News Impact Summit: Audio & voice

Most of the tech and content around voice technology in journalism has been produced in English, as it’s the world’s most used language. This makes it more difficult for small publishers to make their content available on the platforms that don’t officially recognise their languages. This has not stopped Finnish broadcaster Yle from creating new types of content for automation and personalisation. Ville will show us how he is collecting Finnish speech to aid and speed up the creation of a Finnish speaking AI that can help produce audio content that is more immersive and engaging for non-English speaking audiences.

News departments at Swedish Radio (SR) are implementing a digital audio strategy focused on news clips. To better serve targeted audiences and fulfill its mission, the public broadcaster is developing an editorial algorithm, which gives priority to stories with high public service value. Olle and Tomas will explain how, in the last year, audio clip consumption has more than doubled in the SR app and what are the next steps to provide engaging content across platforms for their audience whether it is on mobile, voice speakers or in the car.

Committed to sharing the perspectives of women and non-binary people of colour, gal-dem magazine not only launched a successful membership during the pandemic this Summer but also created an audiobook club in partnership with Jacaranda and Audible, giving guests the opportunity to connect with authors and journalists. Audio is often touted as the most intimate of mediums - but how does this translate in the new realities we live under Covid-19? Can digital communities come together and create inclusive spaces, even online?

From idea to execution, it took Germany’s public broadcaster NDR three days to put together the podcast “Das Coronavirus Update” (The Coronavirus Update). After just two daily episodes in late February, featuring interviews with leading virologist Pr. Dr. Christian Dorsten, the podcast shot to No. 1 in Germany, where it has remained ever since. Each episode ranges from debunking myths around the Coronavirus to answering questions from the audience. Korinna will explain the unexpected success of a podcast with complex content, how it was made, what are the key learnings, and why scientific literacy is a powerful tool against 'fake news'.

1. Visualising audio (in English)

Print and radio reporters do great interviews every day. What if you could turn those interviews into videos and illustrated images for your social platforms and website? In this workshop, Corinne will introduce us to visual formats we can produce using inexpensive desktop tools and smartphone apps. Don’t waste your audio, come, and learn the best ways to turn it into creative visuals that will boost the reach and impact of your work.

3. Wozu ein Podcastlabel gründen?/Founding An Audio Company (in German)

Als Susanne und Katrin hauseins gründeten, hatten sie mehr Leidenschaft als Ahnung, aber Schritt für Schritt haben sie gelernt, was wichtig ist, wenn man ein Medienunternehmen gründet und leitet. Wie kommen unsere Podcasts zum Publikum? Wie verdient man damit Geld? Wie findet man heraus, welche Marktlücke man besetzen will und kann?

When Susanne and Katrin founded hauseins they had more passion than clue. But then, step by step, they've found out what's important for running an audio company – and what's not. How to build an audience? How to earn money? How to find out what niche is the best for you?

Pulitzer Award winner Amy Brittain will share how The Washington Post launched its first-ever investigative podcast, "Canary: The Washington Post Investigates," a seven-part audio series created by a team of over 20 journalists in the newsroom.

Ten years ago, Radio Ambulante was just an idea. Currently, it is the only Spanish-language podcast distributed by NPR, reaching millions of listeners across the world with its unique brand of Spanish-language audio storytelling. How did Radio Ambulante turn its award-winning journalism into a community of listeners and a sustainable business? Carolina will tell the remarkable story of this project from its humble beginnings, selling cupcakes to raise money to buy microphones, to its present-day success at the forefront of media innovation.

The increasing politicisation of the Polish State Radio Service has lead many journalists to go independent and to crowdfund their own projects. COVID-19 has also contributed to the rapid expansion of audio in the Polish media. Barbara will share with us why audio has become so popular in Poland due to these circumstances.

Three years ago, David led a team at SME.sk into podcasting when the term was unknown in Slovakia. More than 20% of the population is currently listening to podcasts in the country. The daily news podcast started by the team at SME.sk kickstarted a podcast revolution and has a core audience of roughly 30-thousand daily listeners. David will share lessons learned and explain how podcasts can drive memberships, subscriptions, and overall audience loyalty.

1. From recording to publishing: the app for podcasting

The Hindenburg DAW is an audio editor designed for audio storytellers. If you have never seen it before, join Nick’s workshop to get an introduction to the thought process behind it and the features that make it so special for audio journalists. If you already are a Hindenburg user, then you are welcome to show your work and ask questions during the Q&A.

2. Pourquoi miser sur le podcast lorsque l’on est un journal de presse écrite?/ Why do newspapers bet on podcasts? (in French)

En théorie: la voix contre la plume, deux approches différentes de l’actualité. De plus en plus de journaux se lancent dans l’aventure du podcast, dans le sillage de The Daily du New York Times. En France, le journal Les Echos a lancé il y a près d’un an et demi « LaStory », un podcast quotidien l‘actualité, avec l’objectif d’en faire une référence en France. Pierrick Fay, journalist web aux Echos, nous expliquera les coulisses de la création d’un podcast par un quotidien d’actualité.

Audio and writing are often seen as separate worlds and different approaches when it comes to covering news. But more and more newspapers are launching podcasts, in the wake of “The Daily” by The New York Times.
Pierrick Fay, a web journalist with Les Echos, will share some of the secrets behind the creation of "LaStory", the news podcast launched by Les Echos about a year and a half ago, with the goal of becoming a reference in France.

3. "Eine Runde Berlin“ – Stadtpodcast statt Studio/ A local news podcast to take you around town (in German)

Die meisten Podcasts werden im Studio aufgenommen. Aber ist es nicht spannender, sich an einen Ort zu begeben, der Überraschungen zulässt? Genau darin besteht die Grundidee von „Eine Runde Berlin“. Ann-Kathrin Hipp vom „Tagesspiegel Checkpoint“ interviewt Nachbarn und Promis in der Berliner Ringbahn, dem städtischen Mikrokosmos auf Schienen. Im Workshop soll es darum gehen, eigene Podcastkonzepte für eine lokale Zuhörerschaft zu entwickeln und über die gängigen Aufnahmeorte hinauszudenken. Er eignet sich insbesondere für JournalistInnen, die in einem nicht-audioaffinen Umfeld arbeiten und erstmals ein Podcast-Format starten wollen.

The Tagesspiegel “Eine Runde Berlin” (Around Berlin) is a podcast made outside the studio, it is done on the streets, following Berliners as they go about life in the city. Anna-Kathrin jumps on the Berlin Ringbahn to interview neighbours and celebrities against the backdrop and sounds that every Berliner recognises. Anna will share this trip with us too, showing us how to develop our own podcast concept for a local audience. It is particularly suitable for journalists who work in a non-audio-related environment and want to start a podcast format for the first time.