This Week’s Influencer: Oxford Clock Fights Radioification; ORBIT Ranks News and Politics; Barrett Names Oxford Road Top Ad Agency; and More…

In the media landscape, podcasts stand alone: They deliver unique content for audiences and great results for brands—so long as the balance of ads is kept in check. With audiences and brands complaining about high ad load, how can creators make sure they’re not over-cramming their shows with commercials?

In this week’s episode of The Media Roundtable, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) talk about podcasting’s origins, “radioifcation,” and the Oxford Clock. Let’s dive in.

“ The sell side is gonna sell everything they can. They’re gonna sell host-read ads, as many as they can. They’re gonna sell produced ads in breaks, dynamically inserted, until the buyer and the listener scream.” – Dan Granger (Founder, Oxford Road)

The Radio Exodus – Oxford Road, like many major podcast players, started as an exodus from radio. Whereas AM/FM was groaning under the weight of ad loads, podcasts offered a chance to start over and buil upon the trusted relationship between host and audience. And because host-read ads were so powerful, podcasts didn’t need high ad loads to deliver outsized results for brands. But as podcasting grew, the need to over-monetize shows grew as well.

Podcast’s “Radioification” – Soon, the top podcasters were commanding nine-figure deals, forcing major publishers to find a path to profitability. Programmatic ads rose, as did the number of ad breaks, as well as overall ad load—all at the expense of advertiser performance. The audience experience suffered, and podcasting began looking more like radio.

Good Clock Management – Enter the Oxford Clock, our recommendation for responsible ad load that balances ad ROI, podcast revenue, and audience experience (you can download more info here). Our guiding principles for keeping ads in check: 1. Don’t let ad breaks run longer than two minutes; 2. Balance produced and host-read ads so that audiences are never more than 60 seconds away from the host’s voice. If you’re buying ads, check the ad loads of your shows, and ask if the Oxford Clock is being followed. If you’re on the sell side, take a serious look at your ad load, and figure out if you’re protecting podcasting, or contributing to radioifcation.

For more insights on how to manage ad load, check out the full episode below.

Your Monthly ORBIT Report – October 2026

EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Politics Shows Make Noise (And Headlines) Across the Political Spectrum

With the U.S. midterm elections just weeks away, we’ve turned ORBIT’s attention to the news and politics categories. Both are stronger performers than you might expect and can deliver unimpeachable results for those who invest strategically.

ORBIT (the Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool) isolates performance using actual campaign data representing over $2 billion in advertiser spend. Special shout-out to our top three performers: Morning Wire (#3), Mo News (#2) , and Lovett Or Leave It (#1).

If you elect to invest in the news or politics genres, you should know in advance there’s no obvious buying path: Our ORBIT ranking has a notably diversified assortment of shows, spanning different publishers and ideologies.

A few big takeaways from our news and politics list:

• The News is Good for News Shows: In our survey of the 15 top shows in the news and politics category, the news genre dominated the survey, with 12 programs total, including the top three entries: Morning Wire (#3), Mo News (#2), and Lovett or Leave It (#1). You may have friends or relatives who claim they’re tuning out the news, but they’re in the minority: This remains a widely popular category.
• The Line-Up Doesn’t Lean In One Direction The shows that landed in our ranker include conservative titles such as The Ben Shapiro Show (#8) and AM Update With Megyn Kelly (#7), as well as established progressive shows like The Meidastouch Podcast (#12) and The Majority Report with Sam Seder (#11). The politics and news landscape is more diverse in podcasting than in other mediums, and there are opportunities for savvy buyers to reach audiences on both sides of the aisle.

Want headline-worthy campaign performance? For the complete October ORBIT Rankings and Insights, check out the full report below.

Get the full ORBIT October Report here

The Classifieds

Wellness Without the Trends

Network: Cloud10
Episodic Downloads: 2,500

The holidays are coming, calendars are filling up, and everyone’s to-do list is getting longer. This week’s classifieds are all about taking a breath. Our first entry reminds us that caring for yourself takes guts. Courageous Wellness, hosted by certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches Aly French and Erica Stein, features discussions about a wide range of health subjects, in order to reduce the stigma around talking about wellness.

Conversation topics range chronic illness to the power of vulnerability to even how to manage adult friendships. Courageous Wellness has been running for nearly a decade, and its honest, judgment-free approach has built a loyal community. If your brand is part of the health, wellness, or self-care conversation, this is a great opportunity. Be brave and click the button below.

Get The Deal

Wellness Show With 1000 Episodes and Zero Fluff

Network: Chalene Johnson
Episodic Downloads: 5,500

Our second entry comes from a big name in health and wellness. The Chalene Show, hosted by New York Times best-selling author and lifestyle expert Chalene Johnson, mixes practical tips with real talk on fitness, nutrition, focus, organization, and personal growth. Chalene’s not afraid to get personal, either, having opened up on the show about burnout and what recovery looks like.

With around 1,000 episodes to its name, The Chalene Show has built a community that wants to feel healthier, calmer, and more in control. It’s a natural fit for health, fitness, food, and lifestyle brands. Don’t stress, just click the button below.

Get The Deal

In Case You Missed It

A Yellow Light for Podcast Ad Load

The Podcast Study 2026, from Strategic Solutions Research and Point-To-Point Marketing, surveyed 1,205 U.S. podcast listeners and viewers ages 18–54. It found that 54.8% say podcasts carry too many ads, while only 8.6% would tolerate more to keep shows free. About one in five say advertising has caused them to consume fewer podcasts, although most still accept ads as the price of free content. Host-read ads also showed greater reported influence than prerecorded spots on trying or buying products. This is a survey, and people don’t always do what they say. Even so, it’s a wake-up call for the podcast industry. We’ve documented that ad load affects performance. Check out our PodLoad case study for more details.

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Giving Creators Room to Create

At CreatorIQ Connect, brand leaders from Sephora, Gap, Google, and PepsiCo told Scalable they value professionalism and genuine enthusiasm for their products when choosing creators. Creator Warner Bailey emphasized creative freedom, saying he would consider a lower rate for a 12-month partnership, depending on the terms. He identified lengthy prescribed scripts and requests for rights to an AI clone of his voice as red flags. Creators know their audiences. Give them the key points you need to communicate, then give them the leeway to adapt the message for their audience and deliver it in their own voice. Note: The article requires a free subscription to ⁠Scalable, a newsletter we recommend for keeping tabs on the creator economy.

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Podcasting Nears a Billion Globally… Sort of

MIDiA Research estimates podcast platforms had 965.4 million monthly users in Q4 2025, a gross total that can count the same person across multiple platforms. The total grew by more than 60 million from 2024, with YouTube driving the most growth and holding 32% of the global market. Platform preferences differed by region: YouTube held more than half the market in Latin America, while Spotify remained strong in the Nordics. Ximalaya FM ranked second globally at 29.2%, with almost all its users in China. Podcasting’s growth gives marketers more room to scale in international markets. Making that investment work requires region-specific knowledge of which platforms people use, and how they consume podcasts.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

Raycon Makes the Fall Reset Easier

Steve, Todd, and Aaron of Steve Deace Show bring this week’s #STLR with a timely Raycon endorsement built around the idea of a fall reset. As listeners get organized, tackle projects, and settle into new routines, Steve highlights Raycon’s Everyday Earbuds Classics as a useful companion, calling out features like active noise cancellation to block distractions and multipoint connectivity to pair with two devices at once. The most memorable moment comes when Steve shares his personal struggle with finding earbuds that fit his oddly shaped ears. He jokes about constantly swapping earbud sizes and twisting them into place until he tried Raycon, which finally stayed comfortable without all the adjustments. That firsthand experience gives the reader a personal touch beyond a standard list of product features. By connecting Raycon’s upgrades to both seasonal routines and a genuine everyday frustration, the hosts make a compelling case for why these earbuds deserve a place in listeners’ fall essentials.

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OXFORd In The News

Signal Gives Ad Infinitum Gold X2

Oxford Road’s Ad Infinitum podcast won two Gold awards at the 2026 Signal Awards, in both the Creativity & Marketing and Business categories. Written and hosted by Stew Redwine, Oxford Road’s Executive Creative Director, the show goes deep on the craft of audio advertising, covering everything from psychoacoustics to audio branding to AI’s role in sound. Each episode of Ad Infinitum argues that creativity in audio is a discipline worth taking seriously. Our congrats to Stew and his team. You can listen to the award-winning Ad Infinitum HERE.

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Oxford Road Takes Top Spot on Barrett Media’s List

The kudos keep coming: Barrett Media recently named Oxford Road the No. 1 Audio Advertising Agency of 2026, and placed Dan Granger (Founder and CEO) and Miranda Romano (SVP, Media) on its list of the year’s 20 best advertising executives. The company surveyed more than 140 industry leaders while compiling the list, and knowing the recognition comes from our peers makes the honor all the more rewarding (and humbling). Thanks to Barrett Media for including us, and to everyone who’s supported Oxford Road over the years.

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