The editor of The Daily Blog very casually suggested to me that a review of the podcast awards would be incredibly timely. Why? Because his podcast, The Working Group, has won Gold for Best current affairs podcast and Silver for Best Independent podcast. Haven’t I already reviewed that? Mr Bradbury was very shouty socialist missing a tooth, and Mr Grant was a very precious wanker missing half his brain. No, he hadn’t seen that review – well I was giving a precis. Great guests though. And the Election debates were better than the network efforts such as they were, it was deserved. Built the audience, great guests, long overdue. But what is there left to say? So, I would be reviewing the other podcasts then? Yes. My vote didn’t even win. He said: but we won Gold for Best current affairs. No – I mean my vote didn’t win. But didn’t you vote for us? No, no, Gone By Lunchtime is pretty good, Ben lifts it, Toby is quite knowledgeable, tolerable, really, but can barely stand Annabel. So that’s only a third I don’t like, and The Working Group is half – with Damian – so I had to go with Gone By L… And as soon as he heard that a second time he said “Groan by lunchtime!” and then started swearing loudly. 50% v. 66.6% it’s just maths it isn’t personal. Jesus, you won anyway… despite Damian. No pardon for Hunter!
Before reviewing any of the winners let’s look on YouTube to see if there’s a mercifully short AI-generated award summary or some way of getting out of having to listen/watch all these podcasts and their validation-craving personalities. That much they have in common with radio – which we are about to find out.
The first video on YouTube that came up about the podcast awards was a Maori guy cussing them out in an obscure 2021 podcast (less than 100 views) “Empty Out Tha Clip” calling the award organisers cock-suckers for sucking each others cocks – he made it repeatedly clear they were massive suckers of cock which overwhelmed me remembering what the detail was of why exactly they were cock suckers. He could only name one person associated with the 2021 awards that wasn’t a cock sucker. Is this the same awards? He talked about Gold and Silver and I figured he meant the NZ Podcast Awards. If so, are they less cock-sucking now? Maybe it was a Tourette’s podcast?
The next video on YouTube that seemed possibly relevant was “The NZ Radio and Podcast Awards 2024” uploaded six months ago. Jeremy Corbett motored through 90 minutes and dozens of awards like clipping poles at every turn in a slalom race, dazzling speed exhibited, full speed ahead at the cock sucker sausage factory. Remain seated so we can get through this quicker he implored throughout. He read most of the awards from what looked like a DJ booth above the stage. Like he couldn’t wait to leave. The Radio had bites of the podcast pie as well because The Radio Bureau were sponsors(?) – seems unfair radio can compete in the podcast section. This has only been instituted this year – having been formerly known as The Radio Awards from 1978 to last year. And from the same class of thing as finding someone still wearing walk shorts: Leighton Smith is still alive too, apparently, he has a show nominated. But this is not the podcast awards we are looking for – even if many of the podcasts are up for these awards also.
The next video was titled ”NZ Podcast Awards Robbery” from a young guy with a great perm. It’s episode 200. He laments that his podcast “Yap” was overlooked, victim of a conspiracy that tried to take down greats like Michael Jordan and Muhammed Ali. Like them he would battle on and win. Him and his podcast were easily on that level. He said he had the numbers to prove it, excitedly bringing up the browser screen so we could see the irrefutable stats of his podcast analytics. 199 episodes divide by… 1,124… that works out to… a futile giggle as he realises… 5.62 streams per episode. He says he can see why the award might not have been the dead cert he had thought. He slumps, dejected, into the chair. 200 episodes in it does seem hopeless. I look at the views on this video: zero. 6 days ago it was posted and I am the only one who has watched it. Maybe it is right sometimes to give up. Even Vinny Eastwood gets more than that.
These awards are not on YouTube by the looks of it. No cheating possible.
The website of NZ Podcast Awards – now in its 4th year – contains no clue as to who is organising or judging it. A modest fee to enter. No ceremony just a media release on the website. The winners seem not out of place, there was nothing controversial about how anyone placed. Yap not there, sadly. I can’t fault any of the decisions.
I looked up the Dom Harvey podcast on YouTube seeing as how he won the big gong. There were just small teaser pieces, most with sports people who are dull AF, but some with more interesting personalities. He seems to draw things out of his subjects as an interviewer and he presents as seasoned. I’ve never seen him before, I just know he’s a radio guy, but he’s got many big names into his studio, so he has pull. It is very mainstream fare compared with TWG, very family-rated, I can’t see myself voluntarily watching an entire episode.
What the awards demonstrate is the huge range of podcasts now made here. The variety of content has probably never been better, and neither has the quality. Will the inevitable broadcasting funding cut-backs reduce this? Television is dying – podcasting is flourishing naturally with or without state assistance. With broadcast quality now available from home the magic of TV is rubbing off onto podcasting.
As the television news has evaporated this year – Newshub going, TV1 midday and late news going, Orime News going, Whakaata Maori news being the latest to be axed (last bulletin on Friday) the viewership of podcasts, live podcasts especially, has grown correspondingly. BHN for example has increased its audience several-fold during 2024 for their live 9pm Mon-Thu podcast – last week the episode with Hipkins had over 1100 viewers at its peak, well up on the 700 when he appeared a few months before. Something has happened to news and current affairs and now something is happening to production and something is happening to the audience. There is a paradigm shift to produce and distribute news and current affairs away from the big houses and audiences appear to be supporting these moves, setting up realignments in 2025 which may be generational. Pat on BHN mentioned last week that a left wing co-operation was underway between podcasters – there is definitely a sense of commercial viability with these numbers flocking to the online oasis from an increasingly barren TV desert.
Here are the winners of the NZ Podcast Awards in full:
Best Arts & Culture Podcast
Gold: Inspiring Journeys Through Music
Silver: He Reo Tawhito – Conversations about Mōteatea
Bronze: Interconnector
Best Branded Podcast
Gold: The Payoff
Silver: Untidy
Bronze: This is Kiwi
Best Business Podcast
Gold: Fresh Moni
Silver: Lead on Purpose with James Laughlin
Bronze: PowrUp
Best Comedy Podcast
Gold: The Worst Idea Of All Time
Silver: Dan Bain’s Sleepy Time Mumbles
Bronze: The Cryptid Factor
Best Current Affairs Podcast
Gold: The Working Group: NZ’s Best Weekly Political Podcast
Silver: The Hoon
Bronze: Big Hairy News
Best Documentary Podcast
Gold: Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government
Silver: DELVE: The Boy in the Water
Bronze: Dear Jane
Best Education Podcast
Gold: The Payoff
Silver: Fresh Moni
Bronze: Inspiring Journeys Through Music
Best Entertainment Podcast
Gold: The Dom Harvey Podcast
Silver: The Girls Uninterrupted
Bronze: Wellington Paranormal: The Podcast
Best Factual Podcast
Gold: Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government
Silver: The Trial (Season 2 – Polkinghorne)
Bronze: Scigest
Best Family Podcast
Gold: Untidy
Silver: The Hello Frequency
Best Health & Wellbeing Podcast
Gold: No Such Thing as Normal
Silver: Āio: A Road to Peace
Bronze: Navigating Adult ADHD
Best History Podcast
Gold: He Reo Tawhito – Conversations about Mōteatea
Silver: History of Aotearoa New Zealand
Bronze: Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government
Best Independent Podcast
Gold: The Dom Harvey Podcast
Silver: The Working Group: NZ’s Best Weekly Political Podcast
Bronze: Āio: A Road to Peace
Best Interview Podcast
Gold: Kiwi Yarns
Silver: The Dom Harvey Podcast
Bronze: Ending Life Well – A Podcast Series for Carers
Best Māori or Pasifika Podcast or Host
Gold: Āio: A Road to Peace
Silver: Fresh Moni
Bronze: He Reo Tawhito – Conversations about Mōteatea
Best New Podcast
Gold: Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government
Silver: Big Stuff Quiz
Bronze: Dear Jane
Best Radio Podcast
Gold: Mai Morning Crew
Best Sex & Relationships Podcast
Gold: Full Disclosure with Karen O’Leary
Silver: The Electric Rodeo
Bronze: The Good Sex Project
Best Sports Podcast
Gold: WOMENZSPORTS Presents Alice’s Soapbox
Silver: League Of Our Own
Bronze: Spearo Diaries
Best True Crime Podcast
Gold: DELVE: The Boy in the Water
Silver: The Trial (Season 2 – Polkinghorne)
Bronze: Watching Two Detectives
Listeners’ Choice Award
Gold: The Girls Uninterrupted
Silver: BHN Big Hairy News
Bronze: The Morning Shift
Publisher of the Year
Gold: Stuff Audio
Silver: The Spinoff
Bronze: Frank Podcasts
Rising Star
Gold: John Ropiha
Silver: Jen Black
Bronze: WOMENZSPORTS Presents Alice’s Soapbox
Spotlight Award
Gold: Between Two Beers Podcast
Silver: Gone By Lunchtime
Bronze: The Cryptid Factor
Creativity Award
Gold: Dan Bain’s Sleepy Time Mumbles
Silver: Extremely Casual Gamers Podcast
Bronze: Get Flushed
The Climate Award
Gold: The DOC Sounds of Science Podcast