Podcasting, with its low barriers to entry and opportunities for experimentation, has been a much-anticipated space for media democratization since the early 2000s. It has the ability to elevate the voices of people often left out of traditional print and broadcast journalism. So why are women finding more success in podcasting now than we were just a few years ago?<\/p>\n
1. Women who have been behind the scenes at major organizations have gained the skills, confidence, and opportunities to start their own shows.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Since the dawn of radio, women have worked behind the scenes as producers, editors, and researchers. But recently, women are finally becoming more visible (or, audible) in hosting roles.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWe got the skills and then we just decided, fuck it, basically. We just decided, we can do this,\u201d said Alix Spiegel<\/a>, one of cohosts of Invisibilia<\/em>\u00a0on the recent \u201cBroadscasting Edition<\/a>\u201d of Slate<\/em>\u2019s DoubleX Gabfest<\/em><\/a>. Invisibilia <\/em>is her first full-time hosting gig, but Spiegel has worked in radio for over a decade: she was a founding producer of This American Life<\/em> and worked on NPR\u2019s science desk for ten years. Her cohost Lulu Miller<\/a> was a founding producer of Radiolab <\/em>before joining NPR in 2013. The Third Coast Audio Festival<\/a> brought them together.<\/p>\n The examples go on and on. Before setting off Serial<\/em> mania, host Sarah Koenig and executive producer Julie Snyder worked for years producing This American Life<\/em>. 2. Feminist allies have been taking explicit action to close the gender gap. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t just about women in radio needing to \u201clean in.\u201d Even with relatively low barriers to creating new podcasts, it typically takes money, marketing, and connections to reach a wide audience.<\/p>\n 3. Women are getting into leadership and driving development themselves.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Of course, when women gain power in the \u201cthe machine,\u201d progress often follows even more quickly. Eisenberg said, \u201cI remember talking with the head of WNYC, Laura Walker. She was like, \u2018God, we need more female voices, because there\u2019s just not a lot out there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n 4. The audience for women-hosted podcasts is getting louder and more powerful.<\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong>5. Hearing more women\u2019s voices on podcasts leads to even more women starting podcasts.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Broadening the sound of radio could also expand radio\u2019s audience.<\/p>\n Alex Madison writes:\u00a0 For years, if you tuned into a podcast, the voice streaming through your headphones would most likely belong to a man. Late last year a true crime podcast hsoted by\u00a0 by Sarah Koenig, became the fastest-growing podcast … Continue reading
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