Age of Audio: The Inside Story of Podcasting
About this episode
This episode explores the untold history of podcasting through insights from key figures in the industry.
The history of podcasting has rarely been told. But in this episode, the brightest minds in podcasting reveal the inside story of this medium: from the invention of RSS feeds, through the Gold Rush era of corporate investments, to the bubble bursting, and the rise of celebrity podcasts. Along the way, Ira Glass explains the origins of This American Life and Serial, Marc Maron recounts Obama visiting his garage, Roman Mars lays out his vision for indie podcasts, and so much more. This story was adapted from the feature documentary Age of Audio. Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at 20k.org/2026. For updates on Age of Audio, visit the official website, or follow the film on Instagram and Tiktok. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at 20k.org/plus. Subscribe on YouTube to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Find out how you can…
People in this episode
Host: Dallas Taylor
Topics covered
- history of podcasting
- RSS feeds
- celebrity podcasts
- indie podcasts
- media evolution
Keywords
- podcasting
- Ira Glass
- Marc Maron
- Roman Mars
- media history
- celebrity podcasts
- indie podcasts
Sponsors
Shopify, AT&T, quo.com
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: This American Life, Serial
More episodes of Twenty Thousand Hertz
- John Williams: A Composer’s Life
- Age of Audio: The Future of Podcasting (and 20k)
- The Poop Song Conspiracy
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