This newsletter will three and a half minutes to read.
 

Can’t make the time right now? This week’s guest editor is Wil Williams from Tink's Podcast Marketing Magic newsletter! We’re celebrating the launch of Hollywood Exiles and the return of PlayME. There are new episodes of Crime Story. 

We're Back! 

Welcome back to Sounds Good: CBC’s Podcast Newsletter! If you’re still hanging on tight to your New Year’s resolutions, we have a treat for you: fun pod predictions for 2024, and suggestions for expanding your listening taste!

Before we throw it over our friend Wil Wiliams (Tink Media), here’s what’s new from CBC Podcasts:

What's New

Artwork by: BBC World Service. 

Hosts Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley are back with an exciting new season of PlayME! The most sought-after Canadian plays are brought to life by talented theatre artists, in bingable audio drama format. The season includes Da Kink In My Hair by Trey Anthony and First Métis Man of Odesa by Matthew Mackenzie & Mariya Khomutova. 

Parts one and two of Anton Chekhov’s most famous play, Uncle Vanya, adapted by Liisa Repo-Martell, are now available. Be sure to check out Laura’s recent interview with writer/performer Repo-Martell, who shares the process behind adapting the play for a contemporary audience.  

While reporting in Mogadishu as a foreign correspondent, Michelle Shephard met a young refugee who said his hand and foot were severed after refusing to join a local militant group. 

She brought his story to the world, sparking a movement to bring him to safety. Ten years later, while Michelle was developing a documentary about his story, he confessed that he had lied.

Watch Kathleen Goldhar’s riveting interview with Michelle Shephard, on Crime Story. 

Meet This Week’s Guest Editor

Hi from Wil Williams (they/them) at Tink Media! 

I’m a podcast many-hats-wearer based in central New York. I’ve been in the podcasting field since 2016, doing everything from podcast-focused journalism to showrunning a fiction podcast, VALENCE. 

Now, I’m helping people launch collaborative marketing campaigns at Tink Media, where I get to do my favourite part of being in the industry: making lasting connections between audio enthusiasts. My eternal favorite listens are The Heart, If Books Could Kill, and 36 Questions — The Podcast Musical.

This Year’s Podcast Trend Forecast:

• I can't stop thinking about the trend of journalists retelling their biggest stories in podcast form (think The Bakersfield Three, The Retrievals, and Crime Story). As print and digital journalism keep seeing huge changes, like Pitchfork getting rolled into GQ, I think we could see an increase in journalists finding a wider reach through podcasting.

• How to Destroy Everything is a fascinating blend of investigative nonfiction and dramatized fiction, but in a way that feels so much classier than typical dramatizations. Will investigative podcasts start implementing more audio drama styles into their work?

• 2023 felt like a transitional year in podcasting. In 2024, I predict some new ventures by some beloved names returning to the field in new ways. New shows, new concepts, and a renewed enthusiasm for audio. 

This Year’s Top Podcast Recommendations:

• ​​​​​​Jamie Loftus's new podcast, 15 Minutes (of Fame) drops this year. Knowing Loftus's oeuvre, this podcast is likely to absolutely rule, both content wise and in conversations about podcasts. Keep an eye out for the series and watch this space! 

• Camlann is a new fiction podcast by Ella Watts and Tin Can Audio, some of the most trusted folks in fiction. This post-apocalyptic take on Arthurian legend is sure to be something special and unforgettable.

• If you're thrilled for the release of the Percy Jackson series on Disney+, don't sleep on Mike Schubert's The Newest Olympian, in which he reads the books for the first time as an adult. Schubes is the GOAT of this genre of podcasting, and this podcast is the perfect fit for longtime fans and folks looking to read along alike.