We Came, We Spoke, We Started a Movement—Recapping Evolutions 2025: Video Podcasts Climbing, Radio’s Thriving, and Wearout’s a Myth

The Media Roundtable is back, assuaging your FOMO by recapping the highlights of Podcast Movement Evolutions 2025. This week’s episode is sponsored by The Daily Wire.

Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road) hosts a full panel of Audio All-Stars:
⭐ Bart Roselli (SVP, Media, Oxford Road)

⭐ Conor Doyle (President, Oxford Road)

⭐ Miranda Romano (SVP, Media, Oxford Road)

⭐ Stew Redwine (VP Creative Services, Oxford Road)

The team is talking: 80 Steps for Ads, Audience over Algorithms, The Big Podcasting Tent, and more. Let’s dig in.

“Now we can go out to the marketplace and try to get a lot of competing factions to start rowing in the same direction for everybody’s mutual benefit.”

Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road)

80 Steps ⛰️ – According to one publisher, it takes 80 steps to get an advertiser on-air for a host-read ad. For a produced ad? Only 20. But while the market trend has been moving towards efficiency, automation, and scale, some big advertisers (like SimpliSafe and Boll & Branch) miss the collaborative, direct work approach from the earlier days. Our takeaways:

1. There might be a few steps to cut from the host-read onboarding process.

2. The live-read is so valuable to the advertiser that this artisanal, handmade ad process can’t be replaced purely by raw efficiency.

Audience over Algorithms – We heard speakers give specific advice on what the algorithm intended for creators to do. Our take? Serve the audience, not the algorithm. Podcasts are unique because of the host-audience relationship–creating content that’s distinctly chosen for a community. (The same relationship that makes authentic endorsements valuable to advertisers) Algo chasing is ‘backburnering’ your current community for another potential one. To paraphrase the old adage: “Find new listeners, but keep the old. One is silver, the other’s gold.”

The Big Podcasting Tent – We’ve been laser-focused on defining what a podcast is so we can help unify the industry and move ahead. We’ve learned that questions of audio-only or video, RSS or YouTube are unnecessary. Consumers already get it. Podcasts are spoken word, episodic, and on-demand, regardless of the platform. The industry is tangled in definitions, but we don’t have to be. Instead of drawing hard lines, let’s widen the tent. When we do that, we can accurately show just how big podcasting is, how fast it’s growing, and ensure that it gets the investment it deserves. For more on what a podcast is, why defining it matters, and what you can do to help, check out this link to our whitepaper, podcast series, and petition.

For countless insights straight from Podcast Movement Evolutions 2025 for your ears, check out the full episode below.

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The Classifieds

Put Another Dime in the Jukebox, Baby

Network: Gamut Podcast Network / Monthly Downloads: 3m

Newly rebranded shows don’t often land at recently rebranded networks, and yet here we are. Formerly YouTube only, Professor of Rock is the newest simulcast opportunity from the former Hubbard Radio, now Gamut Podcast Network Adam Reader has been tied to his professorial persona for the better part of a decade. Each episode is dedicated to rock music from the 1960s through the 1990s, and he covers everything from trivia and one-hit wonders to legendary trends. Methodical and straightforward, each show boasts obvious amounts of raw talent and sheer effort. Reader has amassed a staggering 1.3m subscribers on his channel and is now hopping onto an RSS feed to reach a new audience. This is a great opportunity for the Culture Vulture demographic, as well as an older educated male audience. If you want to rock n’ roll all night and party every day, indulge the link below for more.

Get The Deal

Ask Me No Questions, I’ll Tell You No Lies

Network: Studio 71 / Monthly Downloads: 2.2m

Shane Smith has a lot of questions, and oh man, do we want to hear the answers! Smith is best known for co-founding Vice.com, a guerrilla-style journalistic endeavor that views the world through a very specific lens. Now working as a free agent through Club Random (headed by comedian Bill Maher), Smith is sitting down with various tastemakers, experts, and scientists to poke and prod at everything mysterious. Whether he’s discussing long-term political strategy or understanding how to build a small business, Smith is always an engaged, earnest interviewer who gives his guests a wide berth to get their points across. The acclaim has been widespread, and many advertisers have found great success in partnering with this male-skewing, finance-focused opportunity. If you ask a stupid question, you might get a stupid answer, but we’ll tell you plain and simple: just click below for details.

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In Case You Missed It

There’s A Place for Audio and Video in Podcasting

The rise of video podcasting is not replacing audio podcasts but rather complementing them. “The State of Video Podcasting 2025” study by Coleman Insights and Amplifi Media, presented at Podcast Movement Evolutions, revealed that usage of YouTube grew from 60% to 70% among podcast consumers. Video, especially works in passive settings like at home. However, audio remains stronger in active environments such as in cars, where listening is increasing. Audio and video can coexist, enhancing podcasting’s overall reach. CAOs, video isn’t going to eat podcasting anytime soon—despite what some publishers might hope. Start with audio and enhance with video, not the other way around. Audio is at the core of podcasting.

Ad Wearout, What Wearout?

A recent study by ABX Advertising Benchmark Index, commissioned by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), debunks the myth of ad wear-out. Analyzing 25,000 AM/FM radio ads, the study found minimal wear-out, with only two ads showing a significant decline after two years. Repeat testing revealed no erosion in effectiveness for long-running ads. Experts like Les Binet, System1, and Kantar support these findings. Wearout is overrated. In performance marketing, let the data lead. In streaming audio—where habitual listening is more common—creative refreshes matter more. Remember, there are always exceptions.

Connecting with Black Consumers

A new study by the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) and Nielsen highlights Black Radio as the most trusted and consumed ad-supported audio among Black consumers. The report notes that nearly 90% of Black adults listen to AM/FM radio monthly, and Black Radio accounts for 76% of ad-supported audio consumption in this demographic. With over $2.1 trillion in buying power, Black consumers, particularly Millennials, are influential in shaping trends. The U.S. Black-American population tops 40 million. CAOs, if you’re not investing in reaching this audience, you might be missing out on sales. Importantly, radio is a very effective way to connect with Black audiences.

1Password is Seamless for Primary Tech

Topping the #STLR charts this week is a great podcast ad-read from Primary Technology hosted by Stephen Robles and Jason Aten for our advertiser, 1Password. This ad nails it by leaning on the host’s authentic delivery, making his endorsement feel personal and trustworthy. It immediately hooks listeners with the universal problem—password overload—and positions 1Password as the prominent, secure fix. Instead of drowning in features, 1Password focuses on real-life benefits like ease, safety, and convenience across all devices. With a clear, memorable CTA and strong brand recall, this ad delivers value and drives action without breaking the show’s flow. This ad is a good example of what we hope for in a host live read: honestly being able to share with listeners, “I use it, and you should too” — the gold standard for a solid personal endorsement. This can only be accomplished with a willing host, proper onboarding and copy that allows hosts to do what they do best: relate to their audience.

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OXFORd In The News

What is a Podcast? | Press Coverage

Podcasting is booming, but the industry is having a “define me” moment. Last week, we shared our industry-defining “What is a Podcast” whitepaper, and the industry is taking note. Major publications like; Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, Podwires, Podcasting Today, Inside Radio, Podcast News Daily, Podnews, Radio Online, Sounds Profitable, MediaPost-Publishing Insider and Roast Brief have shared our findings to help set the record straight: audio-only podcasts aren’t just the roots of the medium—they’re a powerful, distinct format that deserves clarity and respect. Interested in uniting around a clear, inclusive, multi-platform definition of “podcast?” Now’s the perfect time to preserve the spirit of openness and accessibility that made podcasting a movement—not just a medium. Join us HERE.

If you’ve read this far, thank you!

The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road.
If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients.

Interested in seeing how we could help your business?
Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com!