rather than replacements
41:14 Could audio become more immersive?
42:02 Spatial audio and the history of immersive sound
43:03 Why the human voice matters more than audio technology
44:02 Does audio even need to compete with video?
45:33 Video is additive, not the death of audio
46:51 Is podcast hosting becoming a commodity?
48:00 Hosting versus full creator infrastructure
49:03 Removing technical and emotional barriers for creators
50:14 Why human support still differentiates podcast platforms
51:17 Where AI fits into podcast hosting
52:00 Buzzsprout Co-Host AI and production assistance
52:33 Using AI for tasks creators do not enjoy
53:32 Protect the parts of creating you actually love
54:28 Rob’s use of AI in pre-production and post-production
55:04 Why flowing human conversations resist scripting
55:43 The value of unscripted New Media Show conversations
56:27 AI is already capable of strong writing
57:06 Why the act of creation still matters
58:47 Creator attitudes toward AI become increasingly divided
1:00:44 Using AI like a calculator
1:02:09 AI-generated host reads and the trust problem
1:03:27 Why undisclosed AI can damage audience relationships
1:04:26 AI use versus dishonesty about AI use
1:05:17 Will we eventually label human-created content instead of AI-generated content?
1:06:19 Why real-world human experiences may become more valuable
1:07:38 Could “Certified Human” become a media signal?
1:08:20 AI avatars, recruiting fraud, and human verification
1:09:21 Trust can take years to build and minutes to destroy
1:10:35 Finding the middle ground on AI
1:11:07 Where AI saves time without replacing the creator
1:12:08 Preserve the human parts that matter
1:13:03 Generational differences around technology and AI
1:14:11 Gen Alpha, point-and-shoot cameras, and rejecting connectivity
1:15:01 Designing intentional distance from addictive media
1:16:18 The unexpected return of the Microsoft Zune
1:17:12 Books, film cameras, and disconnected technology
1:18:19 Human relationships existed before social platforms
1:19:01 Alban’s relationship with social media
1:20:17 Why offline relationships can matter more
1:21:19 Media creation becomes increasingly fragmented
1:22:00 Podcasting as truly liquid and open content
1:22:34 Closing thoughts with Alban Brooke
1:23:00 Where to find The New Media Show

Guest Links: Alban Brooke, Head of Marketing, Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com
Buzzsprout Video Podcasting: https://www.buzzsprout.com/features
Buzzcast: https://buzzcast.buzzsprout.com
Alban Brooke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albanbrooke
Alban Brooke is Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout and co-host of Buzzcast, where he discusses podcast technology, creator trends, industry developments, and practical strategies for podcasters.

Host, Rob Greenlee, and New Media Show Links

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

AI Disclosure Note
AI tools were used to create a video and audio introduction clip, episode images, help organize and edit this episode and summarize its description, and create chapter markers from the completed Episode 681 transcript. The recorded conversation, human performances, guest perspectives, editorial direction, final review, and responsibility for the published content remain with actual humans, Rob Greenlee and Alban Brooke.

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Liquid Content Era Needs New Measurement | Steven Goldstein, Amplifi Media #680

August 10, 2026August 10, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

New Media Show with Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee and Guest Steven Goldstein, Founder and CEO, Amplifi Media In Episode 680 of the New Media Show, host Rob Greenlee welcomes Steven Goldstein, founder and CEO of Amplifi Media, for a timely, future-leaning discussion.

We have entered the Liquid Content Era.

A podcast conversation can now become an audio episode, full-length YouTube video, Spotify video, Apple Podcasts video, vertical clips, social posts, articles, newsletters, searchable transcripts, and potentially AI-discovered answers. The underlying content may be the same, but the way people encounter and consume it varies by platform.

That creates an enormous opportunity for creators. It also creates a measurement problem.

Podcasting built much of its advertising business around the download. That metric helped turn an emerging medium into a legitimate advertising marketplace, but Steven argues that it no longer adequately represents how audiences consume modern shows.

Downloads were created in an era when bandwidth was limited and podcast applications often downloaded episodes to devices before the listener played them. Today, streaming is increasingly immediate, video consumption is growing, audiences move between devices, and clips can sometimes reach more people than the original episode.

The question is no longer simply: How many times was the podcast downloaded?

The better question may be: How many people actually listened to, watched, encountered the advertising, and engaged with the creator’s content across the entire media ecosystem?

Why advertisers need this change.

Large brands already buy television, web, streaming video, social, and other digital media through dashboards that provide comparable impression-based reporting. Podcasting remains fragmented across RSS analytics, platform dashboards, YouTube views, Spotify data, and different definitions of what constitutes meaningful exposure.

That fragmentation makes podcast media harder to buy at scale.

Steven explains that advertisers do not want separate teams manually reconciling podcast audio, video, clips, and platform metrics.

If podcasting wants to attract substantially more advertising investment, it needs to fit more easily into the systems marketers already use.

That leads into one of the episode’s central topics: the AMP Accords.

The Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting was formed to address three persistent problems:

Defining a podcast
Standardizing exposure metrics across platforms
Creating a more consistent way to evaluate advertising effectiveness.

The AMP Accords describe their goal as establishing cross-platform measurement standards spanning open RSS and closed platforms.

One of the biggest proposed shifts is moving toward a 30-second play as a standardized exposure metric across audio and video.

Steven is less concerned about whether 30 seconds ultimately proves to be the perfect number than he is about establishing a common starting point.

Media measurement has always evolved.

Steven draws on his experience in radio, where audience measurement moved from handwritten listening diaries to electronic Portable People Meters. The change was disruptive. Some formats gained audience under the new methodology, and others lost it. But advertisers demanded better information, and the industry eventually adapted.

Podcasting is facing a similar moment.

The industry should not allow the pursuit of a perfect measurement system to delay the adoption of a more useful one.

The AMP framework also addresses advertising impressions and audience measurement. That matters because an advertiser ultimately wants to know whether someone actually received an advertising message, not simply whether a media file was automatically delivered to a device.

Rob and Steven discuss the tension this creates for established podcast measurement.

Some publishers remain strongly committed to the download because it has provided consistency and an open measurement methodology for many years. Steven gives the download credit for helping build the podcast advertising business but believes the medium now needs to move forward.

The shift becomes even more important when video enters the equation.

YouTube has become a major podcast-consumption platform with sophisticated analytics on views, watch time, audience behavior, retention, and discovery.

Spotify has added video.

Apple is expanding its video capabilities through HLS. Meanwhile, audiences increasingly move fluidly between audio and video rather than seeing them as completely separate media products.

This raises another difficult question:

What exactly is a podcast now?

The AMP Accords propose a broad podcast definition that encompasses audio or video and open or closed distribution, provided the program remains meaningful without requiring constant visual attention.

Steven likes the basic framework but emphasizes that audiences will ultimately shape the word’s meaning.

People already call shows “podcasts” based on format and experience rather than on technical infrastructure. Most listeners do not know whether a show uses RSS feeds, direct platform uploads, streaming video, or another delivery method.

Rob raises a concern about defining podcasting too strongly through an audio lens.

If a video must always function perfectly with the viewer’s eyes closed, does that discourage creators from investing in richer visual storytelling?

That question becomes increasingly important as video production matures.

A modern video podcast can include visual demonstrations, graphics, archival material, set design, screen sharing, camera movement, and other elements that provide additional value to the viewer. Rob argues that creators should retain the freedom to build excellent audio and excellent video experiences, even when the two versions are not identical.

The discussion then moves to another major part of liquid content: short-form video.

Shorts or Clips were initially treated primarily as promotional tools designed to push people toward the full episode. That assumption is changing.

Some audience members may never consume the full show. They may know a creator entirely through Shorts, Reels, TikTok, or other excerpts.

Steven describes this as both an opportunity and a potential problem.

If a creator publishes the four best moments from an hour-long conversation, some viewers may decide those clips provide everything they wanted from the episode.

That means short-form may represent a separate audience, not simply a funnel into long-form media.

At the same time, social clips have become an increasingly important discovery mechanism.

Creators cannot simply ignore the places where audiences spend their time.

That is the essence of liquid content: the audience determines where and how the media gets consumed.

Artificial intelligence adds another layer.

Steven believes creators should increasingly think beyond traditional SEO, Search Engine Optimization, toward AEO, Answer Engine Optimization.

AI systems are increasingly becoming discovery engines themselves. Instead of searching through a list of websites or podcast episodes, a user may ask an AI system a specific question and receive a direct answer assembled from available sources.

That shift could be especially valuable for niche creators.

A podcast with deep authority in a narrow subject may become an important source of AI-generated answers if its content is well-structured, transcribed, accessible, and clearly associated with expertise in that category.

Rob expands the discussion into recommendation systems.

YouTube already uses AI extensively to determine which content should be presented to which audience. Similar systems will increasingly influence discovery throughout digital media.

That creates a harder competitive environment.

Steven argues that mediocre content will be crushed. As audiences face effectively unlimited choices and algorithms become better at filtering those choices, simply producing acceptable content may no longer be enough. Shows need differentiation, relevance, expertise, strong personalities, or storytelling that holds attention.

That does not mean every successful podcast needs millions of listeners.

Steven points to niche podcasts serving highly specific professional communities. A show about HVAC systems may never become a mainstream entertainment hit, but it can still become an extremely valuable business if it reaches the right technicians, manufacturers, buyers, and industry decision-makers.

Influence within a valuable niche can matter more than raw audience scale.

The conversation closes by examining the tension between short-form and long-form media.

Consumers are time-starved.

Summaries, clips, AI-generated takeaways, and compressed content are becoming increasingly useful.

Yet long-form is not disappearing.

Joe Rogan, Acquired, Dan Carlin, and other successful long-form creators demonstrate that audiences will still spend hours with content when the storytelling, expertise, personality, or subject deserves the investment.

The real challenge is earning the audience’s time.

In the Liquid Content Era, creators are no longer simply publishing episodes. They are building adaptable media assets that can move across platforms, formats, screens, algorithms, and audiences.

The measurement systems now need to catch up.

Topics Covered in This Episode:
-What Steven Goldstein means by the Liquid Content Era
-Why one piece of content now becomes many media products
-Why the podcast download is becoming less representative of consumption
-What podcasting can learn from radio and television measurement
-Why advertisers need unified cross-platform metrics
-The AMP Accords and the future of podcast measurement
-The proposed 30-second play standard
-Plays, audience, ad impressions, and ad audience
-Audio versus video measurement
-Apple HLS, YouTube, Spotify, and platform competition
-Why the definition of a podcast continues to evolve
-Whether video podcasts need to work with the viewer’s eyes closed
-The difference between clipping content and creating for vertical video
-Why clips may represent a separate audience
-AI and Answer Engine Optimization
-How algorithms increasingly control media discovery
-Why mediocre content faces greater pressure
-High-value niche content versus mass audience scale
-What it takes to create a hit today
-Why long-form content can still win

Chapter Time Stamp Markers
00:00 Welcome to The New Media Show Episode 680
00:36 The Liquid Content Era needs new measurement
01:10 Introducing Steven Goldstein of Amplifi Media
02:07 Why media has entered the Liquid Content Era
03:18 The New York Times as a liquid content example
04:41 Podcasting moves from audio into multimedia
05:29 Video was always part of podcasting
06:22 Why the download originally made sense
07:13 Streaming changes how podcast consumption is measured
08:08 What podcasting can learn from radio measurement
09:11 From listening diaries to electronic measurement
10:00 Why advertisers need podcasting inside their dashboards
11:05 Audio and video buying remain separated at agencies
12:06 How television moved toward impression-based measurement
13:13 Short-form video enters the podcast media mix
14:12 Introducing the AMP Accords
15:08 What the AMP Accords propose
17:03 What AMP got right and what could go wrong
18:41 Why 30 seconds is a starting point, not the final answer
20:06 Moving beyond the download
21:23 Downloads do not always equal actual listening
22:03 The IAB and industry resistance to changing measurement
23:20 Some shows will gain, and others will lose under better metrics
24:18 Why Steven believes the download cannot be the future
25:11 Consumer behavior is forcing podcasting to change
26:02 Vertical video becomes a major media business
27:01 Can YouTube, Spotify, and Apple align around new metrics?
29:16 Comparing 30-second and 60-second exposure
31:07 Plays, audience, ad impressions, and advertiser needs
32:16 Why advertisers dislike hidden podcast audience numbers
33:07 Measurement matters differently for niche podcasts
34:19 How audiences move between audio and video
36:05 Should audio and video come from the same media file?
37:02 Why measurement does not need to be perfect to improve
38:16 Liquid content keeps expanding into new formats
39:14 What qualifies as a podcast now?
40:02 The audience may ultimately define podcasting
41:35 Does “eyes closed” unfairly prioritize audio?
43:05 Could the new definition weaken video creativity?
44:31 Separate audio and video podcast experiences
46:07 Vertical video versus automatically generated clips
46:52 Are clips replacing the full episode?
48:04 Short-form audiences may be entirely different
49:00 AI enters the Liquid Content Era
49:28 SEO shifts toward Answer Engine Optimization
50:27 AI becomes the first layer of media discovery
51:13 Algorithms judge what audiences see
53:04 Why mediocre content will be crushed
54:02 What qualifies as quality content?
55:04 Niche media does not need mass scale
57:07 How specialized podcasts can build valuable businesses
58:38 Why podcast creation remains flat despite creator growth
1:00:16 Creators no longer need traditional media gatekeepers
1:01:21 What the COVID podcast boom taught the industry
1:02:27 High-value content and why hits are hard
1:03:05 Differentiation as the foundation of a successful show
1:05:05 What television can teach podcasters about format innovation
1:06:22 Why creators compete for increasingly limited audience time
1:07:34 Short-form versus long-form content
1:08:22 Why people increasingly use AI to summarize long content
1:09:08 Joe Rogan, Acquired, and why long-form still succeeds
1:10:05 Gen Z will consume long content when it earns the time
1:11:01 Structured YouTube content versus podcast conversations
1:13:00 Final thoughts on the changing New Media landscape
1:14:00 Where to find The New Media Show

Guest: Steven Goldstein, Founder and CEO, Amplifi Media

Amplifi Media: https://www.amplifimedia.com
About Steven Goldstein: https://www.amplifimedia.com/about
Steven Goldstein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-goldstein-a057b54
Amplifi Media on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplifi-media

Steven Goldstein is founder and CEO of Amplifi Media and teaches The Business of Podcasting at NYU. His current work focuses heavily on the shift toward cross-platform audio, video, and social distribution, as well as what he describes as the Liquid Content Era.

AMP Accords

Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting: https://ampaccords.com

The AMP Accords focus on three areas: standardizing impression metrics, developing cross-platform performance measurement, and creating a common industry definition of a podcast.

Host, Rob Greenlee, and New Media Show Links

AI Disclosure Note:

AI tools were used to create a video and audio introduction clip, episode images, help organize and edit this episode and summarize its description, and create chapter markers from the completed Episode 680 transcript. The recorded conversation, human performances, guest perspectives, editorial direction, final review, and responsibility for the published content remain with actual humans Rob Greenlee and Steven Goldstein.

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Blubrry’s Next Chapter | Barry Kantz, CEO/CFO #678

August 3, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

In Episode 678 of the New Media Show, host and Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee welcomes Barry Kantz, CEO and CFO of Blubrry Podcasting, for a candid conversation about Blubrry’s leadership transition, the legacy of (RIP) former CEO Todd Cochrane, independent podcasting, video, artificial intelligence, monetization, measurement, human support, and the changing podcast-hosting market.

For more than 20 years, Blubrry and its parent company, RawVoice, have helped build and support the open podcast ecosystem. The sudden passing of Blubrry founder and longtime New Media Show co-host Todd Cochrane forced the company, its team, and Todd’s family to navigate an unexpected personal and business transition.

Barry explains how Blubrry responded, how leadership responsibilities shifted, and how his management approach differs from Todd’s hard-charging entrepreneurial style. Barry is bringing a more data-driven and systems-focused approach while trusting Blubrry’s experienced remote team to carry the company forward.

The conversation also examines how podcasting itself is changing.

Audio remains central to the medium, but video has become part of how audiences define and experience podcasts. Rob and Barry discuss YouTube discovery, the overlap between watching and listening, short-form clips, RSS distribution, Apple’s HLS video support, alternative enclosures, Podcasting 2.0, and Blubrry’s Vid2Pod tool for turning YouTube videos into audio podcast episodes.

Barry also shares an update on Blubrry’s HLS video development and discusses the company’s new lower-priced starter plan introduced around the time of the recording.

Artificial intelligence is another major part of Blubrry’s next chapter.

Barry explains how he uses Claude as a daily assistant for analytics, automation, research, and company operations.

Barry sees AI as a way to make podcast creation and management easier, especially for creators who may not have extensive technical experience.

At the same time, Blubrry’s larger goal is to use technology to support human expression rather than replace the human connection that gives podcasting its value.

Rob and Barry discuss low-effort AI-generated content, synthetic media, voice cloning, the limitations of automated clipping tools, and the growing need to distinguish human-hosted shows from fully automated productions.

The discussion then moves into monetization and the opportunities still available to independent creators.

Barry argues that smaller shows can create meaningful business value when they serve a clearly defined audience and develop strong relationships with listeners. Creators do not necessarily need millions of downloads. A focused show with several hundred deeply engaged listeners can provide valuable access to a professional, geographic, or consumer community.

Barry also reflects on Blubrry’s early work with host-read advertising and Todd Cochrane’s long-running sponsorship relationship with GoDaddy as examples of how trust, consistency, niche relevance, and audience connection can create durable advertiser value.

Rob and Barry also examine the challenge of measuring audio and video under a common standard.

HLS video, progressive audio downloads, platform-controlled playback, and various delivery methods complicate the determination of what should count as a verified play. The discussion explores why common measurement matters to advertisers and why the industry may need different technical approaches for audio and video consumption.

The episode closes with a broader look at the increasingly competitive podcast-hosting market.

Hosting, storage, and delivery have become commodities. The competitive difference now comes from the tools, services, support, analytics, workflows, distribution options, and human expertise built around the infrastructure.

For Blubrry, that includes PowerPress, WordPress integration, video support, Vid2Pod, Podcasting 2.0 features, AI-assisted workflows, monetization options, analytics, and access to experienced human support.

Both reflect on the legacy Todd Cochrane helped create and provide a detailed look at how Blubrry plans to move forward in a media environment shaped by audio, video, AI, open distribution, creator ownership, and changing audience expectations.

Key Discussion Topics:

– Blubrry’s transition following Todd Cochrane’s passing
– Barry Kantz’s leadership and management approach
– How the Blubrry team responded to sudden change
– Todd’s influence on podcasting and the open ecosystem
– The evolving definition of a podcast
– Audience movement between watching and listening
– YouTube discovery and short-form video
– Blubrry’s Vid2Pod technology
– Apple HLS video support
– RSS, alternative enclosures, and Podcasting 2.0
– Blubrry’s lower-priced starter plan
– AI-assisted podcast production and operations
– Human-hosted media versus automated content
– Voice cloning, authenticity, and audience trust
– Monetization for independent and niche creators
– Host-read advertising and direct sponsorships
– Measuring audio and video consumption
– Podcast hosting as a commodity
– PowerPress and the continuing role of WordPress
– Human customer support as a competitive advantage
– The future of independent podcasting

Chapter Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome to The New Media Show Episode 678
00:44 Blubrry’s role in the open podcast ecosystem
02:03 Introducing Barry Kantz, CEO and CFO of Blubrry Podcasting
03:31 The sudden loss of former co-founder/CEO of Blubrry, Todd Cochrane
05:22 How the Blubrry team responded
06:29 Barry’s leadership style compared with Todd’s
08:17 Bringing data and operational systems into the company
09:57 How Todd might view today’s podcast market
11:11 Video becomes part of podcasting
13:20 Blubrry’s Vid2Pod product
14:46 Barry’s transition from CFO to CEO
18:14 The opportunity for independent creators
20:00 Who now defines what a podcast is?
21:07 Audiences move between watching and listening
23:24 YouTube discovery and the importance of Shorts
24:55 The limitations of AI-generated clips
26:20 Blubrry’s Apple HLS video rollout
28:12 Blubrry introduces a lower-priced starter plan
29:08 Alternative enclosures and Podcasting 2.0
30:34 Barry’s use of Claude as an AI assistant
32:02 Supporting human creators while limiting AI slop
33:20 Voice cloning and the challenge of replicating humanity
36:18 Blubrry’s philosophy on podcast monetization
37:30 How niche shows can attract direct sponsors
39:27 Managing expectations for new podcasters
43:16 Measuring HLS video and audio downloads
46:45 New competition in podcast hosting
47:36 Why hosting has become a commodity
50:45 Product focus, acquisitions, and platform complexity
52:01 WordPress, PowerPress, and AI-assisted websites
55:00 Blubrry’s commitment to human customer support
57:31 Closing thoughts on Blubrry’s future

About the Guest:

Barry Kantz is CEO and CFO of Blubrry Podcasting and one of the original founders of its parent company, RawVoice.

Barry has produced podcasts since 2005 and has worked with Blubrry throughout its more than 20-year history. His responsibilities have included company finance, legal affairs, human resources, analytics, operations, and business leadership.

Following the passing of Blubrry founder Todd Cochrane, Barry stepped into the company’s primary leadership role. He is now guiding Blubrry through its next chapter as podcasting expands across audio, video, artificial intelligence, open RSS distribution, WordPress, and creator-led media.

Blubrry Podcasting
https://blubrry.com

Blubrry Leadership and Company Information
https://blubrry.com/about

Barry Kantz on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kantzb

Blubrry Podcast Insider
https://blubrry.com/podcast-insider

About the Host:

Rob Greenlee is a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee, Chair of the Podcast Hall of Fame, and a longtime new-media executive, creator, strategist, and industry leader. He is the co-founder and current host of The New Media Show and the founder of Trust Factor Lab. Rob has worked across podcasting, radio, digital media, audio, video, creator platforms, partnerships, distribution, monetization, and emerging AI-assisted media for more than 26 years.

His previous leadership roles include Microsoft, PodcastOne, Spreaker, and Libsyn, where he helped shape the growth of podcasting, distribution platforms, creator partnerships, and digital audio.

Through The New Media Show, Rob explores how podcasting fits inside the larger new-media ecosystem, including video, livestreaming, artificial intelligence, platforms, audience ownership, intellectual property, advertising, trust, and sustainable creator businesses.

New Media Show
https://newmediashow.com

The New Media Show on YouTube
https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow

New Media Show Audio on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649

Rob Greenlee
https://robgreenlee.com

Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee

Rob Greenlee on YouTube
https://youtube.com/@RobGreenlee

Podcast Hall of Fame
https://podcasthall.com

AI Disclosure:

AI tools were used to help organize and edit this episode description and create chapter markers from the completed episode transcript. The editorial direction, final review, industry perspective, and responsibility for the published content remain with Rob Greenlee. This description reflects the substance of the recorded conversation between Barry Kantz and Rob Greenlee.

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Creators Become Media | Steve Wilson, Daylight Media and QCODE #676

July 23, 2026July 11, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

In Episode #676 of the New Media Show, host and Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee welcomes Steve Wilson, Chief Strategy Officer at Daylight Media and QCODE, for a wide-ranging conversation about the shift from producing a successful podcast to building a sustainable creator-led media company.

Creators no longer operate in a simple world of publishing one show to ONE place and relying mainly on advertising.

The strongest creators are building direct relationships with audiences across podcasts, video, short-form clips, newsletters, communities, subscriptions, live events, products, and services.

Podcasting remains one of the most effective long-form formats for building trust and repeated audience connection.

It is now one part of a larger media strategy shaped by video distribution, platform algorithms, artificial intelligence, audience ownership, and the growing power of individual personalities.

Steve brings a valuable perspective to this discussion. Before joining QCODE, he spent years working with Apple Podcasts and iTunes. At QCODE, he helped develop and distribute premium scripted audio series featuring talent including Matthew McConaughey, Demi Moore, and Rami Malek. QCODE has since expanded through Daylight Media, which provides distribution, monetization, technology, marketing, and business support for a broader network of creators.

Daylight currently works with roughly 70 creators and shows representing approximately 300 million monthly audio downloads and video views.

Across that network, video now accounts for a significant share of consumption, although the balance between audio and video differs considerably from show to show.

That difference is important.

Some creators have audiences that strongly favor YouTube and Spotify video. Other shows continue to perform primarily through audio.

For some programs, video may be valuable mainly as a discovery and social marketing layer rather than as the central product. Steve argues that creators should evaluate their format, audience, resources, and business goals before committing to a major video expansion.

Rob and Steve discuss Apple’s HLS video support and why it may become an important addition to the podcast distribution ecosystem. HLS can give creators greater flexibility in delivering video while maintaining many of the ownership and control principles associated with RSS.

The larger issue is whether creators retain access to their audience data, revenue information, advertising options, and the ability to move their shows between services.

The conversation also examines what makes a show work in both audio and video.

A strong video presentation may include thoughtful set design, lighting, visual storytelling, archival material, graphics, and physical objects that add context. The underlying audio still needs to stand on its own.

Listeners should not feel as though they are receiving an incomplete version of a show because they cannot see what is happening on screen.

Steve points to television, documentary production, and the work of filmmakers such as Ken Burns as useful references.

A show can begin with excellent audio storytelling and add visuals that deepen the experience without making the audio audience feel secondary.

There are also cases where the audio and video products should remain different. Scripted fiction uses sound to create a theater of the mind, allowing listeners to imagine the world and its characters. Turning that same property into a visual production may require a separate creative and business decision rather than a simple video version of the podcast.

We also explore the potential for long-form content on Instagram, the renewed interest in vertical video, and the growing market for microdramas. They also revisit Quibi and consider whether some earlier media ideas failed because the technology, audience behavior, or distribution environment was not yet ready for them.

The discussion then turns to one of the most important distinctions between podcasting and YouTube.

YouTube can generate large spikes around individual videos, but performance may vary widely from episode to episode.

Traditional RSS-based podcast audiences are often more consistent. That stability can make an audio podcast especially valuable to advertisers because future episode delivery and revenue are easier to forecast.

YouTube is highly effective for discovery. Podcast feeds are often stronger at developing recurring habits around a series. Successful media companies will increasingly need to understand the value of both.

Catalog discovery is another major opportunity. Podcasts and long-form videos can remain useful for years, but most platforms continue to prioritize newly released material. Steve argues that the industry needs better ways to help audiences find relevant episodes from existing catalogs based on subject, location, interest, and current context.

Daylight recently acquired Podcast Review, a long-running editorial publication focused on podcast reviews, interviews, recommendations, and lists. Steve sees independent editorial guidance as an important part of helping audiences find strong shows beyond what algorithms automatically recommend. Podcast Review continues to publish consumer-focused coverage while operating as a Daylight Media property with stated editorial standards and disclosures.

Rob and Steve discuss whether the audience now has more influence over what qualifies as a podcast. Listeners and viewers increasingly use the word to describe a style of recurring, personality-led media rather than a specific technical delivery method.

Steve is less concerned with rigid format definitions. He compares the current debate to earlier questions about whether a streaming series released all at once should still be called television. Distribution formats change. Audience behavior changes. The most useful question is whether the content delivers the experience people expect from the show.

The second half of the episode focuses on creators becoming media companies.

Daylight works with creators at different stages, from established personalities such as Jon Stewart to growing shows entering advertising for the first time. Some partners need only ad sales support. Others are developing subscriptions, merchandise, tours, live events, networks, and additional shows.

Steve describes Daylight as an infrastructure layer that often works behind the scenes. The goal is to help the creator’s brand remain visible while providing the operational systems needed to grow. Daylight was launched as an expansion of QCODE’s creator-support work, with services covering distribution, audience development, marketing, technology, products, and monetization.

Creator-first structure differs from an older media model in which the studio or network brand often controlled the relationship between talent and audience. Steve believes the next era will give creators more leverage, flexibility, and ownership. The companies that support them will need to prove their value without taking over the show’s identity.

Artificial intelligence is already affecting that work, although adoption varies widely. Some creators are using AI for research, transcription, artwork, editing, and production support. Others remain strongly opposed to it.

Steve does not see the choice as a complete acceptance or rejection of AI.

Each use case needs to be evaluated separately. Voice dubbing may help a creator correct a short line without having to re-record an entire session. Transcription can reduce production time. Synthetic performances or undisclosed manipulation may violate the audience’s expectations and trust.

Both agree that growing volumes of synthetic content may also increase the value of live, in-person, and clearly human experiences.

Podcast tours, creator conferences, community gatherings, retreats, and interactive events allow audiences to participate in ways that digital platforms cannot fully reproduce. The opportunity may extend beyond recording a regular episode on stage.

Future creator events could include audience conversations, workshops, performances, shared activities, and experiences built around a particular community or interest.

This episode offers a clear view of where creator media is heading. A show can remain the center of the relationship, but the greater opportunity lies in building a flexible media business around the audience, protecting creator ownership, and selecting formats that serve the content rather than following every platform trend.

Topics Covered in This Episode

– Why successful creators are becoming media companies
– QCODE’s expansion into Daylight Media
– Audio and video consumption across the Daylight network
– Apple HLS video and creator-controlled distribution
– Why every show needs a different audio and video strategy
– Set design and visual storytelling for video shows
– Preserving a complete experience for audio listeners
– Scripted fiction, video adaptations, and intellectual property
– Instagram, vertical video, and microdramas
– YouTube discovery compared with RSS audience stability
– Evergreen content and podcast-catalog discovery
– Apple Podcasts editorial discovery
– Daylight Media’s acquisition of Podcast Review
– Whether audiences now define what a podcast is
– Revenue beyond advertising
– Subscriptions, merchandise, networks, touring, and events
– Daylight as a behind-the-scenes creator infrastructure company
– RSS, APIs, alternate enclosures, and platform control
– Creator access to audience and revenue data
– AI production tools and audience trust
– The growing value of live and human experiences

Chapter Time Stamp Markers:

00:00 Welcome to The New Media Show Episode 676
00:36 Creators are building full media businesses
02:24 Introducing Steve Wilson of Daylight Media and QCODE
03:05 How QCODE expanded into Daylight Media
04:23 From premium audio fiction to a creator network
05:16 Video now drives much of the network’s consumption
05:59 Apple HLS video and creator flexibility
08:27 Why there is no single audio-video strategy
09:03 What makes a show work in video?
10:44 Keeping audio listeners at the center
12:09 Higher production values and video set design
14:34 Theater of the mind and the value of audio
15:37 Short-form video and social-first podcasts
16:00 Could Instagram become a long-form video platform?
17:33 Microdramas, vertical storytelling, and the Quibi lesson
18:27 Audio-first creators and video anxiety
19:24 YouTube volatility compared with RSS stability
21:01 Tentpole episodes, long-form content, and audience habits
22:10 Evergreen catalog discovery
23:26 Apple Podcasts editorial discovery
25:00 Daylight Media acquires Podcast Review
25:46 Is the audience taking control of media definitions?
27:52 Does the technical definition of a podcast still matter?
31:03 Moving from a show to a media company
32:14 Daylight’s creator network and growth spectrum
32:54 Subscriptions, merchandise, tours, and new revenue
33:35 Daylight as a creator infrastructure layer
34:07 Why Daylight works behind the scenes
36:12 The future of video distribution and RSS
37:17 Alternate enclosures and location-based discovery
38:24 Creator ownership beyond RSS purity
39:59 Audio ads, video ads, platforms, and advertiser results
41:07 Independent creators gain more media power
42:07 How creators are using AI
43:02 Where AI can damage audience trust
45:05 AI voice dubbing and practical production uses
45:34 The return of live and human experiences
47:18 Podcast tours, conferences, and creator communities
49:18 Building more interactive creator events
50:51 Final thoughts on Daylight Media and QCODE
51:31 Where to find Daylight and QCODE shows
52:44 End of episode

Guest Links: Steve Wilson, Chief Strategy Officer, Daylight Media and QCODE

Daylight Media: https://daylightmedia.com
QCODE Media: https://qcodemedia.com
Podcast Review: https://podcastreview.org
Steve Wilson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwilson7
Steve Wilson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilsonomics

Steve Wilson is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Daylight Media, with his work continuing across the QCODE and Daylight organizations.

Host, Rob Greenlee and New Media Show Links

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 content strategy, authority development, media positioning, AI transparency, audience growth, and business outcomes built through credibility.

AI Disclosure Note:

I used AI tools to help organize and edit this episode description and 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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The Future of Media | Leo Laporte, TWiT.tv #672

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 ~ Rob Greenlee ~ Leave a comment

In Episode 672 of the New Media Show, host 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee welcomes Leo Laporte, founder and owner of the TWiT Podcast Network, longtime technology broadcaster, and 2015 Podcast Hall of Famer.

He launched TWiT in 2005 and built one of the earliest independent technology media networks around a simple idea: make strong shows, distribute them everywhere the audience wants to watch or listen, and build a real relationship with the people who return every week.

Leo has spent decades at the center of the shift from broadcast radio and cable television into online shows, podcasts, livestreams, video, and creator-led media.

This conversation looks at where that model is heading now.

The word “podcast” helped define an era of downloadable audio, RSS feeds, and iPods. Today, audiences find shows through YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Netflix, social platforms, livestreams, clips, newsletters, and communities.

Most viewers or listeners do not care how a show is technically delivered. They care whether it is easy to find, worth their attention, and made by people they trust.

Rob and Leo discuss why the technical barrier to starting a show has fallen so far, while the challenge of creating meaningful content has never gone away. Anyone can publish.

Building a show that earns repeat attention takes perspective, consistency, subject knowledge, and a genuine relationship with an audience.

Leo reflects on TWiT’s early video strategy, its experiments with live 24/7 programming, and the importance of creating a sense of place around a media brand.

Video can deepen audience connection, while audio remains one of the most personal forms of media because it travels with listeners through daily life.

The discussion also explores the growing complexity of distribution and measurement. Audio and video are increasingly becoming one media experience, yet advertisers still face fragmented metrics across RSS, YouTube, streaming platforms, and social video.

Rob and Leo talk about Apple HLS video, the gap between download metrics and actual consumption, the limitations of existing IAB measurement standards, and why advertiser confidence still often comes down to audience fit and trusted host-read relationships.

A strong audience relationship has more long-term value than a number on a dashboard that may not fully reflect who watched, listened, responded, or bought.

Leo also shares his view that AI is a major structural technology transition. TWiT has expanded its coverage through Intelligent Machines, looking at AI, robotics, and the impact these tools will have on work, media, and daily life.

AI can help creators research, edit, generate visuals, improve production workflows, translate content, and extend the usefulness of existing media. It can also generate massive volumes of generic content, clone voices, and make it harder for audiences to know what is real.

Rob and Leo discuss whether clearly identified and certified human-led media may become more valuable as synthetic content becomes harder to distinguish from authentic work. They agree that human perspective, lived experience, spontaneity, and community will continue to matter deeply in a media environment crowded with automated output.

The episode closes with a look at the next generation of media habits. Leo points to the rise of short-form scrolling, social video, and new creator business models, while also making the case for long-form conversations and communities that bring people together instead of pushing them further apart.

For creators and media companies, the path forward is still clear: build work that people value, meet the audience where they are, stay flexible as platforms change, and create relationships strong enough to survive the next technology shift.

Topic Chapter Time Stamp Markers:

00:00 — Welcome to The New Media Show Episode 672
Rob Greenlee introduces Leo Laporte and sets up the episode around online new media, podcasting, video, AI, and where media is heading next.

02:15 — Leo Laporte Joins the Conversation
Leo reflects on how long he and Rob have been part of the early era of podcasting and online media.

02:45 — Is It Still New Media?
Rob and Leo discuss whether “new media” still works as a term, and why podcasting may now be part of a much larger media category.

03:30 — Why Leo Wanted to Call Podcasts “Netcasts”
Leo explains why he resisted the term “podcast” early on and why he still thinks creators are really making shows.

04:35 — Podcasting Beyond the Download
The conversation moves into YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, RSS, streaming, and why the audience cares more about access than the delivery format.

05:25 — Be Everywhere the Audience Wants You
Leo explains one of TWiT’s core decisions: distribute content wherever listeners and viewers want to consume it.

06:10 — Discovery Is the New Challenge
Podcasting is easier to access than ever, but harder to discover because audiences now have millions of choices.

07:35 — Why Starting Is Easy but Building a Show Is Hard
Leo explains that technical barriers have fallen, but the real challenge remains content, authenticity, and audience connection.

09:20 — Talent, Audience, and the Return of Media Gatekeeping
Rob and Leo discuss whether attention is consolidating again around fewer large creators and channels.

10:25 — Audience Size vs Real Business Value
Leo separates building an audience from building a media business and explains why YouTube monetization still requires scale.

11:05 — Radio, Podcasting, and the Early TWiT Model
Leo talks about his radio background, his first podcast from 2004, and how broadcasting and podcasting share the same core idea.

12:05 — The Brick House Studio and Legitimacy
Leo explains why TWiT built a large studio: to show advertisers and audiences that online media could be a serious media business.

13:05 — Video Was Always Part of the Plan
Rob and Leo talk about how TWiT was doing video years before the current “video podcasting” push.

13:40 — Audio Intimacy vs Video Presence
Leo explains why radio creates intimacy, while video adds place, presence, and a different kind of audience relationship.

16:05 — TWiT as a Lean-Back Media Network
Leo describes his early vision for TWiT as a low-cost version of CNN or CNBC for technology coverage.

17:00 — 24/7 Streaming and Live Community
The conversation covers TWiT’s 24/7 stream, live programming, behind-the-scenes feel, and why raw authenticity helped the brand.

18:40 — Why Technology Was the Right Beat
Leo explains why covering technology kept TWiT relevant through major shifts from the iPhone to AI.

20:35 — AI as the Next Major Technology Shift
Leo compares AI to structural technology changes and explains why he sees it as a major long-term shift.

22:20 — From This Week in Google to Intelligent Machines
Leo discusses rebranding a TWiT show around AI and robotics as the center of technology coverage moved.

23:15 — Can AI Create Real Media?
Rob asks Leo about AI-generated content, and Leo explains why he still believes humans will remain central to media creation.

24:20 — AI Tools, Voice Cloning, and Advertising
Leo talks about using AI tools, ElevenLabs voice cloning, and the potential for AI-generated ad reads.

25:25 — Why Human Spontaneity Still Matters
Rob and Leo discuss whether AI clones can capture the same timing, originality, and human presence as real creators.

26:35 — Zune, Apple, Siri, and AI Adoption
A lighter segment on Zune leads into Apple’s AI plans and how mainstream users may begin to understand AI’s practical value.

27:45 — AI Backlash, Jobs, and Human Value
Rob and Leo discuss AI anxiety, job disruption, retraining, and why people need to understand where their human value lies.

29:30 — Will the Word Podcast Survive?
Rob asks whether “podcast” will remain the right term as audiences define the medium more than creators or platforms do.

30:40 — Shows, Creators, and Human Creation
Leo argues that “show” may be the better word and reflects on why humans are naturally driven to create.

33:05 — Apple HLS and the Audio-Video Merge
Rob and Leo discuss Apple HLS, streaming formats, video RSS, audio RSS, and the shift toward combined audio-video experiences.

37:05 — Measurement Across Audio, Video, and Platforms
The conversation turns to the challenge of consistent measurement across RSS, YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and other platforms.

38:20 — Host-Read Ads, Video Ads, and Dynamic Insertion
Leo explains how TWiT handles baked-in host reads, dynamic ad insertion, and the coming shift toward video ad insertion.

39:10 — The Problem with Podcast Metrics
Leo explains why measuring podcast consumption remains messy, especially across corporate networks, mobile listening, and YouTube.

41:10 — Why Attribution Still Falls Short
Rob and Leo discuss why promo codes, attribution links, and dashboards do not fully capture real audience behavior.

43:15 — Trust as the Real Advertising Asset
Leo explains why TWiT’s value to advertisers comes from trusted hosts, engaged audiences, and long-term sponsor relationships.

45:00 — Podcasting 2.0 and Shared Economic Models
Rob introduces the idea of shared value between advertisers, apps, creators, and listeners, and Leo reacts to the concept.

46:15 — Oxford Road, Dan Granger, and New Metrics
Rob brings up Dan Granger’s work around new podcast measurement standards and the 30-second vs 60-second listener discussion.

47:35 — Why Creator-Side Metrics Matter
Leo explains why he is skeptical of advertiser-driven measurement systems and why inflated podcast numbers damaged trust.

49:15 — Subscriptions, Membership, and Reducing Ad Dependence
Leo explains why audience-supported media would be ideal and how TWiT’s paid club fits into the business model.

50:20 — The Art of the Host-Read Ad
Rob and Leo discuss why Leo’s long-form host reads worked, including the value of making ads useful and content-like.

52:45 — Where Media Consumption Is Heading
Rob asks Leo what may come next in media, and Leo points to short-form scrolling, TikTok, Instagram, and changing audience behavior.

54:00 — Leo’s Son, TikTok, and the Next Generation of Media
Leo shares how his son built a major food audience through short-form video and turned it into a restaurant and cookbook business.

55:35 — Long-Form Still Has a Future
Leo argues that long-form shows can still matter if they create value, community, and real connection.

56:45 — Community as the Core of Media
Leo explains why connection and community remain the most important part of media, no matter how platforms change.

57:30 — The Risk of Doom Scrolling
Rob and Leo discuss short-form addiction, dopamine loops, and how constant scrolling can disconnect people from real community.

58:35 — AI Slop and Synthetic Video
The discussion moves to AI-generated video content, fantasy media, and the question of whether audiences will tire of low-quality synthetic output.

59:35 — Human Clones, AI Presence, and Authenticity
Rob asks whether AI versions of creators could extend their presence, and Leo reflects on voice clones, soul, and human perspective.

1:00:35 — Human-Made Media May Become More Important
Rob suggests that labeling human-made content may become more valuable as AI content grows more convincing.

1:01:20 — Remembering Todd Cochrane and Podcast Hall of Fame
Rob and Leo reflect on Todd Cochrane, the Podcast Hall of Fame, and the early podcasting community.

1:03:10 — The Hall of Fame, Dave Winer, and Joe Rogan
Leo and Rob talk about the Podcast Hall of Fame, Dave Winer, Joe Rogan, and recognizing major contributors to podcasting.

1:04:45 — Closing Thoughts and Where to Find the Show
Rob thanks Leo and closes the episode with where to find past episodes and future New Media Show content.

Guest Links: Leo Laporte, Founder and Owner, TWiT Podcast Network

TWiT Podcast Network: https://twit.tv/
Leo Laporte Website: https://leo.fm/
Leo Laporte on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-laporte-8aa224309/
Leo Laporte on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeoLaporte
Intelligent Machines: https://twit.tv/shows/intelligent-machines
This Week in Tech: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech

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/

AI Disclosure Note:

I used AI tools to help organize and edit this episode, description, and generate show notes from the episode transcript. The views, clarifications, responsibility, and industry perspective are mine and my guest’s. This article reflects my editorial direction and the substance of the conversation.

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