The Golden Globes this yr launched a greatest podcast class and, predictably, the nominees introduced Monday will get individuals speaking.
The six nominees for the inaugural greatest podcast award are “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard,” “Call Her Daddy,” “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “SmartLess” and “Up First,” from NPR. Representing a mixture of news, recommendation and movie star interviews, they have been drawn from a shortlist of 25 packages the Globes had beforehand deemed eligible.
The nominations averted politics or controversy by passing on fashionable podcasts from the shortlist, resembling conservative-leaning packages “The Megyn Kelly Show,” “The Tucker Carlson Show,” “The Ben Shapiro Show,” Candace Owen’s “Candace” and, most notably, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which topped Spotify, Apple and YouTube’s listing of weekly podcast charts this yr. The left-leaning “Pod Save America” additionally was snubbed, as have been fashionable true crime podcasts like “Morbid” and “Rotten Mango.”
Ben Bogardus, a professor and chair of the journalism division at Quinnipiac University, mentioned it appeared that the Globes’ voting physique — after years of scandal for the beleaguered awards present — wished to keep away from any controversy, like inviting a podcast host who may present up and say one thing contentious.
“They’re trying to bill themselves as an award show that is for the masses and non-controversial, celebrating the best in entertainment. Having this political sideshow, I think they just wanted to avoid that,” he mentioned.
Reaction to the obvious snubbing of politics-related podcasts early Monday was mild, with a handful of X customers weighing in with criticism that high-ranking packages from personalities like Rogan and “manosphere” podcaster Theo Von had been left off the ultimate reduce. There was no direct response from the hosts themselves.
Shapiro had launched an all-out Golden Globes publicity marketing campaign for his decade-old podcast, on which he’s spoken with the likes of U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prior to now yr. In addition to creating the rounds with business publications, Shapiro additionally secured huge billboard house in New York City’s Times Square.
The 25 potential candidates — together with The New York Times’ “The Daily” and Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” — principally matched up with essentially the most listened-to reveals.
“If that’s how you want to pick your ‘best podcast,’ that’s certainly one starting point and one way to do it,” says Karl Hughes, a 20-year podcasting veteran who’s CEO of The Podcast Consultant. “I think it leaves a lot of stuff out. It leaves a lot of nuance out.”
Eligible podcasts will need to have authentic content material and will need to have launched a minimum of six episodes between Jan. 1, 2025, and Sept. 30, 2025, with every episode having a minimal size of half-hour. The award, which will probably be handed out on the Nikki Glaser-hosted present Jan. 11, acknowledges “the quality, creativity, audience engagement and impact” of the podcast, per the Globes.
Many podcast specialists have been left scratching their heads for the reason that Globes did not use any classes for its lengthy listing and was a bit murky about what constituted a greatest podcast. Quality of manufacturing? Consistency? The tales being informed? Raw numbers?
“It’s a good thing for the industry to get more recognition and getting recognition in a major award ceremony is awesome,” Hughes says. “I think that’s cool to see. But the way it’s done, of course, is a very blunt instrument.”
Controversy nearly instantly ensued after the preliminary announcement when it was revealed that Luminate Data, an leisure monitoring and analytics firm, would create the shortlist. Luminate belongs to Penske Media Corp., which owns the Globes. Then there’s the accompanying prices related to conventional advert campaigns for the award within the pages of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter — additionally owned by Penske. The firm didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
While extra digital-friendly awards reveals just like the Webby Awards, the Ambies, iHeartRadio and The Shorty Awards acknowledge podcasting, the Globes’ transfer marks the primary time podcasts have been included by a serious awards present.
Hughes says that is a pure step as podcasting matures and begins attracting extra company {dollars}. He hopes the Globes’ concentration is going to make podcasting accessible to extra individuals.
“It’ll open up the door for more individuals and businesses that want to use the medium to tell interesting stories because it’s got a little more respect, a little more gravitas, a little more mainstream appeal,” he mentioned.
Bogardus marveled at how the podcasting business has grown up prior to now 25 years, shifting past its origins in radio and giving hosts freedom that content material creators in different media do not have: “Going into an award show now really shows that it has come into its own as a type of communication that people consume, which can be on par with television, with radio, with streaming, with internet videos, with social media.”
Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
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