Hello!
When I open my podcast app, I’m inundated with news and current affairs shows, political discussions, narrative investigations, personal diary podcasts and arts-related content in all its forms.
It’s an accurate reflection of what I already like, and I guess it’s a range of shows you would expect someone working as an audio journalist in podcast production to listen to.
I’m sure there are business shows, education podcasts, even true crime series out there 😉 - but they rarely make it to my homepage. The algorithm has learned what I’ll likely listen to. So that’s what it serves,
And that’s the promise of personalised content: relevance, efficiency, convenience…
But in audio, I think it’s time we asked what we’re giving up in return.
Because when algorithms shape what we listen to, just like they shape what we read or watch, the feed starts to reflect us a little too closely.
And that’s not just a theory.
This year’s Digital News Report found that 46% of people globally say they like the idea of AI-personalised news. At the same time, 59% worry they’ll miss important stories as a result.
These stats weren’t about podcasting specifically - but if personalisation is how many people discover what they read, it’s increasingly becoming how they discover what they hear too.
Where discovery meets distortion
Podcast apps and smart speakers already use algorithms to suggest shows and episodes. Platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts push curated content based on past listens or preferences.
And just like with written news, personalisation in audio can be both useful and limiting.
Yes, it might help surface niche shows in crowded apps. But it can also narrow what listeners are exposed to - reinforcing familiar formats, voices, and perspectives.
It means audio risks becoming another part of the filter bubble: more of what listeners already like, and less of what challenges, surprises, or broadens understanding.
The risk to audio journalism
In news podcasting, this raises important questions. If recommendations are shaped by previous listening habits, do slow, investigative formats get edged out by punchier, easier-to-categorise shows? Do local and under-represented voices get buried under a backlog of listens to the same big-name titles?
And with AI-generated summaries creeping into feeds, are we heading for a future where podcasting becomes an automated stream of machine-narrated headlines — rather than a space for thoughtful, human storytelling? (eeek!!)
Podcasting has always stood out for its intimacy, voice, and trust. But those strengths can be easily flattened in an algorithm-led feed.
So what can audio teams do?
Protect your voice: Keep real people (literally and editorially!) at the heart of your content. That’s what builds trust.
Understand discovery: Know how your work surfaces on different platforms. Are your titles, show notes and episode descriptions optimised for discovery?
Interrogate the feed: Think like your audience. Ask the same questions your ideal listener should be asking:
Who made this? Why is it being served to me? What does it leave out?
As we learn to work with AI we need to remember where being human matters and figure out how to prevent the tech trapping us in an information bubble of our own making!
If our podcasts only reach people who already agree with us - or worse, they’re replaced by AI-generated “summaries” of scraped content - then the space for real journalism shrinks.
And once that space is gone, it’s hard to get back.
We need to pay attention to how people are discovering audio - and whether the algorithms serving our work are expanding perspectives, or just reflecting them.
If your podcast feed never surprises you, maybe it’s not a feed - maybe it’s a mirror.
Smart links for sound people - this week we Rewind on DIY audio fiction stepping into the spotlight, Oz’s unheard sounds reimagined in 360°, and a Bulgarian publisher tweaking AI voices to increase engagement…
🎧 #Podcasting
On podcasting’s 20th anniversary, Apple celebrates its 20 all-time favorites | Inc.
PopodSqueeze wants to solve your podcast SEO woes | RedTech
The rise of DIY audio dramas: is podcast fiction the new fringe theatre? | ArtsHub
Gen Z is reshaping podcasting -on screen, not just in ears | eMarketer
From Peterborough to Vegas: UK pet biz podcast makes industry waves | Peterborough Matters
Top creators at VidCon say video is podcasting’s future and Spotify agrees | Spotify Newsroom
Entries open: who’s taking home gold at this year’s Audio Production Awards? | Audio Production Awards
Podcasts now breaking news as it happens - are we entering the live era? | Inside Radio
iHeart goes global: hit shows now streaming in Spanish, French, and more | Business Wire
Investigative podcasts need structure, not just scoop | GIJN
Caribbean creators sound off: podcasting’s rise, hurdles, and homegrown wins | Jamaica Observer
Did the influencer boom flatten podcast growth? Industry insiders weigh in | Mid-Day
iPadOS 26 quietly adds local podcast capture as Apple courts indie creators | 9to5Mac
Local voices, big potential: Why community podcasts are still a missed opportunity | Barrett Media
Mail+ tops the charts: UK tabloid’s podcast strategy pays off | InPublishing
A lifeline in audio: podcasting empowers Afghan refugees in Pakistan | DW Akademie
Woh Kahani taps into India’s appetite for voice-first storytelling | Borok Times
Exploring the rise of voice-first platforms in a visual-obsessed culture | NewzNew
🎶 #SoundDesign
World Music Day: creators join the sonic branding bandwagon | Exchange4Media
Mastercard launches Afrobeat and Amapiano sonic anthems to deepen cultural connection across Africa | Mastercard
9 industry voices decode music’s role in modern marketing | MediaBrief
The issue threatening to mute sonic branding | Campaign ME
Polygon Live delivers UK’s largest outdoor 360° immersive sound festival | TPi Magazine
Immersive tech brings ‘unheard’ audio from The Wizard of Oz to life at Sphere | Inavate
ElevenLabs unveils 11AI, its new all-in-one AI voice assistant | Geeky Gadgets
🔮 #AudioFuture
Bulgarian Publisher tests AI voice to match local accent - and sees engagement rise | IPI
US food site launches AI-powered cooking coach with audio step-by-step | Editor & Publisher
Xiaomi teases AI smart glasses with built-in audio and camera features | TechNave
A sound studio in your pocket? Gaudio launches mobile immersive audio app | PR Newswire
Local newsroom builds audio habit with guided listening strategy (Interesting to see their AI disclaimer at the bottom of the article) | Mountain State Spotlight
Apple’s new spatial audio format could be its boldest sound move yet | TechRadar
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