Call for Papers: The Turn to Podcasts as a Mass Campaign Medium Special Issue of The Journal of Radio and Audio Media Dr. Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Prof. Kim Fox, American University in Cairo Dr. Aram Sinnreich, American University The Journal of Radio and Audio Media (JRAM), the world’s premier radio research journal, is published semi-annually by the Broadcast Education Association. JRAM is dedicated to radio research and the new technology redefining radio’s traditional use. As of December 2024, U.S. President Donald Trump’s appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience had over 50 million views on YouTube. His appearance on the most popular podcast in the world capped off a campaign that was part of the “podcast election” where both candidates reached voters through podcasts (Edison Research, 2024). With this amount of reach, it's clear that some high-profile podcasts have reached the status of a mass medium (Bonini, 2015; Loviglio, 2024). Other political figures across the world have embraced podcasts, aural media, and YouTube. For example, former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his successor Claudia Sheinbaum regularly use mañaneras, where they speak for over two hours in a hybrid press conference and morning show that would often veer into personal musings and confrontations with journalists (Higuera, 2024). Broadcast on television, they are also simulcast on radio and YouTube. As political leaders embrace podcasts and other aural media several issues may emerge. By circumventing traditional media, politicians may appear on friendly podcasts to avoid the adversarial nature of journalistic interviews and real-time fact-checks. The informal style of podcast discussions is often discussed as a benefit of the medium for both politicians and audiences (McClung & Johnson, 2010; Schlütz & Hedder, 2022). Yet, this informality may further blur the lines between celebrity and public figure, policy and personality. These issues point to podcasts' incomplete promise as a public sphere (Sienkiewicz & Jaramillo, 2019). To fully consider this turn, we invite papers engaging with this issue in the topics of, but not limited to: Historicizing the Turn to Podcasts in Campaigning The 2024 U.S. Election on Podcasts The Role of Podcasts in Shaping Public Opinion and Electoral Outcomes The Impact and Influence of the Manosphere on Politics and Culture Humor and Parasociality Ethics and Journalistic Norms Cases in the Global South Populism and Podcasting Democracy and Podcasting Podcasting as a Counterpublic Narrative Podcasts as Platforms for Social Commentary and Critique Religious Podcasts as a Site for Spiritual and Ideological Discourse Investigative Journalism Podcasts and Their Influence on Public Opinion Submission Deadlines Scholars interested in submitting an article for the special issue should send an extended abstract of 1500 words to Dr. Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez at arthur.sotovasquez@unlv.edu for a review by April 5, 2025, 11:59 PM PT. Feedback and an invitation to submit will be provided by May 1, 2025. All final papers will undergo a peer-reviewed process for final publication and must be submitted to JRAM by August 1, 2025, 11:59 PM PT. Extended abstracts due: April 5, 2025, 11:59 PM PT Final paper due: August 1, 2025, 11:59 PM PT The special issue is scheduled for publication in Spring 2026 Contact If you have any questions about the CFP, please send an email to Dr. Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez at arthur.sotovasquez@unlv.edu<mailto:arthur.sotovasquez@unlv.edu> Subject line: JRAM Podcast Elections References Bonini, T. (2015). The ‘second age’ of podcasting: Reframing podcasting as a new digital mass medium. Quaderns del CAC, 41, 23-33. Edison Research. (2024, November 14). In the “Podcast Election,” Trump talked to vastly more people. Edison Research.https://www.edisonresearch.com/in-the-podcast-election-trump-talked-to-vastl... Higuera, S. (2024, March 20). Las mañaneras de López Obrador en México, una forma única de comunicación señalada por ataques a la prensa. LatAm Journalism Review. https://latamjournalismreview.org/es/articles/las-mananeras-de-lopez-obrador... Loviglio, J. (2024). From Radio to Podcasting: Intimacy and Massification. The Velvet Light Trap, 93(1), 52-54. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/921538 McClung, S., & Johnson, K. (2010). Examining the motives of podcast users. Journal of radio & audio media, 17(1), 82-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/19376521003719391 Sienkiewicz, M., & Jaramillo, D. L. (2019). Podcasting, the intimate self, and the public sphere. Popular Communication,17(4), 268-272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2019.1667997 Schlütz, D., & Hedder, I. (2022). Aural parasocial relations: Host–listener relationships in podcasts. Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 29(2), 457-474. https://doi.org/10.1080/19376529.2020.1870467