More than a quarter of journalist podcasters say that economic uncertainties have prompted recent career changes, according to new data from media database Muck Rack.
As part of International Podcast Day, which took place on 30 September, Muck Rack released data from its State of Journalism 2023 report, published earlier this year, focused on trends in the podcast industry according to journalists. The data is derived from the responses of 328 journalists who are also podcasters, and were asked about what topics they cover, their social media habits, salaries, and more.
Most journalist podcasters are multi-disciplinary, according to the report, covering an average of four beats, with the most popular being politics, entertainment and culture. 27% also produce videos in addition to podcasting, and 20% create newsletters.
A number of journalists have turned to podcasting to build new audiences, including Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall, co-hosts of Global and Persephonica’s chart-topping news and current affairs podcast The News Agents. According to a report from Global released in January this year, listeners are more likely to be drawn to news podcasts hosted by personalities they already like (36%) or from a programme that they like (35%).
Other insights from Muck Rack’s report show that 54% of journalist podcasters earn less than $70,000 annually and that 32% earn less than $40,000. The Evolution of Horror podcast host and creator Mike Muncer previously told PodPod that since launching a Patreon subscription service, he is now able to be a full-time podcaster with his series acting as his main source of income. Muncer’s Patreon ranges from £3 to £17 monthly and includes access to livestreams, bonus episodes, shout-outs on the podcast, and more.
