Virtual Roundtable: Is the Podcasting Boom Sparking Diversity?

The podcast pros sharing their thoughts on how digital audio offers women fresh opportunities for advancement and creativity, as well as how the industry is supporting and nurturing female talent, are Gayle Troberman, Executive Vice President/CMO for iHeartMedia; N'Jeri Eaton, Senior Manager of Program Acquisitions at NPR; Patty Newmark, Co-Founder of PodSearch; Kerri Hoffman, CEO of PRX; Pam Kramer, CMO of Cadence13; Jennifer Ho-Dougatz, Co-Founder of Hangar Studios, and Jenni Skaug, Senior Sales Director for AudioBoom.  Next week, in part two of this series, they'll weigh in on how to build a successful podcast in a sea of some 350,000 other shows.

E.B. Moss:  Compared to radio -- or the media industry as a whole -- how have you found the opportunities and receptivity for women in the world of podcasting?

Gayle Troberman, iHeartMedia:  Podcasting is the newest, old-school medium and it's a green field for everyone: women, men and brands.  I love that anyone with a point of view, a story and a mic can be heard, and that publishers and brands are hiring people to push the medium forward.  It's not a world where women only listen to women's content and men cover men's topics.  What's great about podcasts, much like radio, is that diverse voices and perspectives can be heard every day.  We're seeing a huge explosion in podcast content of all types, and diverse audiences form around great programming -- so naturally we're going to see an uptick in diverse executives to match that.

N'Jeri Eaton, NPR:  Prior to coming to NPR, I worked in public television.  This is actually my first job in the audio world.  Luckily, the public media world at large has been incredibly welcoming to female executives.  I have had many women to look up to at NPR, PBS and ITVS, my previous employer.  However, unlike public television, the podcast industry is growing at such a rapid rate that it has created many more opportunities.  Not only are there roles that are completely new, like my own, but there are clear pathways to leadership roles.

Patty Newmark, PodSearch:  There's a huge difference in terms of openness towards females working in the area of podcasts compared to radio, especially in top-level executive positions.  Podcasts don't have the same legacy corporate constructs that radio does, which have resulted in limited growth for women in the past.  I started working with podcasts over 12 years ago as a marketing vehicle, and the emphasis that podcasts have always put on quality, creativity and originality, both in content and distribution, encouraged strong connections between a broad scope of people, including women.  

Kerri Hoffman, PRX:  The world of podcasting is more open to participation.  Creative entrepreneurs have fewer barriers to entry.  Success in podcasting is about connecting and good storytelling -- two things women do well.  As podcasting becomes more professionalized, there are also more entry points into the profession beyond the microphone.

Pam Kramer, Cadence13:  Podcasting is a relatively new industry, so I don't think it necessarily holds some of the same biases that entrenched industries have.  I think because there's such a broad range of podcasting content that appeals to many different types of audiences, it pretty much requires a diverse team to put it together to ensure the content is authentic.  That's why at C13 we ensure we have a very diverse team across every department. 

Jenni Skaug, AudioBoom:  Podcasting has given women a voice in spoken-word audio that really didn't exist before.  The rise of amazing women podcast hosts with huge audiences has the potential to have an effect across the whole industry.  Women's voices are being heard and opinions are being sought.  

Moss:  How were you mentored and how are you mentoring others?  How are professional organizations and schools leading the way to encourage diversity in podcasting?

Troberman:  Because podcasting is a relatively new business, we're all learning quickly and mentoring one another as we discover what audiences want from this platform.  What's great about podcasting at iHeartMedia is that audio is core to what we do, so we're able to simultaneously mentor and learn from our podcast partners.  We understand the power of sound and we're always exploring new content opportunities, testing and learning what our listeners want on every platform from broadcast to podcast.  

Eaton:  I have a couple of mentors who have helped guide me through my career since college and now a larger support system of friends and colleagues, mostly women, who work in the journalism industry.  They're eager to provide advice, recommendations and even just lend an ear.  Recently, some of the staff at NPR organized a new mentorship program for women of color.  I immediately volunteered, and I can't wait to be a source of support for young women of color who are still new to this industry.  

Hoffman:  Werk It! is a conference started by WNYC for women and by women in podcasting.  It's been a great space to allow newcomers and veterans in podcasting or audio to come together, learn from and support each other.  I have been a mentor there each year and sat on their pitch panel last year.  AIR is also another organization that has very good formal mentorship programs.

Newmark:  I forged my own way almost 20 years ago, working tirelessly to stake a place for myself and other women in the audio industry.  I have always kept an eye out to hire bright, competent women in our companies, and I have mentored, guided and supported them along the way.  I'm an alumni member of the Stanford Professional Women's organization, which supports and provides networking for women in all industries, including media.

Jennifer Ho-Dougatz:  The explosive growth of podcasts has had a ripple effect of classes that teach podcasting in universities and even down to high schools.  At my son's high school orientation, I learned they offer a class on podcasting!  This gave me the idea to reach the next generation of podcast listeners and leaders at the university level.  Since then, I've lectured at Pace University about the art and business of podcasting and have been invited to speak on that at Marist College, as well.  In these lectures, I get to not only impart the knowledge that I have gained through years of trial and error, but I also get to show by sheer presence that women can be leaders in an innovative industry.

Read part 2 here.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Gayle Troberman, Executive Vice President/CMO, iHeartMedia; N'Jeri Eaton, Senior Manager of Program Acquisitions, NPR; Kerri Hoffman, CEO, PRX; Jennifer Ho-Dougatz, Co-Founder, Hangar Studios;Jenni Skaug, Senior Sales Director, AudioBoom; Patty Newmark, Co -Founder, PodSearch, and Pam Kramer, CMO, Cadence13

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