Pods Review Pods: Today, Explained, Subnet, & Conversations With People Who Hate Me

Pods Review Pods is a weekly segment where podcasters review fellow podcasts.

I’m Brendan from the podcast BitRate. (You may also know me from the occasional articles I post like Empire On Blood, StartUpBus, and Podcast Ads Work.) BitRate is a podcast about the culture of podcasts, what it means to podcast, what is happening in the podcasting world; it’s a bit of industry self-reflection, hosted by me and Mark Steadman, developer of the podcast hosting service Podiant. We recently talked with Ma’ayan Plaut from RadioPublic about the word “podcast”, whether that is the right word for the industry, and what replacement words might be. You can find the podcast at https://BitRate.podiant.co. I’m @ThePodPlaylist on Twitter, and Mark is @iamsteadman.

Today, Explained

This has quickly become my favorite daily podcast. The format is very similar to New York Times’ The Daily where it’s one ~20 minute US centric news story covered in detail. The biggest difference is the Vox is having fun with the platform by performing parodies of songs and putting on skits and other antics. This doesn’t ever take away from the commentary or message, but adds a level of humanity and levity.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Subnet

Another new daily show, this one being just about tech and only 3 headlines. If you have an Amazon smart device or other cylinder that can play podcasts, this could be a great listen while you’re getting ready in the morning. It’s quick, like this review, and comes out 6 days a week.

Listen: Apple Podcasts

Conversations With People Who Hate Me

A big shift away from daily news podcasts; this is a heavy hitter. Host Dylan Marron calls someone who has posted hurtful or hateful things online. The first season was about comments directed at him. His second season just started with episodes 10 and 11 where he moderates a conversation between two people with opposing views. It’s a civil and delightful conversation every time, and it always sticks in my head for days, weeks, and even months later. This podcast is in the top 5 most impactful podcasts on my mindset and my life, and I highly recommend it.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher