It seems like a contradiction. By definition, the grace of the podcast is precisely not needing waves to be heard. Now they do. But they are not radio. They are the prestigious awards that I have the immense luck of having known well, thanks to having given and received them. The circle is already closed with the fact that this time they focus on the podcast, a wonderful Universe of creations that already reaches two million series and almost 90 million episodes. Of course there are many. But as María Jesús Espinosa de Los Monteros, General Director of Prisa Audio and leader of the podcastfera, sometimes says, there are also many books and songs, and no one complains. And like any self-respecting Universe, it is expanding. Every day tens of thousands sign up for the best-known platforms: Spotify, Podium, Podimo, Ivoox, Apple Podcast…
A good example of the fashionable phenomenon is the number of nominations submitted for the first Ondas Globales Podcast Awards. 888, from more than 15 countries. The task of the jury did not have to be easy. Let’s tour some of the winners.
Molo Cebrián, whom I met as a nice deejay from Los 40, put all his effort into making podcast listening serve as a weapon of personal improvement. He launched himself as a pioneer in Spanish for Spotify and now his efforts are rewarded. Well shot. His warm and warm voice, which you have also heard in countless television and radio commercials, makes chatting about the most inherent issues of being even entertaining. He has spent 221 weeks helping the staff relocate to this life we seem to have chosen.
In Chile it seems that the radar of these awards has discovered a new example of success almost like that of The Serial, but in Spanish. Case 63 successfully combines mystery, science fiction and a solid performance that is not at all histrionic. Its episodes of around a quarter of an hour are especially easy to listen to, especially for lovers of time-jump stories. It’s the most listened to fiction on Spotify in Latin America of all time for a reason. The production and the plot have been growing during its two seasons.
In the line of fiction podcasts, a national production that has also received its corresponding award has nothing to envy to the previous one. La Esfera, which shamelessly and intelligently uses the resources of the parent company of Podium Podcast, the TO BE. We can listen, among other things, to speakers from that network facilitating immersion in the story of an alien invasion, narrated with the sound design of one of the most skilled audio producers in this country: Teo Rodríguez. Since the time when he was a technician at the Anda ya alarm clock, more than 20 years ago, he has always been captivated by stories, sometimes of terror, that led to the depths of human nature. It is worth looking at the details.
I would give for an article for each winner, because each podcast is clearly a small world in this podcaster Universe, but if I have to make a quick review of the rest of the winners, the resounding success of Buenafuente and Berto with their radio invention “No one knows” is undeniable. Nothing”, which has undeniably swept this format.
And it is that a conversation is undoubtedly a winning resource in this type of content, which is normally heard with headphones, and at times when you do not have to be aware of other things. In that sense, the Ondas Globales Podcast Awards have highlighted an Argentine conversation, no less. Big voices, the most irreverent themes, and some slang that will cost the Spanish a bit. We are talking about a product made in a country where it is traditionally spoken. The Raw. Great effort to get it to last just 35 minutes.
It is clear that the podcast is no longer the future. It is a well-supported present on firm foundations of growth. But if we want to go into the future, and take a look at what the podcast of the next decade may be, there has also been an award, due to its experimental nature, for something with one of those names that science fiction lovers will never forget: Solaris .
It is good that our most prestigious awards in the world of communication focus on highlighting the work of some. Too bad it can’t be done with the thousands of people who right now are setting aside time from their personal lives, from being with their family, or simply from leisure, to send their message to the world, whatever it may be. Most of them are unsustainable projects, which live off the goodwill and courage that the so-called “love of art” gives. Because, although the investment has increased enormously, for the podcast, money, there is little. And passion, which is what he lives on, a lot.
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