‘The Pub’ #97: Lauren Ober, host of ‘The Big Listen,’ a radio show about podcasts

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Kara Frame/NPR

A radio show/podcast about what’s going on in podcasting? I’ll admit I thought that was a ridiculous idea … until I heard it. The Big Listen from WAMU and NPR is one part “best of podcasting” compilation show, one part industry-insider talk show, and a thousand parts Lauren Ober, its charismatic and affable host.

Ober understands the skepticism about her show’s premise, but she argues The Big Listen is providing a simple and needed service to multiple generations of listeners.

“We’re both, sort of, teaching public radio listeners about podcasting, but then we’re also letting public radio listeners, perhaps who are younger, know that, you know, ‘Hey, public radio hears you, we know that you like podcasts, we know that you like on-demand audio, and we are here for you,’” Ober told me on The Pub.

This week, on my show about other people’s shows, Ober joins me to talk about everything she’s learned from making her show about other people’s shows. (Everybody got that?)

Also this week, three simple words that will help you answer most questions you have about using copyrighted music in your programs.

Remember: The Pub is looking for a new host/producer! Is that you? Check out the details and apply.

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We welcome your feedback on the show: You can reach me at [email protected] or @aragusea on Twitter; my supervising producer at Current, Mike Janssen, is at [email protected]; and you can contact Current generally at [email protected] or @currentpubmedia on Twitter.

If you’d like to offer a comment to be used in the program, please send on-mic tape (recorded in a studio, with a kit, a smartphone, anything) to [email protected] either as an attachment or through Google Drive. Please keep it short!

Adam Ragusea hosts Current’s podcast The Pub and is a journalist in residence and visiting assistant professor at Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism.

One thought on “‘The Pub’ #97: Lauren Ober, host of ‘The Big Listen,’ a radio show about podcasts

  1. Great show! So in regards to music clips, let’s say on my Podcast I”m reviewing last night’s “The Voice” and use a 5-10 second clip from each performance and then critique and give it a grade before predicting which singer’s safe or in trouble for my segment, that’s within the Illustrative” category, not decorative—correct?

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