Podcast News Roundup | Ariel Helwani Returns to The MMA Hour And More!
Welcome back to HeadStuff’s Podcast News Roundup, your go-to place for podcast news and recommendations. This week’s roundup features HeadStuff’s Podcast Of The Week and also looks at the return of a popular host to a major MMA podcast, a surprisingly popular podcasting platform, and an Irish podcasting panel aimed at students who want to break into the industry.
And as always if you host a podcast and want it featured as our podcast of the week, email us at [email protected] and we’ll be sure to check it out!
Podcast Of The Week
Get Around To It is an arts and culture podcast hosted by Aoife Barry and Lauren Murphy. While most arts and culture podcasts focus on reviewing and recommending the latest and greatest TV and film has to offer, Get Around To It offers a slightly different and more realistic take on the media recommendation podcast. They look at all the major moments pop culture has to offer that may not be new, but are something you’ve always wanted to get around to watching.
With each monthly episode, our hosts dive into a variety of films, TV shows, books, and albums that they have been drawn to in recent times. We all know the pain of endlessly scrolling through Netflix and other streaming platforms, so having a show that gives you suggestions and reviews for not just new media, but for some golden oldies too, is a great concept. Aoife and Lauren’s in-depth reviews and hot takes offer some interesting suggestions that the audience can sink their teeth into.
What I like about the show is that not everything they review is good. Often on shows like these the hosts take great caution to exclusively review things that they enjoyed, but that’s not a realistic take on media consumption. Here our hosts give honest reviews of everything they watch, read, or listen to so you can feel confident making a well-informed decision as to whether you want to check out anything each episode looks at.
Another positive to the show is that it doesn’t limit itself to just TV and film, but also offers you some reading and listening suggestions as well. As someone who got back into reading a few years back and now devours literature, I love hearing about new and exciting books to potentially check out. Having a new book recommendation avenue outside of Booktok and Bookstagram (the side of Tik Tok and Instagram solely for book recommendations) is great.
The format of the show lends itself wonderfully to new listeners as anyone can pick it up from any point and start fresh. As the recommendations are never rooted to any specific new release or time frame, you can browse through the show’s extensive back catalogue and seek out any of the girl’s recommendations at any point in time.
This show is a must for any pop-culture enthusiast. So if you’re sick of endlessly scrolling while looking for something to watch, why not check out Get Around To It and you might just find your next media obsession.
Ariel Helwani Returns to The MMA Hour After 3 Years
The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani is back this week after nearly three years. The show had been hosted by Luke Thomas in the interim, but it has always been the Helwani show. Ariel Helwani is one of the most respected voices in the world of MMA, claiming MMA Journalist of the Year at the World MMA Awards every single year from 2010 to 2019, and fans are hyped for his return.
The Canadian journalist hosts the world’s greatest fighters in uncensored, unfiltered interviews as they discuss all aspects of the fights. As Ariel explains “Monday we look back and Wednesday we look ahead.” With two shows a week, there is going to be plenty of content for all MMA fans moving forward. The reboot kicked off by welcoming Dustin Poirier, who recently completed his trilogy with Conor McGregor.
If you have been a fan of MMA for many years, you need no introduction to The MMA Hour but if you are new to the game, make sure that you add this one to your schedule. Episodes go live on YouTube at 6 pm GMT Mondays and Wednesdays and then you can find it wherever you get your podcasts after that.
Nearly one in five weekly listeners say that YouTube is their primary service for podcasts
A recent study into podcast listener’s habits has found that one in five podcast listeners use YouTube as their primary channel for consuming podcasts.
Placing your podcast onto YouTube in a video format certainly has a lot of benefits as YouTube as a platform is great for SEO placement, making podcasts easier to find with a quick google search. It seems, at least according to this report, that this findability factor is a major contributor as to why so many people seem to use this platform for consuming podcasts.
A major problem people come across when it comes to getting listeners is convincing people to add their show to their podcast lineup. YouTube as a platform is prebuilt to deal with this issue as the recommended tab and the autoplay feature make people more likely to browse new content as it is already provided to them and they are more willing to check it out.
Huge podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience post their full show to YouTube, as well as “best bits” clips. So perhaps this is a platform worth giving new thought to for any podcaster, be they professional or amateur.
Limerick Media & Arts Conference to hold a panel for students of Ireland on Podcasting
The Limerick Media & Arts Conference, a free online event for the students of Ireland with an interest in a career in the media, is running a Podcasting Panel on August 26th, 2021.
The event has been organised by Wired.Fm and is aimed at students of all ages, from secondary school to college, who are interested in jobs in nontraditional media in Ireland but don’t know where to start.
The podcasting panel, which is called ‘Podcasting: Perseverance or Permanence’, will take a look at the podcasting climate in Ireland, how to make your podcast stand out in a crowded market and what the future of podcasting might look like. The panel will feature Sophie La Touche (from Fur Coat No Nickers), Conor Reid (Head of Podcasts here at HeadStuff and host of Words To That Effect), Martin Beanz Warde (from the HazBeanzShow), and Aoife Barry (from The Explainer).
Tickets to this online-only event are free to all 2nd and 3rd level students and are available now.
