Episode 1: The Genesis – The Accidental Revolution

Podcasting didn’t start with a business plan—it started with rebels, weirdos, and accidental pioneers tinkering in garages.

In Episode 1 of What’s A Podcast?, we trace the medium’s origin story—from the earliest RSS hacks to the moment Steve Jobs brought podcasts to iTunes. Along the way, you’ll hear from Adam Carolla and Leo Laporte on bypassing traditional media, and Ira Glass on how public radio helped shape podcasting’s storytelling DNA. Featuring firsthand interviews with the people who built podcasting before it had a name—and who are still fighting to define what it is today.

For the most comprehensive picture of what podcasting means to consumers today, check out our accompanying white paper with Edison Research, “What is a Podcast?: Preserving its Essence, Structuring for Expansion,” featuring quantitative and qualitative data compiled from over 4,000 Americans.

Download the White Paper Here: https://oxfordroad.com/whats-a-podcast

And if you’re really invested in the future of podcasting, there’s something you can do today. Help us bring YouTube, Spotify, and other platforms to the table—not to regulate, but to collaborate. Sign our petition for a shared definition, an open measurement framework, and a future where podcasting remains open, inclusive, and built to last.

Add Your Name to the Petition Here: https://chng.it/6S5S7bPrjR

Watch Here

Listen Here: Spotify

Listen Here: Apple