How audience insights can guide your podcast planning

The backstage technical wizardry that brings your podcast to your ear

How to talk about politics – and entertain as well

Eli Sessions talks to Louise Kattenhorn, commissioning executive for the BBC pop hub network, Lloyd Shepherd, Head of Product at BBC Sounds, and Emmanuella Kwenorty, who develops podcasts for BBC Sounds. Where do they think the world of podcasts is heading, and how is technology changing the way we listen?

In this episode Eli Sessions finds out how to keep conversations natural, with Hannah Hufford, producer of No Country for Young Women, and Sally Heaven, who produces Evil Genius.

In this episode Eli Sessions looks at those beautifully crafted podcasts that tell dramatic stories in depth. He speaks to Rami Tzaber, the editor behind 13 Minutes to the Moon – which told the story of the moon landing in intimate detail – and the commissioner who made it happen, Jon Manel, the BBC World Service’s commissioning editor for podcasts.

In the first of a five-part series on podcasting, Miranda explains: - what makes podcasts distinct from radio programmes - how the role of the presenter is different from that on radio - the typical situation of the listener – on a commute, listening through headphones - how to create a different relationship between listener and programme-maker

In part two of our podcasting series, hear from Jason Phipps, commissioning editor for podcasts at the BBC, and Louise Kattenhorn, commissioning editor for BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra.

Georgia Catt is a producer in BBC radio documentaries, who has made an award-winning podcast, Missing, for the Untold series. She also produced Fortunately with Fi Glover and Jane Garvey. Emma Conneely is a producer in the BBC’s podcast team, responsible for getting podcasts published and promoted. Georgia says that although she hates poor sound quality on a podcast, you can still get a good recording using a smartphone – but be aware of the kinds of background sounds you could pick up that can be annoying for the listener.

Promoting a podcast can mean anything from creating an audiogram – a clip from the podcast to promote on social media - to making other digital assets such as quizzes or articles to place online and draw attention to the podcast. According to Rhian, promotion at the start of other podcasts “really delivers figures”. But it depends on “generosity” between podcast producers who are willing to help each other with cross-promotions. There’s also the possibility of a podcast takeover – which is when a podcast feed directs listeners to a different podcast for a short time. The presenters of a podcast are also an asset when it comes to promotion. Their social media presence and appearance on other media can raise awareness and drive audiences.

This episode of the Podcastology series includes a discussion about You, Me and the Big C. We recorded it before the death of Rachael Bland. Although the first podcast featured in this episode is about sports – but ranges much wider than that – and the second is about cancer, for Mike, what unites the two ideas is that the relationship between the presenters is the key. With Andrew Flintoff and his co-presenters Robbie Savage and Matthew Syed, Mike said he was confident about the project as soon as the three first talked together: “We sat outside a studio and within less than five minutes, I knew this was going to be amazing.” The three presenters of the cancer podcast, Rachael Bland, Deborah James and Lauren Mahon, knew each other online before the podcast, but had never actually met in person until they recorded together. When it comes to duration Mike is unapologetic about publishing podcasts that last an hour or more: “If the content’s good, why do you want to cut it down?” he explains.

What production kit should you take when producing radio content in the field? Join BBC Academy trainer Sam Upton and newsgathering field producer Tom Quinn as they talk about what sort of equipment you need for radio production in the field. In this podcast you’ll find everything from: - what type of kit bag to use - which digital recorder and microphones works best - which apps and audio editing software you need - which cables, batteries and extra kit will be handy to take

This podcast discusses the main issues around working with children. In it, two BBC experts offer their experience from a wide range of productions and projects. Margaret Burgin, a former BBC news journalist, is the training manager at the BBC Academy responsible for outreach to schools. Catherine McAllister is head of Safeguarding and Child Protection in the BBC Children’s department with special responsibility across the BBC for online issues to do with children. If you're BBC staff and have completed the BBC Academy’s Working with Children course this podcast will act as a refresher and help you reinforce what you’ve learnt. In the podcast, you’ll learn about: - The difference between child protection and safeguarding - The BBC’s Code of Conduct for working with children - When you need DBS and PVG checks - The requirement for licencing - The use of chaperones on productions - Risk assessments for working with children - How to find help and advice in the BBC - When you must refer up or inform a member of the Children Advisor Network BBC Staff can access the Working with Children course and further training resources on the BBC Academy website.

BBC Three's new comedy Man Like Mobeen has made a big impact through social media. BBC Birmingham director Joe Godwin spoke to executive producer Ben Cavey, as well as star and co-writer Guz Khan, to find out about the making of the programme. Man Like Mobeen is set in Small Heath, Birmingham. The production team felt it was important to film in, and cast from, the local community to give the show an authentic feel. The programme set out to tackle negative media representations and give a voice to an often under-represented community. The four-part series tackles a number of challenging issues, such as clashes between the Muslim community and the alt-right. These themes clearly suit BBC Three's core ambitions: make you think, make you laugh, give you a voice. In this podcast you'll learn: - how to develop a comedy character from scratch - about different ways to break into TV comedy production - why it's important for the media to reflect a diverse range of backgrounds and identities - how Guz used YouTube to build a comedy career whilst working as a humanities teacher in Coventry

The BBC Two drama The Boy with the Topknot was based on a true story. That made the jobs of its writer, producer and director all the more complicated as they worked with actors, commissioners and those who are represented on screen. The 90 minute film the Boy with the Topknot, shown on BBC Two, was eight years in the making. It was adapted from a memoir by the journalist Sathnam Sanghera about his upbringing in Wolverhampton and relations as an adult with his family. Jessica Dromgoole asked Sathnam Sanghera, the film’s producer Nisha Parti and its director Lynsey Miller about how the film was made and how their work was affected by its portraying living people – including Sathnan and his parents. The podcast presents highlights from a recent event at BBC Birmingham chaired by Jessica Dromgoole, a BBC drama editor.

It's been running continuously since 1951, comes in 12 and a half minute episodes and was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk". It's sandwiched between bursts of the unforgettable Barwick Green theme (dum de dum de dum de dum; dum de dum de dum dum). The Archers is a national institution. BBC Birmingham, where it's produced, recently held an Archers weekend, so that fans could find out more about the series. As part of it, at an event in the Archers recording studio, an audience heard from two actors, a writer and a producer on the series about their jobs and a wealth of interesting details about the how the series is made. This BBC Academy podcast presents highlights from the event, where you'll hear about - how the Archers is written - the invention of the character of Rob - how Lilian and Justin's bedroom scenes are recorded - how the child actor playing Henry never knew about the disturbing scene between Rob and Helen that he was part of Taking part were actors Sunny Ormonde and Simon Williams, writer Tim Stimpson and producer Kim Greengrass.

Daytime television was once thought of as the nursery slopes of a TV career. Today its complex formats and production requirements are seen by many as more challenging than peak-time programming. “You will learn more making a daytime show than any other.”– Rachel Innes-Lumsden Smaller teams, smaller budgets and tighter schedules mean there’s little room for error. That makes a daytime production team a well-oiled machine where everyone knows their job. Street Auction (above) and Dom on the Spot are two BBC One daytime series that were given the green light by commissioning editor Lindsay Bradbury. Alongside Lindsay in this week’s podcast are Julia Foot, series producer of Street Auction, and Rachel Innes-Lumsden, executive producer from the independent production company TwoFour which makes Dom on the Spot In this podcast you’ll learn: - the pros and cons of working on daytime programmes - the daytime TV production process - the relationship between commissioning editors and programme producers - the schedules for daytime productions Find out more about BBC Academy: Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

In an era where fake news is fashionable, data can help distinguish the facts from the fiction. But how do you interrogate a spreadsheet and hold the data to account? And how can journalists use data to find stories? The BBC has placed the "interrogation of data" at the heart of its annual plan for 2017/18 and subsequent three-year strategy. Around 12 new staff are being recruited, including data journalists, data scientists, developers, designers, a cartographer, and a first head of statistics who will start in August 2017. Data is clearly becoming an increasingly important storytelling tool. But is data journalism new? And is it a specialist skill or can anyone do it? In this podcast you will learn: - the skills you need to be a data journalist - what makes a good data story - if you need to know how to code or be good at maths to create stories - how 'scripting' can be useful when working with data - how long it takes to learn the spreadsheet skills you need to work on data stories - how quickly you can go from idea to publication "I really hope that sometime in the future we drop the term 'data journalism' because it's just journalism" – Helena Bengtsson Presenter Daniel Wainwright of the BBC England Data Unit is joined by BBC data journalism editor John Walton, Guardian data projects team editor Helena Bengtsson and Paul Bradshaw who leads the new MA in Data Journalism at Birmingham City University. Find out more about BBC Academy: Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

With more and more cyber-attacks in the headlines, including this year's NHS attack, BBC Information security specialist Andrea Walker and BBC News technology broadcast journalist Chris Foxx cut through the jargon to show you how to defend yourself against online threats. "We have to keep our information safe so we're not letting other people know where our children are, or our bank details, or where we're going on holiday."– Andrea Walker In this podcast you'll learn about: - the significance of cyber-security - the different types of online risks - spotting hazards - protecting your social media Find out more about BBC Academy: Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy

The BBC wants more women to apply for engineering jobs but the advice given at a recent BBC Design & Engineering event could be useful to everyone. In this podcast you’ll hear: - what it’s like to work at the BBC - tips on how to approach a job application - thoughts about changing career direction and goals - specific advice for women The question-and-answer session was chaired by Rebecca Salsbury, interim director of platform in BBC Design & Engineering. The panel included: - Frances McNamara executive product manager at iPlayer - Sareh Heidari, a software engineer in BBC News Products & Systems - Murray Fortescue, head of architecture and engineering for Audience Platform - Dave Walters, head of product, systems and services for BBC TV, Radio & Archives As Sareh Heidari said at the event, “almost pretty much whatever you’re interested in, there’s probably a role for you here at the BBC”. Find out more about BBC Academy: Website – www.bbc.co.uk/academy Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbcacademy Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbcacademy