IF YOU READ ONE THING
The podcast gold rush Podcasts seem like a huge and growing part of the content landscape—but what do the numbers actually tell us? Last Friday, Bloomberg published a comprehensive long-form breakdown of where the industry is—and where it’s going. Some key stats stand out. The median audience for a podcast, according to one firm, is 130 people. Roughly 73 million people in the U.S. listen to podcasts monthly—a 31 million increase from 2014—and industry revenue doubled between 2016 and 2017. But despite the positive industry-wide trends, some key questions and lingering doubts remain. The industry still lacks clear, reliable metrics on which to base advertising decisions—and some of the biggest advertisers have declined to enter the space because of this. Others worry about the space becoming saturated: “It’s less exciting when it’s the sixth football podcast or the third comedian with a podcast talking to his L.A. comedy buddies,” podcast host Amanda McLoughlin told Bloomberg.

POWERSTAT
Women receive fewer bylines in print, internet, TV, and wire news

Gender division in the U.S. media landscape

Source: The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2019

TREND WATCH
Referrer traffic from other platforms grows As Facebook algorithm changes continue to affect traffic to articles, publishers are increasingly looking to diversify their referrers. Luckily, there are platforms that are growing. According to a blog post by Parse.ly, referrals from SmartNews and Google News grew significantly. Also found in that report: There are still some niche platforms for long-form content, namely LinkedIn, Reddit, and Drudge Report. And while the majority of platforms have mobile audiences, Reddit, Yahoo, Bing, and Pinterest all have a significant amount of
desktop users.

NEWS YOU CAN USE
The healthiest way to communicate Navigating the best way to communicate isn’t always easy when situations and personalities vary across the board. In a Medium post, HR expert George J. Ziogas introduces pros and cons to each of the four primary communication styles: assertive, passive, aggressive, and passive-aggressive. He presents practical insights about why assertiveness is the most effective because it’s a win-win for all involved. He says, “it’s not only healthy, but essential to communicate my opinions, wants, and needs in an honest and direct manner, without fear of criticism.” And it’s possible to do so while still being kind and treating others with dignity.

PERSPECTIVES
It’s a scary time to be a kid online. Or is it? Being a kid is already tough—and the internet isn’t making it any easier. Earlier this week, a viral hoax—spread in part by clickbait articles—sparked a panic amongst parents and authority figures about kids doing dangerous online challenges. The Federal Trade Commission announced its largest-ever civil penalty—$5.7 million—over a social networking app that flouted regulations around obtaining parental consent before collecting data on users younger than 13 years old. And after major companies paused ad buys on YouTube, the platform announced an effort to close comment sections that enabled “predatory behavior” on videos of minors. All of which raises the question: As younger users start to use the internet en masse, are there legal, digital, and journalistic infrastructures in place to support them?

• “All of these challenges and trends follow the same formula: A local news station runs a piece overstating a dangerous teen trend. Concerned parents flock to social media to spread the word. Actual teenagers and anyone else who lives their life Extremely Online mock them for their naïveté. Brands and influencers hop on the trend, parodying it and exploiting it for their own gain.” - Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic
• “A lot of this relies on people believing their local school or police force knows what they’re talking about when it comes to the internet. Unfortunately most don’t have a clue and are sending letters to parents warning of nonexistent issues like YouTube videos being ‘hacked.’” - Jim Waterson, Twitter
• “The operators of Musical.ly—now known as TikTok—knew many children were using the app, but they still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13. This record penalty should be a reminder to all online services and websites that target children: We take enforcement of [the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act] very seriously, and we will not tolerate companies that flagrantly ignore the law.” - FTC Chair Joe Simons, FTC.gov
• “We recognize that comments are a core part of the YouTube experience and how you connect with and grow your audience. At the same time, the important steps we’re sharing today are critical for keeping young people safe.” - YouTube PR, YouTube Creator Blog

THIS WEEK IN OUR OFFICE
Voting ends today! Help these superstar nonprofits continue to help others. Meet the finalists of the 2019 Renewal Awards—a project of The Atlantic and Allstate—and vote today.

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