Audience Power, Platform Choice, and a Nation Remembered

It's Friday, September 11th. Let's pause for five seconds to remember and never forget. (pause) Thank you.

I have the fastest four minutes in podcasting. I'm Gary Spurgeon, podcasting from Jacksonville, Florida. PodTracks August Rankers show steep year-over-year drops for the biggest publishers. I'll have more of this in just a few minutes. I'm here with fast facts, fresh trends, and the metrics that actually matter with just enough fun to keep it moving. Let's jump into these numbers. Fast facts, fresh trends, and the metrics that actually matter with just enough fun to keep it moving.

And here's our first story. Audience Lift is giving podcasters more control over where their audiences grow.
The company just launched preferred apps and players, letting listeners discover shows across 50,000 premium publishers. And they choose exactly where to listen, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, Overcast, and more. I t's a shift from chasing raw downloads to understanding the full listener journey. With Audience Lift verified growth, networks and creators can finally see where discovery happens, which apps audience pick, and how campaigns actually perform. No incentivized clicks, no junk traffic, just real listeners choosing their platform. Podcast growth isn't just about bigger numbers, said co-finder Robert Tuchman. It's about building the right audience in the right place. Preferred apps and players joins Audience Lift's suite of growth tools, including precision business targeting, YouTube growth, and scalable web player campaigns. Creators can mix and match based on their goals, scale, targeting, YouTube expansion, or platform-specific growth.

And here's our next story. If you're looking for a powerful listen, check out Fox News Rewind 9-11. On September 11, 2001, the world changed in an instant. The series offers an intimate, unfiltered look at the warning signs, the attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda, and the tragedy that followed. It also highlights the resiliency of a nation still rebuilding and healing after 25 years. Give a listen. There's a link in the description.

And here's a quick stat. Podcast's August Rankers show steep year-over-year drops in the biggest publishers. iHeart Audience Network is down 15% in the U.S. monthly audience, and more than 20% in stream downloads. NPR is also down 15% across both metrics. Lisbon saw sharp declines, with audiences down 33% in streams and downloads, cut in half. PodTrack doesn't measure HLS video, but YouTube and Spotify videos are included. And always, the Ranker reflects participating publishers only. And there you have your quick stat.

And that's it for today. If you enjoyed today's show, hit follow on Apple Podcasts so you don't miss a minute of tomorrow's episode. You can also find us on Spotify, iHeart, and pretty much everywhere else you listen.
In Monday's show, Glenn Rubinstein of Adopter Media says YouTube's sudden metric changes are worrying. Hmm. If something stood out today, leave a fast review. It boosts visibility and keeps new episodes rolling. I'm Gary Spurgeon with the fastest four minutes in podcasting. Podcasting by the numbers. And remember, you're only one podcast away from changing your world.