5 Podcasts That Go Beyond The Headlines

Podcasts for when you want to take a deeper look at the stories passing through the news cycle. 

The news cycle can get a bit overwhelming. Brexit, Trump, we’re destroying the planet and then Brexit and Trump again, just in case we forgot about them…

It’s a lot to take in - and no-one can blame you if you just want to switch off sometimes. There is a way to get around it, though. Podcasts that keep you in the know and do so in an entertaining, and often deeper, way.

Here are five that I love and would recommend to anyone. Some of them talk about current events and others go back and dissect things that have already happened. They all have one thing in common – they go beyond the headlines and give you a lot more of the detail and backstory that you’d never get in traditional news.

1. Undone

This 7-episode series by Gimlet went back through big events and headlines in history and looked at what really happened beyond what was reported at the time. While the stories are US-centric, all of them are fascinating no matter where you’re from.

2. Slow Burn

This show from Slate is a serialised political documentary. It is gripping in a way that makes you want to instantly go into politics and be part of all the shady goings on (or maybe that’s just me... ). So far, it has only focused on American politics but there are big events that you will definitely want to find out more about. Season 1 went deep into Watergate and the second talks all about Bill Clinton’s sexual misconduct scandals. Yes, that’s scandals plural.

 3. This American Life – ep. 669 ‘Scrambling to get off the ice’

This American Life have always produced political stories, but in recent years, in the hands of producer Zoe Chace, their political reporting has reached a new level. She has inside access to many Republicans and Democrats and she is able to pull back the curtain on dull backroom processes and machinations in a way that makes them actually interesting - and funny. Episode 669 features, amongst other stories, one about the Democrats’ newfound political power and how they’re learning to use it again.

4. Criminal – Hostage

There are so many true crime podcasts - too many some might say. Criminal is different, though. The stories focus on the human aspect and are never sensationalised. The show doesn’t linger on the obvious and goes a step further to explore new and surprising sides to the stories. The episode ‘Hostage’ does that with the crime that inspired the term ‘Stockholm syndrome’ and features the people who were actually people involved.

5. Today in Focus

What The Guardian’s daily news podcast does so well is that it doesn’t give you the daily news – you can read the newspaper for that. Today in Focus dissects two topics each day that you may have missed or which need a closer look. Through its sound design and Anushka Asthana’s great voice and style, you find yourselves being interested in stories you’d never choose to read in the newspaper.

…Oh, and one more. If you’re a fan of these shows, we would love to hear what you think of Undiscovered - our podcast which tells stories that haven’t received much attention in mainstream news (but that definitely deserved it). In season one, we did a deep dive into the human experiments conducted by the Japanese army in WW2, explored all sides of the assisted dying debate and more. Give it a listen!

Benched - Liam Davis on Homosexuality and Football

Football had silently ignored homosexuality - and homophobia - for decades. Then in 1990, Justin Fashanu came out. But after facing years of abuse on and off the pitch, Fashanu committed suicide in 1998.

After that, there was silence again until 2013 when, then Leeds United player, Robbie Rogers, came out as gay and retired from professional football. Robbie’s coming out started an international discussion about the toxic environment football has created for gay players.

After him, two more footballers who played in England came out. In January 2014, the former Aston Villa, West Ham and Everton player, Thomas Hitzlsperger, came out in an interview shortly after he retired from the professional game. Shortly afterward, Liam Davis, a semi-professional for Cleethorpes Town FC, was outed by his local newspaper based on a series of supportive tweets he sent about Hitzlsperger.

With the media storm that surrounded these men - teams, fans and other players were presented with an opportunity to reckon with the reality of gay players and address homophobic culture on the pitch and in the stands. However, it’s been five years since, and no other male players in England have come out, and the conversation that Justin Fashanu and Robbie Rogers has started faded away once again.

Today on Benched, we will reopen that conversation with our guest, Liam Davis, who was for a time England’s only active out player. He is interviewed by guest host and queer journalist Jasmine Andersson. Listen now.

Pods are Powerful: Why Your Company Needs a Branded Podcasts

If you’re on the go, listen to an audio version of the article here:

In our oversubscribed, over-saturated, on-demand world, getting peoples’ attention has never been more challenging.

As the cut through of written content has declined, brands have increasingly turned to video. Video is great, however it is limited in scope, reach and can prove to be quite costly. For these reasons - and others we will explore - we’re seeing more brands embrace podcasts. And, thanks in part to the wider podcasting boom, there is a growing listening audience ready and waiting to embrace their content.

Increasingly, brands are recognising the value of professionally produced, editorial-style podcasts - using them as effective marketing mechanisms to enrich their brand and build their audiences, sophisticated sales tools for high value customers, or as beguiling instruments for employee engagement.

Since 2016, market giants such as eBay, Mastercard, McDonalds, MailChimp, General Electric and Netflix have all invested in producing their own podcasts. They have grown significant listenership, and reached the top of the podcast charts by blurring the lines between editorial and advertorial. Dell Technologies podcast, Trailblazers with Walter Isaacson, reached 1 million downloads in six months, with 50,000 subscribers awaiting new episodes.

Why branded podcasts work

In our engagement economy, it’s not hard to see why brands are turning to podcasts. 80% of all podcast episodes are listened to in their entirety, which is arguably the best consumption rate of any digital medium.

Additionally, research from Acast shows 76% of UK listeners have followed up on an ad or sponsor’s message that they heard on a podcast. These extraordinary rates of engagement speak to the intimate quality of audio content - where you have an unprecedented opportunity to speak directly and personally to an attentive, curious audience.

With 18.7% of young adults listening to podcasts on a weekly basis, there is also a unique opportunity for brands to tap into the cultural zeitgeist. The most successful shows aren’t vintage content marketing repackaged as an MP3 - they are editorial, human-centered stories that give intimate insight into your brand. As the Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations at McDonald’s put it “If you want to be a beloved brand, you need to start with what people love.”

Put simply, podcasting is a golden opportunity for brands to convene and take ownership of the most interesting stories and conversations happening in their industry.

McDonald’s cashed in on a pop culture phenomenon, fuelling the cult following of their discontinued Szechuan sauce - all told through true-crime style reporting. eBay told stories that appealed to small businesses, and in so doing made this target audience aware of a whole range of business tools that they offered. Meanwhile, General Electric went completely off-piste and made a fictional science-fiction podcast which happens to be one of the most successful branded podcasts ever, with more than 8 million downloads since its release.

The impact of podcasts for ‘I Can Be’

By adopting a conversational style, cutting out corporate-speak and opting for content that starts conversations rather than push-sells in an overt manner, you can get your message across to a targeted audience which is ready and willing to listen.

At Message Heard, we’ve worked with clients to deliver advertorial content for brands like Jungle Creations and I Can Be, an educational charity. Lamorna Byford, Project Director at I Can Be, shares the value of podcasts as a marketing tool: ‘The podcast brings to life the ethos of I Can Be in that it shows the energy and enthusiasm that each of our sessions have. It can be hard to communicate that in a photo or an email.

This is the first of a three part series on The Power of Pods. Keep an eye out for our next post about the most common audio content mistakes that companies make (other than not having a podcast at all!) - and three different forms of engagement that podcasting can drive.

If you’re interested in learning more we are also hosting an event in London, sign up here.

Benched - Kelly Naqi on the legend of Ali Dia

This week on Benched, we dig into what’s been called the biggest scam in British Premier League’s history - the swift rise, and even swifter fall, of Ali Dia.

The popular legend goes a bit like this: in 1996, Southampton’s manager, Graeme Souness, received a phone call from someone claiming to be footballing superstar George Weah recommending the signing of his cousin, Ali Dia.

After being subbed in on a game against Leeds, Dia lived out the fantasy of millions by playing Premiership football, albeit not very well, for 43 minutes - before vanishing for decades.

In today’s episode of Benched, guest host Robbie Knox (Soccer AM) gets the story from Kelly Naqi, the journalist responsible for finally tracking Dia down twenty years after his Southampton debut (...and farewell).

Naqi is quick to point out it’s still not clear if this infamous, chant-inspiring event was a scam - or something much more innocent. She details how she finally found him due to an investigation that took her all the way to Sudan, only to end up back in London. Listen to the whole episode here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey There, Sports Fans?

9 of the Best *Sport-Adjacent* Podcasts

I love anything to do with American Football. Except watching actual American Football.

Friday Night Lights, Remember The Titans, Varsity Blues, Friday Night Lights, The Blindside, The Longest Yard, Friday Night Lights, Last Chance U  -  I can't get enough.

But, how many games have I actually sat through? Well…

You simply don't have to be a fan of the sport to be captured by the magic of it. In my case, the passion, the emotion, the way the game reflects and refracts the wider culture captured my imagination in a way I have never been able to shake.

So naturally, when I started listening to podcasts - I started looking for these types of *sport-adjacent* human-interest stories.

Whilst, there are a lot of podcasts out there for fans - for people who want to obsess over stats and rehash the latest fixture - those that focus on the human stories are harder to come by.

Screw the superstars - I want to hear about the underdogs, grafters and chancers. If that's what you're about too, here are 11 of my favourites:

1. Gladiator

An intimate investigation that goes beyond true crime tropes to comment on the systemic problems ingrained, from high-school to professional level, in the business and culture of American Football.

Football star Aaron Hernandez went from the bright lights of the Super Bowl to a convicted murderer in a few years. The Boston Globe's Spotlight Team, best known for its investigation of the sexual abuse scandal inside the Catholic Church, takes a hard look at the crisis facing football through the lens of Aaron Hernandez's life and terrible crimes.Did a brain badly damaged by football contribute to Hernandez's violent behavior?

2. 30 for 30  —  Bikram 

A six-part investigation into the culty figure behind an internationally popular yoga movement. Think Wild Wild Country but with more stretching.

In the early 1970s, a young Indian yogi named Bikram Choudhury used his Hollywood connections to launch a hot yoga empire. America's fitness obsession brought the Speedo-clad and Rolex-wearing guru wealth and fame. But the success of his yoga revolution allowed him to hide increasingly dark behavior.

3. The Season

You can't help get behind the underdogs, a college team on a 21-game losing streak, in this fly on the wall documentary from 2015.

The Season is a new weekly podcast from WNYC that will follow Columbia University's football team, the Lions, over their ten-game season. It's been two years since the Lions had a win. That's a 21-game losing streak.

4. Backstory  — Turf War

The American History Guys take us back through the origin and growth of College Sports. A very pertinent listen in the wake of the latest admissions scandal.

On this episode, Brian, Peter, and Ed unpack the origins of college sports and the ways universities originally justified athletics on campus. From the first collegiate PHYS ED program at Amherst College to the little-known story about the integration of the University of Alabama's football team - the hosts discover why college sports even exist in the first place.Learn more about your ad choices.

5. Against The Rules — Ref, You Suck!

Micheal Lewis (Moneyball, The Blind Side) kicks off a season-long exploration into the decline of referees in American life by taking listeners backstage at the American Basketball League replay center.

Rage at referees is all the rage in professional sports. Michael Lewis visits a replay center that's trying to do the impossible: adjudicate fairness.

6. On The Shoulders of Giants  —  Throughline

Another historical take, but this time using past examples of protest by black sportspeople as context by which to see the current activism of NFL players like Colin Kaepernick.

When Colin Kaepernick stopped standing for the national anthem at NFL games it sparked a nationwide conversation about patriotism and police brutality. Black athletes using their platform to protest injustice has long been a tradition in American history.

7. Desert Island Discs  —  David Beckham

A British footballing legend relives some of his greatest sporting moments, and shows us his softer side, in the 75th-anniversary edition of this BBC radio staple.

David Beckham is Kirsty Young's guest as Desert Island Discs celebrates its 75th Anniversary. As a professional footballer he's the only Englishman to win the league titles in England, Spain, the US and France.

8. This American Life  —  Those Who Can't Play

This short piece, only 6 minutes long, tells the story of an announcer who can bring audiences to tears with his commentary of football games. The twist: he's making the games up.

Listen here

9. Radiolab  —  American Football

A look at American football past and future. The conflict many Americans feel about reconciling their love of the game with its increasingly well evidenced health risks is captured perfectly by a football fanatic mother and her no-so-interested son.

Any more recommendations? Let me know, I'm always on the hunt for new listens - emily@messageheard.com

P.S. A quiet plug for our own sort-of-sports show, Benched. If you're a fan of the shows above - we’d love to know what you think 💖

Benched - Kwame Acheampong is the Snow Leopard

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong had a dream: to the Winter Olympics to compete with the world’s best skiers. But in order to get there, he had to become one of the world’s best skiers himself.

As a Ghanaian, he was underestimated at every step and regarded more as a curiosity than someone with a serious chance at Olympic success. He learned to ski at an artificial slope in Milton Keynes on a dare and from then on his journey didn’t get any less unusual.

In order to qualify for the Olympics, he had to be part of Ghana’s ski federation but the problem was that there wasn’t one. So he created it himself. He needed sponsorships so that he could afford to train in the years leading up to the Games. So he walked into EasyJet’s headquarters, asked for one and got three years of unlimited flying across their network (with no luggage limits). This is how he got things done.

This determination of his is what gained him worldwide attention and made him famous as the Snow Leopard. This determination is what eventually got him to the Olympics. And now, years later, he is putting all his energy into skiing once again. His goal is to make Ghana a skiing country and to make everyone at home fall in love with winter sports. In the meantime, he is also training the next generation of snow leopards for the next Winter Olympics.

This week on Benched, Kwame Acheampong sits down to talk to Carl Anka, a sportswriter and broadcaster, about his journey. Listen to the latest episode to hear how Kwame achieved his dream through hard work, support from the people around him and, most importantly, his never waning belief that he could do it.

Benched - Johnny Greaves is Boxings Biggest Loser

Boxer Johnny Greaves fought 100 professional fights throughout his career and lost 96 of them – and he’s proud of it.

As a journeyman, Johnny was essentially an opponent for hire. Promoters would pay him - generously - to fight their upcoming prize fighters helping them cut their teeth on the circuit, build their confidence and get some wins under their belt. “No one told you to lose as such,” Johnny told us, “but your just a cog in the wheel for these home fighters building their record.”

“For every winner, there’s got to be a loser - and I was that loser. But I got paid pretty well for it.”

— Johnny Greaves

It’s also not in the interest of journeymen to win their matches. It deters promotors booking you, and in some cases can cause you to lose gigs you’ve already got in the diary. As a journeyman, Johnny took home over £1000 a fight compared to many boxers who struggled to break even from box office takings.

However, whilst occupying the so-called away corner came with its benefits - like higher pay - it also took its toll physically and mentally. In this week’s episode of Benched, Johnny gives boxing expert and sports writer, Mark Turley, a no-holds-barred account of his time in the ring. Listen to his story here.

Want to find out more about British boxing and the journeyman tradition? This weeks guest host, Mark Turley, wrote about in this Telegraph article and his book Journeyman.

Benched - Eric Murangwa Was Saved By The Beautiful Game

Football saved Eric Murangwa’s life. And, not in a metaphorical way. His success as a goalkeeper for Rayon Sport, one of Rwanda’s biggest teams, was all that stopped someone ready to kill him.  

In 1994, the president's airplane was shot down setting in motion a brutal genocide that lasted over 100 days. As part of the Tutsi minority targetted by the militias, Eric’s life was at risk.

Eric with Rayon Sport in 1992

When his house was raided, a soldier brandishing a machete noticed photographs of Eric is his kit surrounded by his teammates. The soldier realised Eric was, in fact, the young Rayon Sport goalkeeper who had been fondly nicknamed Toto. This was enough for him to spare his life - but Eric was not out of danger yet.

Relying on the help of his Hutu teammates, Eric was moved from place to place - even spending time in the notorious ‘Hotel Rwanda’ before finding relative safety with help from the UN.

In this episode, Eric is interviewed by fellow goalkeeper, coach and sports journalist David Preece.

Listen to the full episode now to hear more about Eric’s incredible journey, his unwavering love of the game and how he’s now using football to help young Rwandans recover and reconcile with his foundation, Football for Hope, Peace and Unity.

Undiscovered - The Right To Die?

Dying with dignity or playing god? Despite drawing a broad coalition of support on religious, medical and moral grounds, the question of legalising assisted dying in the UK remains unanswered. In this episode of Undiscovered, we meet people immersed in both sides of the debate - as well as someone for whom it is not a political concern, but a personal and immediate consideration.

This episode focuses on the specific debate around assisted dying. In a key distinction made by many campaigners, assisted dying applies to terminally ill people only, unlike the broader eligibility sought out for euthanasia or assisted suicide.

For those who support assisted dying, such as Barbara Coombs Lees, who helped legalise the practice in the US, and Ellie Ball, a campaigns officer at Dignity in Dying UK, this differentiation emphasises the empathy and compassion in helping someone already at the end of their lives, to end it without suffering.

However, those on the other side of the debate think the reframing of the issue is obscuring the mortal moral? reality of the act. In this episode, we hear from Phil Friend, from Not Dead Yet UK, who highlights what he believes are the risks for more vulnerable groups, such as the disabled community, who stand to be victimised by these laws.

For Patrick Wymer, the language used is less important. Since he was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in 2017, he’s thought deeply about the possibility of seeking an assisted death. He offers us perhaps the most balanced, human insight into what remains a deeply complicated debate.

Listen now to hear all sides of the story.

Undiscovered - The Art of The Heist

Cat burglars, priceless jewels, elaborate heists. Thanks in a large part to Hollywood, art crime has a glamorous, even benign, reputation. But the reality is, it can actually have deep, dark links to other forms of organised crime. Noah Charney, Art Historian and author, referenced Isis, who looted and sold valuable antiquities to fund their terrorist activities, as an example.

This week's episode of Undiscovered asks: can such shadowy motives be tied to a spate of heists targeting Chinese art? Or, is there another explanation hiding in plain sight?

Starting in 2010, the robberies have targeted high-end collections across Europe ranging from the Swedish Royal Residency to The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. In each case, Chinese art was specifically targeted, even when other valuable pieces were nearby. Even stranger, much of the stolen art has been tied specifically to Beijing’s Old Summer Palace which was looted in 1860 by British and French troops.

In China, the events of 1860 have become a national scar. It’s one of the key events, along with other attempts by powers to colonise and plunder their land, that makes up what they call the ‘Century of Humiliation’ (1840-1849). The Old Summer Palace, which has been preserved in it’s ransacked state, remains a public and potent symbol of both past indignity but also the immense progress made since Second World War.

“Two robbers breaking into a museum, devastating, looting and burning, leaving laughing hand-in-hand with their bags full of treasures; one of the robbers is called France and the other Britain.”

Victor Hugo, On the looting of the Old Summer Palace

In contrast to that time, China now wields awesome financial and geopolitical power - it’s is home to more billionaires than any other country. This has had an impact on the rising interest in repatriating Chinese art by purchasing it from foreign collections. In this episode, we hear how people like Liu Yang of the Yuanmingyuan Institute ("Yuanmingyuan" is the Chinese name of the Old Summer Palace) are trying to return these pieces to China legitimately; unpick the economic, cultural and ideological factors which muddy the water around these heists as well as and how they interplay with a larger debate around repatriation.

Listen to the episode here.