Golden Globes enter the world of podcasts and tread carefully, avoiding controversy

NEW YORK AP The Golden Globes this year introduced a best podcast category and predictably the nominees informed Monday will get people talking The six nominees for the inaugural best podcast award are Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Call Her Daddy Good Hang with Amy Poehler The Mel Robbins Podcast SmartLess and Up First from NPR Representing a mix of news advice and celebrity interviews they were drawn from a shortlist of programs the Globes had previously deemed eligible The nominations avoided politics or dispute by passing on popular podcasts from the shortlist such as conservative-leaning programs The Megyn Kelly Show The Tucker Carlson Show The Ben Shapiro Show Candace Owen s Candace and the greater part notably The Joe Rogan Experience which topped Spotify Apple and YouTube s list of weekly podcast charts this year The left-leaning Pod Save America also was snubbed as were popular true crime podcasts like Morbid and Rotten Mango Ben Bogardus a professor and chair of the journalism department at Quinnipiac University noted it seemed that the Globes voting body after years of outrage for the beleaguered awards show needed to avoid any conflict like inviting a podcast host who might show up and say something contentious They re trying to bill themselves as an award show that is for the masses and non-controversial celebrating the best in entertainment Having this political sideshow I think they just craved to avoid that he explained Reaction to the apparent snubbing of politics-related podcasts early Monday was light with a handful of X users weighing in with criticism that high-ranking programs from personalities like Rogan and manosphere podcaster Theo Von had been left off the final cut There was no direct reaction from the hosts themselves Shapiro had launched an all-out Golden Globes publicity campaign for his decade-old podcast on which he s spoken with the likes of U S Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the past year In addition to making the rounds with industry publications Shapiro also secured massive billboard space in New York City s Times Square The probable candidates including The New York Times The Daily and Barstool Sports Pardon My Take mostly matched up with the the majority listened-to shows If that s how you want to pick your best podcast that s certainly one starting point and one way to do it says Karl Hughes a -year podcasting veteran who is CEO of The Podcast Consultant I think it leaves a lot of stuff out It leaves a lot of nuance out Eligible podcasts must have original content and must have circulated at least six episodes between Jan and Sept with each episode having a minimum length of minutes The award which will be handed out at the Nikki Glaser-hosted show Jan recognizes the quality creativity audience engagement and impact of the podcast per the Globes Multiple podcast experts were left scratching their heads since the Globes didn t use any categories for its long list and was a bit murky about what constituted a best podcast Quality of production Consistency The stories being recounted Raw numbers It s a good thing for the industry to get more recognition and getting recognition in a major award ceremony is awesome Hughes says I think that s cool to see But the way it s done of curriculum is a very blunt instrument Conflict almost at once ensued after the initial announcement when it was revealed that Luminate Information an entertainment tracking and analytics company would create the shortlist Luminate belongs to Penske Media Corp which owns the Globes Then there s the accompanying costs associated with traditional ad campaigns for the award in the pages of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter also owned by Penske The company did not at once respond to requests for comment While more digital-friendly awards shows like the Webby Awards the Ambies iHeartRadio and The Shorty Awards recognize podcasting the Globes move marks the first time podcasts have been included by a major awards show Hughes says that s a natural step as podcasting matures and starts attracting more corporate dollars He hopes the Globes spotlight will make podcasting accessible to more people It ll open up the door for more individuals and businesses that want to use the medium to tell intriguing stories because it s got a little more respect a little more gravitas a little more mainstream appeal he stated Bogardus marveled at how the podcasting industry has grown up in the past years moving beyond its origins in radio and giving hosts freedom that content creators in other media don t have Going into an award show now really shows that it has come into its own as a type of communication that people consume which can be on par with television with radio with streaming with internet videos with social media Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard in Columbia South Carolina contributed to this document For more coverage of the Golden Globe Awards visit https 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