Dear Colleagues, With apologies for cross-posting, I am pleased to announce the publication of my new book, “Podcasting in a Platform Age: From an Amateur to a Professional Medium” (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024). The book is now available for order and you can use the code GLR AT5 for 20% off when purchasing directly from the publisher’s website: https://www.bloomsbury.com/podcasting-in-a-platform-age-9781501380693/ // Description // Podcasting in a Platform Age explores the transition underway in podcasting by considering how the influx of legacy and new media interest in the medium is injecting professional and corporate logics into what had been largely an amateur media form. Many of the most high-profile podcasts today, however, are produced by highly-skilled media professionals, some of whom are employees of media corporations. Legacy radio and new media platform giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Spotify are also making big (and expensive) moves in the medium by acquiring content producers and hosting platforms. This book focuses on three major aspects of this transformation: formalization, professionalization, and monetization. Through a close read of online and press discourse, analysis of podcasts themselves, participant observations at podcast trade shows and conventions, and interviews with industry professionals and individual podcasters, John Sullivan outlines how the efforts of industry players to transform podcasting into a profitable medium are beginning to challenge the very definition of podcasting itself. // Table of Contents // 1. Introduction: Podcasting in Transition 2. Podcasting as a 21st Century Cultural Industry 3. Institutional Formalization: Mapping a New Cultural Industry 4. Distribution and Exhibition Shifts: The Platformization of Podcasting 5. Professionalism and the Myth of Meritocracy 6. Podcast Production: Fostering Communities of Practice 7. Market Information Regimes in Podcasting: Formalization and Audience Metrics 8. "This Podcast Was Brought to you By...": Advertising and Brands in Podcasting 9. Podcast Conventions and the Entrepreneurial Dream 10. Conclusion: Platformization and Podcasting’s Third Decade // Reviews // “This is the book we need, but didn't deserve. 20 years after the invention of podcasting, John Sullivan provides one of the first comprehensive accounts of the changing digital structures that podcasting exists within. Clearly written and with great attention to details, it lays out the ever fascinating interplays between the cultural, social, and economic dynamics of podcasting in the age of platforms. This is an important book, and it is essential for everyone who wants to understand the third decade of podcasting.” - Aske Kammer, Associate Professor of Journalism Studies, Roskilde University, Denmark “Sullivan unravels the captivating journey of podcasting, from its grassroots origins evolving into dynamics of media and cultural industries. With keen insights, Sullivan navigates the core of its evolution, unveiling the tension between preserving podcasting’s open essence and the pull towards centralization driven by a platform-centered scenario. This book offers a concise yet enlightening exploration of podcasting's history, present, and future, revealing why podcasting becomes relevant in the current digital landscape.” - Toni Sellas, Course Leader Bachelor of Journalism, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Spain ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. John L. Sullivan Professor & Interim Chair, Media & Communication Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew Street Allentown, PA 18104 USA 484/664-3481 (phone); 484/664-3993 (fax) Pronouns: He/Him/His NEW: Podcasting in a Platform Age <https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/podcasting-in-a-platform-age-9781501380679/> (Bloomsbury, 2024) Author of Media Audiences <https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/media-audiences/book258868>, 2nd edition (Sage, 2019) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~