Podcast Loses a Friend - RIP Norm Pattiz: 1943-2022; Podcasts About the Thing They Call Football in the UK; An Audio Advent Calendar; Stew Redwine Mak

American broadcasting entrepreneur who founded both the radio network Westwood One and the podcast network PodcastOne, Norm Pattiz, passed away on Sunday at the age of 79.

The Influencer is honoring him in two ways.

First, we have produced a special podcast episode of the Media Roundtable discussing the man and his legacy with Oxford Road Founder Dan Granger, Kit Gray, President of PodcastOne, and one of the network’s biggest names, Jordan Harbinger. This introductory conversation is followed by a resharing of Dan’s interview with Norm from May of 2020, early into the Pandemic, and talks about his life, career, and state of the world at that time. It’s a fascinating time capsule as well as a character study.

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Second, we are sharing a tribute to Norm written by Dan about the Norm he knew and what he meant to the industry and as a friend; an excerpt from that tribute begins below.

On Sunday night, Podcast lost a Founding Father.

Norm Pattiz, the architect of modern Network Radio who launched Westwood One in 1976 and pivoted to create Podcast One in 2013, passed away at 79. 

Like most Founding Fathers, Pattiz’s career was marked by the complexity of great deeds while daring greatly, enjoying the spoils, and of stories of a high-flying media mogul from a bygone era colliding with the values and expectations of our modern world. 

Tributes this week describe Norm as a “Pioneer,” “Innovator,” “Charismatic,” “Imaginative,” “Showman,” “Unstoppable,” “Always trying new things,” “Could see around corners,” “Crazy about his wife, Mary,” “Revolutionary.” 

Beyond his defining contributions to the radio and later podcast industries, Norm was chairman of the board of Lawrence Livermore and on the board of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He was appointed by President Clinton to the United States Broadcasting Board of Governors and reappointed by President Bush in 2002. In 2009 he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. 

Norm was a staple at Laker Games, always sitting Courtside across from Nicholson wearing something audacious, often attracting nearly as much attention as the players. 

At the time of publication, the author remembers Norm Pattiz as a friend. 

But it didn’t start that way…

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The Classifieds

UK Football Podcast Is Definitely Not a Hollywood Pass

Every four years, a large global audience sits down, wearing jerseys, fantasy brackets at the ready, and watches their preferred teams match up in the FIFA World Cup. As of this week, we’re finishing the Round of 16 and entering the Quarterfinals, which has Oxford abuzz with football-related buys. Our first footie-related classified comes from the team at The Athletic, a sports-based network recently acquired by The New York Times. Their largest football-centric show is the UK-based The Totally Football Show with James Richardson, which covers everything from recent matches to multiple countries’  histories within the sport. The show is perfect for clients looking to scale globally, on a popular sports show, during its seasonal peak. Don’t bottle it by committing a howler; to learn more, simply click the link below.

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Podcast Hosts Can’t Be Arsed

Even Yanks, who often call it soccer, have heard of the UK-based football club Arsenal. Seen as one of the premiere football leagues in the world and responsible for ten players in the World Club, Arsenal promotes sports fans as loyal and rambunctious as any American willing to face paint. On a bi-weekly basis, the writers and hosts of the famous Arseblog site get together and ponder the larger questions related to their favorite sport. The show also includes fan-submitted questions, interviews with football-related celebs, and irreverent conversations that often align with the humor of the podcast’s very name. Thanks to our friends at Acast, we have been able to test this high performer year-round and have found success for several B2B clients. Become a big-game player by clicking below for more information.

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In Case You Missed It

 The Future State of Audio

eMarkter’s Insider Intelligence newsletter just released three insights about the state of audio advertising and what’s in store for the coming year. This is a must-read if you’re currently advertising in audio or plan to jump in anytime soon. The good news is that apparently, Audio will continue to be on the rise.

The highlights:

1. Spotify’s growth despite the advertising downturn
2. A Shift in the Podcast Landscape
3. Radio’s resilience

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The Twitter Files

Joined by a formidable team of journalists who don’t quite fit into a defined box, Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter is blasting open doors to an alternative media ecosystem. As the author of a recent Axios article, Sarah Fisher,  perfectly summarized, “The Twitter Files saga is the latest iteration of a decades-long debate over what journalism is and who gets to do it.”

The article breaks down the key players and gives a glimpse into how the actions of these renegades could change the media landscape as we know it.

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Audio Advent Calendar

Everyone loves a good advent calendar where you get a special treat every day through the holiday season. Our friends at Katz media have created one for marketers.

Katz’s 12 Days of Digital Audio Stats which launched Monday, shares an interesting stat about Streaming Audio and Podcasting that you should know. While all statspoint to positioning Katz media as a viable part of your 2023 plan, the first three stats have been interesting for all audio marketers. Check out the first three facts below and follow along on LinkedIn for new stats over the coming days.

1. Digital Audio is advertising’s fastest-growing medium, with 243 Million Digital Audio Users.
2. Listeners in Mid-Demos are joining the Digital Audio space at an accelerated pace, with a whopping 51% gain coming from Adults 35+
3. 60% of all audio listening is now done not only on mobile devices but on otherdigital devices like connected TV, smart speakers, smartwatches, and more, giving advertisers a greater opportunity to reach audio consumers!

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This Week in Great Podcast Reads

OpTic Gaming Wins with Shopify

If anyone knows what it takes to run and grow a business from the ground up, it’s OpTic Gaming CEO and Founder Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez. As one of the hosts of OpTic Podcast, he’s the voice and face of the OpTic brand, so you can bet he’s promoting their merch on the show any chance he gets. It’s not just his brand he champions though. This week he can be heard showing love to Shopify, the all-in-one commerce platform that has allowed his team to create an online store to sell their products and connect with customers. And it should be noted that while they are longtime supporters of Shopify, Hector, and the OpTic crew are pros when it comes to selling period; they’re not just pro gamers. Whether it’s their brand or yours, you’re in good hands when they’re holding the controller or the microphone.

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OXFORd In The News

Redwine Brings Audio to OOH

Who wouldn’t want to learn how to get the most out of their marketing budget? On a recent episode of OOH Insider, Oxford Road’s VP of Creative Service Stew Redwine discusses how audio advertising can be used in conjunction with OOH efforts to maximize the effectiveness of each! Tune in to learn how.

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