National Public Radio published six of the top 15 podcasts ranked by U.S. monthly audience counts in August, according to industry analysis firm Podtrac.
“NPR News Now” was No. 2 on the list, beaten by the New York Times’ “The Daily” with Michael Barbarro. Daily news roundups show “Up First” was No. 3, while “Planet Money,” “Fresh Air” and “Hidden Brain” were among the others that charted.
“Nice White Parents,” a show about racism in the public education system that is produced by Serial Productions under its recent deal with the New York Times, was a new addition to the list and took spot No. 10. The New York Times’ deal with Serial could already be paying off — Podtrac reports that in August the Times’ total podcast audience grew 23%, the most growth of any publisher during that time.
The biggest change from the prior month’s rankings was TED’s “TED Talks Daily” podcast, which fell 6 spots to occupy the final position on the list.
Photo: Podtrac
Podtrac also ranks the top 20 podcast publishers by U.S. listeners. It found that the average U.S. audience for the top 10 podcast publishers was up 10% from last month — and up 15% annually from this time last year, a sign that podcasting is thriving even during the pandemic. Overall, global unique downloads and streams of podcasts are also up 43% compared to August 2019.
NPR was the top podcast publisher in August, with roughly 26.9 million U.S. listeners. iHeartRadio placed second with an estimated 26.2 million monthly listeners nationally, while the New York Times took No. 3 with 13.1 million tuned in.
10 Stars Who Just Need an Emmy to EGOT, From Elton John to Stephen Sondheim (Photos)
The EGOT -- an acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony -- is among the greatest and most elusive honors in entertainment. These stars are (or were) close to achieving it.
Elton John, composer and musician (1947-) Grammy: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group, "That's What Friends Are For" (1986); Best Instrumental Composition, "Basque" (1991); Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (1994); Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, "Candle in the Wind" (1997); Best Show Album, "Aida" (2000) Oscar: Best Original Son, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from "The Lion King" (1994) Tony: Best Score, "Aida" (2000)
Stephen Sondheim, composer and lyricist (1930-) Grammy: Best Show Album, "Company" (1970); Best Show Album, "A Little Night Music" (1973); Song of the Year, "Send in the Clowns" (1975); Best Show Album, "Sweeney Todd" (1979); Best Show Album, "Sunday in the Park With George" (1984); Best Cast Show Album, "Into the Woods" (1988); Best Show Album, "Passion" (1994); Oscar: Best Original Song, "Sooner Or Later (I Always Get My Man)" from "Dick Tracy" (1990) Tony: Best Musical, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," (1963); Best Score and Best Lyrics, "Company" (1971); Best Score, "Follies" (1972); Best Score, "A Little Night Music" (1973); Best Score, "Sweeney Todd" (1979); Best Score, "Into the Woods" (1988); Best Score, "Passion" (1994)
Joel Grey, actor (1932 - )
Grammy (2): Best Musical Theater Album, "Cabaret" (1968) and "Chicago" (1998)
Oscar: Supporting Actor, "Cabaret" (1972)
Tony: Featured Actor in a Musical, "Cabaret" (1967)
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Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, composers (both 1985 - ) Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album, "Dear Evan Hansen" (2018) Oscar: Best Original Song, "La La Land" (2017) Tony: Best Original Score, "Dear Evan Hansen" (2017)
Henry Fonda, actor (1905-82) Grammy: Best Spoken Word Album, "Great Documents" (1977) Oscar: Best Actor, "On Golden Pond" (1981) Tony: Best Actor, "Mister Roberts" (1948); Best Actor, "Clarence Darrow" (1975)
Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist and producer (1895-1960) Grammy: Best Original Cast Album, "The Sound of Music" (1960) Oscar: Best Original Song, "The Last Time I Saw Paris" from "Lady Be Good" (1941); "It Might As Well Be Spring" from "State Fair" (1945) Tony: Three awards for "South Pacific" (1950); Best Musical, "The King and I" (1952); Best Musical, "The Sound of Music" (1960)
Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist and writer (1918-86) Grammy: Best Original Cast Album, "On a Clear Day" (1965) Oscar: Best Original Screenplay, "An American in Paris" (1951); Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song, "Gigi" (1958) Tony: Best Musical, "My Fair Lady" (1957); Best Original Score, "Gigi" (1974)
Frank Loesser, composer (1910-69) Grammy: Best Cast Album, "How to Succeed..." (1961) Oscar: Best Song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from "Neptune's Daughter" (1949) Tony: Best Musical, "Guys and Dolls" (1951); Best Musical, "How to Succeed..." (1962)
Jule Styne, composer and songwriter (1905-94) Grammy: Best Cast Album, "Funny Girl" (1964) Oscar: Best Song, "Three Coins in the Fountain" (1954) Tony: Best Musical and Best Score, "Hallelujah Baby" (1968)
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A select group of entertainers can round out their trophy cases with a competitive win from the Television Academy
The EGOT -- an acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony -- is among the greatest and most elusive honors in entertainment. These stars are (or were) close to achieving it.
