This Week’s Influencer: SXSW Panel with Tim Ferriss on AI; True Crime Isn’t As Scary As It Seems; Podcast Replaces Daytime TV; and More…

Creators may think they have an idea where AI is heading, but now they’re faced with a critical decision: when to lean in and when to run in the opposite direction. With constant changes and new reports of “AI brain fry,” it’s hard to get an accurate picture: does AI help creators or harm them? Is there a world in which there is a happy medium?

This week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition comes straight from the iHeart x Oxford Road Luncheon at SXSW 2026, “Less Noise, More Life: The Science of Thriving in an Artificial World.” Featuring Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) as he hosts podcasting powerhouses Tim Ferriss (Entrepreneur & Host, The Tim Ferriss Show) and Dr. Laurie Santos (Psychologist & Host, The Happiness Lab) for an existential examination of AI.

The panel breaks down when and how to use AI, and tackles the all-important question, “What the hell is going on?” Join them as they talk: Listener loyalty, screen fatigue, and the real cost of letting AI do your thinking.

“The people who are going to convert the best right now would not consider themselves creators. They do not have extremely large audiences, but they have people who really, really trust them.” – Tim Ferriss (Entrepreneur & Host, The Tim Ferriss Show)

AI Affects Creators & Their Bottom Line  – AI might grow your profit, but it’ll definitely burn you out. The proof? Laurie mentions a new study published in Harvard Business Review that found that, among all corporate roles, AI burned out marketing professionals the most. It requires more oversight and creates an information overload. Tim then drops a truth bomb: AI may accelerate work, but it also accelerates anxiety and depression. When you offload labor to AI, you might get “AI brain fry” AND miss out on work that is meaningful to you. Weigh the cost carefully.

Your Listeners Trust YOU, Not ChatGPT – The internet is right: you need to go out and touch grass more often. Both Laurie and Tim are seeing trends regarding in-person connection. Why? Because consumers are on screens all day, every day. They crave real connection, and creators can leverage that by being authentic (read: clearly not AI). Tim also urges creators and marketers not to rely on the “algorithm gods.” He’s posted short videos with millions of views… but they’ve made zero impact on podcast downloads. Remember: the algorithm’s goal is to keep people on the platform, not to send them to your show. If you stay loyal to yourself, your listeners will stay loyal to you.

Think Consistency, Not Change – What makes AI different from other technologies? How quickly it evolves. Tim explains that “even the programmers don’t fully know what an LLM is going to do” once it’s finalized. Let’s take the heat off creators and marketers: there’s not enough time for them to adapt to the continuous change, so instead, focus on consistency. Tim and his team use AI for repeatable, everyday tasks. They train LLMs as editors, use them for research, and test A/B ads. Tim has the right outlook: keep up with key skills like writing and strategy, and use AI to tee you up.

Want the AI user guide for podcasts? Tune in at the link below.

Your Monthly ORBIT Report April 2026

True Crime is One of Podcasting’s Biggest Genres, and One of the Most Misunderstood

True Crime is the genre that started the podcasting boom, with podcasts like Serial leading the charge. But a lot has changed since 2014. To understand what’s driving performance in True Crime today, we used ORBIT (Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool). Special shout-out to top-performers #3 Crime, Conspiracy, Cults And Murder, #2 True Crime Obsessed, and #1 Cold Case Files.

Turns out, while True Crime winners are frequent, they’re extremely varied, too. For marketers, where ad dollars are invested in True Crime and how they’re deployed make all the difference. For a closer look at succeeding in podcasting’s founding genre, we turned to ORBIT.

• True Crime isn’t a Monolith: True Crime might be one genre, but it’s comprised of many sub-formats. Companion, Investigative, Broadcast IP, and Dark Crossover all have a place in our top 15 list. If you’re testing one lane and calling it a day, you haven’t actually tested True Crime; you’ve tested a slice of it.

• Mind the Brand Safety Pricing Gap: True Crime has a reputation that raises brand safety flags for some advertisers. That caution increases for high-performing shows with paranormal or horror-adjacent tones. The irony: that same genre stigma suppresses competition and keeps rates down, despite highly engaged audiences. Brands, do your homework on the shows. If they meet your standards, you’re picking up high-performing inventory at a discount.

When Marketers can see the genre clearly, True Crime can be a top-performer at scale. For the complete April ORBIT Rankings and Insights, check out the full report below.

View April’s ORBIT Report Here

The Classifieds

She’s Eating Pinkberry and Enjoying Life

Network: Dear Media / Monthly Downloads: 15k

From the shores of Laguna Beach to the peaks of The Hills, Lo Bosworth has always struck a chord with those looking for a wholesome reality-TV role model. In her newest era as the CEO of Love Wellness and mom to a baby girl, Bosworth feels ready to share her life lessons. In the first episode of her premiere podcast with Dear Media, Bosworth produced an interesting before-and-after narrative, recording the first half pre-birth and the second half post-delivery.

The show’s premise is to create a strong community, focused on acceptance and knowledge-sharing, and Bosworth does so by exploring the intimate details of her difficult pregnancy. This is a great opportunity for female-skewed DTCs that help new mothers, or for advertisers who perform well on Kids & Family content. Mother knows best, and this mother wants you to click below for more details.

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The Stars Say You Need to Test This Podcast

Network: Moonbeam Media / Monthly Downloads: 15k

In a big world full of unknown variables, astrology makes its followers feel grounded and part of something larger than themselves. It’s no wonder that its practice has grown in popularity and created a $3 billion industry. Podcasting has always been a perfect place for niche communities to take root and grow, so it’s no surprise that Amanda Steele found quick success in launching her newest offering with Moonbeam Media.

Each week, Amanda uses astrology as a framework to discuss both real-life perspectives and the cosmic nuances. Whether she is looking at birth charts, reading tarot cards, or discussing spiritual journeys, Amanda takes these concepts seriously. This is geared towards a freethinking Gen Z audience who may also be interested in beauty, fashion, and self-improvement. Your horoscope says you’re going to test into this podcast, which you can find at the link below.

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In Case You Missed It

The LatAm Sports Market Hasn’t Scored… Yet

Despite futbol’s dominance across Latin America, sports podcasts have not broken through in the region the way they have in the U.S., with few titles reaching the top podcast charts in markets like Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. This article points to three main reasons: a category centered on one sport, limited fantasy-sports behavior that would drive recurring listening, and a legacy-media model that has slowed creator-led growth. With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, the piece argues that sports podcasting in the region may be nearing an inflection point. Given the popularity of futbol and podcasting individually across Latin America, you would expect sports to already be a top genre. It isn’t, which is a reminder that consumer behavior is not always as intuitive as it seems. With the 2026 World Cup approaching, that gap looks more like an opening: marketers have a chance to stake their claim before the category catches up.

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Podcasts Are the New Daytime TV

Adweek argues that streamers are leaning into podcasts and creator shows because they function like modern daytime TV, with their personality-driven programming that can fill hours of content without the cost of traditional television. Following Netflix, companies including Tubi, Roku, Amazon, and MS Now are pursuing similar strategies to attract younger viewers and compete more directly with YouTube. Credit to Hernan Lopez at Owl & Co. for spotting this early. Streamers are embracing podcasts largely as a daypart play: they bring built-in audiences, low production costs, and enough volume to fill programming shelves without Hollywood-level budgets. For marketers, that means podcast IP is increasingly becoming part of the CTV inventory mix, not just the audio plan.

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The Daily Wire Opens New Doors for Advertisers

The Daily Wire is expanding its podcast slate with five new shows across news, culture, entertainment, true crime, and lifestyle genres, broadening the company’s lineup beyond the political programming it is best known for. At the same time, it hired veteran audio sales executive Adam Gilbert as VP of Sales, signaling a more serious push to monetize that wider portfolio. In other words: The Daily Wire just became more buyable. For advertisers that have seen strong results from independent podcasts but avoided the company’s political content, this broader slate creates new ways in. It is also encouraging to see a publisher bet on fresh programming rather than just squeezing more value out of the same core franchise.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

Watch Your Package Go Long Gone with ShipStation

Chris Black and Jason Stewart, hosts of the bi-coastal phenomenon the How Long Gone Podcast, pull out a chaotically charming live read for ShipStation, where two guys accidentally discover the logistics of shipping efficiency in real time. The whole thing kicks off with that classic “we’re busy, we don’t know what’s going on” energy, which somehow makes a shipping platform feel deeply relatable to the masses. Jason’s throwback to the old way of shipping, walking into “some place,” talking to “some guy,” and blindly agreeing to a price is hilarious and painfully accurate.

What makes this read fun is how ShipStation gets framed as this behind-the-scenes friend who actually knows what’s going on, casually sorting through UPS, USPS, and FedEx like a logistics sommelier. There’s something very on-brand about turning “rate shopping and fulfillment” into “cutting your chaos in half so you can go do literally anything else.” Their tone stays loose and slightly absurd, but it still shows the value of saving time, saving money, and not having to guess your way through shipping anymore. By the time they drop the 60-day free trial, it feels less like a pitch and more like, “hey, stop doing it the hard way for no reason.”

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OXFORd In The News

Data FINALLY Confirms Audio Isn’t Just for Awareness

Little Black Book is spotlighting our recent Sound of Growth report, which finally puts numbers behind what we’ve long believed: audio doesn’t just build awareness—it drives action. Based on $400 million in cumulative audio spend over 30+ years of client data, the study found that audio drove an average of 18% of clients’ branded search volume, with heavy audio investors seeing that number climb to 40% or more. For marketers still treating audio as a top-of-funnel afterthought, the data has caught up. If you’re curious about how this applies to your campaigns, read the full report here.

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