Bert Weiss, the syndicated morning host based out of Atlanta, has come out with a new book “Listenable” to help podcasters who are seeking to draw more listeners.
Weiss runs a podcasting network Pionaire as well as a morning show heard on more than 20 markets nationwide.
“I am not an expert in podcasting,” he said at a book launch party last week at The Stave Room in Atlanta. “If you ask me what the best mic is for podcasting, I’d put you on hold and Google what the best mic is for podcasting.”
But Weiss, who has lead the Bert Show for two-plus decades targeting women with a heavy does of relationship talk, does have expertise in creating quality content and knowing how to build loyal listeners. The podcast version of the Bert Show now draws more than six million downloads a month.
“The truth is 75% of podcasts fail the first year because they don’t know about content and delivery,” Weiss aid. “I wrote ‘Listenable’ specifically for that. It is no different in podcasting than doing a morning show.”
“We’re in the connection business,” he added. “We have to get in and out. We have to understand our audience. We have to understand how to tell a story. We have to understand how to tease a story, when to move on to another subject. A lot of podcasts don’t have a clue how to do that.”
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Credit: GREAT POINT STUDIOS
Credit: GREAT POINT STUDIOS
Great Point Studios officially confirmed previous news that Lionsgate will be the primary tenant for its new Douglasville film and TV studios.
Great Point also gave Lionsgate naming rights so the new studio will be called Lionsgate Studios Atlanta.
Lionsgate, which owns the “John Wick” and “Hunger Games” franchises, already has a studio with Great Point in Yonkers, New York, and another one forthcoming in Newark, New Jersey.
Robert Halmi, chairman and co-founder of Great Point, said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that if Lionsgate isn’t using all the space at one time, it will be leased to other production companies.
“Georgia is a very important market,” he said. “We want to be where the product is being made. It took awhile but we’re finally here. Atlanta has the newest sound stages, great crew and a great tax credit.”
The Douglasville studio will include 12 large sound stages, office and support space, a back lot and parking for 400 cars and 100 trucks, according to a press release.
“It’s a market where 40% of the sound stages now are actually repurposed warehouse space,” Halmi said. “We believe that even if production were to slow down, the people who have purpose-built brand new stages with state-of-the-art technology will have an advantage over the other stages.”
And while there are murmurings of a possible strike by writers seeking more money that could temporarily shut down production, his studio isn’t open until later in the year. The first five stages will open before the end of the year, he said, with the other seven opening in 2024.
The 40-acre studio space is estimated to cost $200 million to build, funded by Great Point Studios and its institutional partner, an affiliate of Lindsay Goldberg, a private investment firm.
The studio, off Fairburn Road and I-20, is about 16 miles from downtown Atlanta and a 25-minute drive to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with no traffic.
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Credit: GPB
Credit: GPB
Veteran radio host and producer Jeremy Powell has started a new music podcast for Georgia Public Broadcasting called Peach Jam.
He highlights musicians from different genres from all over the state. Americana, punk, jam bands and rap are represented. The interviews and music were recorded at GPB studios in Midtown.
The first one that came out last week features indie rock musician Lauren Morrow.
Powell, who was known as “Fat Kid” on other radio stations, has previously worked at 99X, Dave FM, B98.5. and Kicks 101.5
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