Your story begins here
Lance Anderson
Dean Whitbread
Our story began about six years ago…
The History of Podcasting Project began in 2018 when producers from podcasting’s early days were inspired to construct an accurate historical timeline, collating evidence, artefacts and first-hand testimony, and generating the architecture of what is to become the definitive volume (book, website) on the History of Podcasting, dating from early 2000s to the present day.
The project gathered impetus when podcasters noticed that this part of modern media history was being casually and regularly re-written by people who possibly didn’t know better, and who certainly weren’t bothering to fact-check. We considered that providing an accurate, scrupulously verified resource with events ordered sequentially would possibly improve the situation. We wanted to put the record straight and provide truth in an era where truth is imperilled.
As we continued with the task over two years, we realised that we were not just sorting through historic material submitted from around the world. History of Podcasting has become something more than just a reference book – it is a fascinating web of human stories, backed by an in-depth archive of artefacts. This is much more interesting than we first imagined, telling stories of how many lives were changed, of how podcasting refused to die, and why it still remains independent.
NEWS, February 26 2025: We are now in the business of recruiting in USA and UK. If you are interested in joining an intelligent international team, email the address which is displayed on the video from the start.
Podcasting is the original internet media disruptor. In the early days most podcasts were made by untrained enthusiasts without media experience and often with distinctly regional accents, the like of which you rarely heard on TV or radio. Now, 500+ million people listen to podcasts (Statista) and yet few know of its true origins. To begin with, podcasting was a democratising, liberating force, mostly curated by independent podcasters, who were free to play with the format(s) as they chose. Pre- ‘social media’ (as it became) podcasts were the place where views and non-standard opinions were freely expressed.
What we now have is an exact timeline of what happened, fact-checked, with first-hand testimonies from podcasters who were in at the beginning. The book is an illustrated narrative of the birth of podcasting, showing how early podcast pioneers established the podcast form, created brand new audiences, and how podcasts entered the mainstream.
Alongside academic historical analysis, the History of Podcasting book will have detail and variety, and contain human stories of invention, competition, struggle, and triumph. These are a compelling part of the what is now being written, turning a rigorous academic volume into an excellent read. One more thing: the History of Podcasting will exist on many platforms, not just on paper, on video, or in audio. So be prepared to take part in classics alongside contemporary innovations…
See you soon,
Lance and Dean
