Ten Years of Amplifi & Podcasting’s Evolution
Ten years ago, I took a leap.
After decades in radio—working at companies like NBC and ABC, and co-founding and building Saga Communications from a handful of stations to over 100— I, along with our truly excellent team, navigated the waves of deregulation and witnessed the industry's contraction. Taking apart what you’ve built isn’t fun.
The future was calling, and it wasn’t linear. It was on demand.
In April 2014, I started Amplifi Media. At the time, podcasting was a curiosity, not an industry. It generated just $250 million in revenue, and public radio, particularly NPR, dominated the space. The audience was small but passionate, drawn to smart, well-crafted content.
Then, months later two pivotal events happened:
Apple made the Podcast app a default on iPhones (June 2014).
Serial debuted (October 2014) and proved a podcast could be a cultural phenomenon.
With that, the audio game had changed.
The Early Days
At Amplifi, we jumped in with forward-thinking clients who saw the potential early. We worked with Dave Ramsey’s team as The Ramsey Show became the first podcast to hit one billion downloads. We helped ABC News launch Start Here, now a staple of daily news listening.
I intentionally kept the business small and made a few investments in startups. Along the way, we launched Sonic.AI with Jacobs Media, a company focused on developing Amazon Alexa"skills" for smart speakers in their early days.
I had watched the aging audience of talk radio. So, when the chance came to develop a show for SiriusXM’s Progress channel with entrepreneur Ron Hartenbaum, we sought out fresh talent: a millennial host, 34 years old, with a new perspective on the world. It was a precursor to podcasting’s now dominant role in elevating younger voices.
That shift was a gift.
The Rise of Branded Content and Marketing
Branded podcasts became a frontier. Alongside longtime collaborator Dave Beasing of Sound That Brands, we launched one of the most successful branded podcasts in the space: A national grocery brand’s show that, seven years later, continues to drive millions of listens and genuine customer engagement. (Pro tip: The higher the cocoa percentage on a chocolate bar, the more real chocolate it contains.)
Our branded work continues and has included companies such as EY, Harvard Health Publishing and NCMIC.
But great content wasn’t enough. Findability and discoverability became essential. Years ago, Snooki could launch a podcast with just a few tweets. Today, marketing is the difference between thriving and vanishing. That’s where Suzy Schultz of Creative Prism came in, joining Amplifi as a consultant five years ago and bringing her marketing savvy to our clients.
Teaching the Business of Podcasting
Three years ago, Larry Miller, head of the music business program at NYU’s Steinhardt School, approached me about piloting a class: The Business of Podcasting. Not how to make a podcast. There are plenty of courses for that, but how the industry functions.
In 2023, we launched the first course at a major university focused entirely on podcasting’s economic ecosystem. The experience has been invaluable not just for the students but for me. Watching Gen Z engage with audio has given me a front-row seat to the rise of YouTube as a podcasting powerhouse, the shift in revenue models, and the evolution of listener habits.
Being in New York has also been a strategic advantage. We’ve drawn guest speakers from so many top companies, including iHeart, Edison Research, Freakonomics, Conde Nast, SXM and Spotify, giving students direct access to the industry's decision-makers.
The Three Eras of Podcasting
Reflecting on the last decade, I see three distinct phases in podcasting:
1. The “MeUndies Era” – Direct-response ads ruled the day. Think mattresses, meal kits, and underwear.
2. The “Spaghetti Against the Wall Era” – Big media rushed in, throwing money at Hollywood names, narrative series, and grand experiments. Some hit, and others learned that making good content and finding an audience is difficult.
3. The “What’s a Podcast?” Era – As video accelerates, the definition of podcasting is up for debate. YouTube now dominates what a few years ago was Apple’s undisputed domain, Spotify is aggressively expanding, and visual elements are increasingly expected. Meanwhile, the business is stabilizing. Big bets are giving way to sustainable, diversified models.
Looking Ahead
Eighteen months ago, we partnered with Coleman Insights on a groundbreaking study, the first to deeply examine YouTube’s growing dominance in podcasting. Back in August 2023, Podcast Movement featured just two sessions on video. This year? Video is everywhere. We will be back at Podcast Movement Evolutions on Thursday, 4/3, for another keynote on the state of video podcasting with fresh data.
On the radio side, I would still love to see more progress in helping broadcast companies embrace time-shifted content. The empty hallways at many stations today tell the story of what happens when industries resist change. As linear TV networks learned the hard way, the distribution model must evolve with audience behavior.
Some broadcasters are making positive moves in this area. We worked with a large radio company developing a company-wide digital transformation roadmap—a front-row seat to the difficulties of changing linear media. The challenges are real, but so is the opportunity.
There’s tremendous potential with time-shifted and original local podcast content. The median age of someone consuming a podcast is 36, which is the envy of aging media giants. Cable news skews to 70, and talk radio is 62, newspapers are… well, mostly gone. The path forward is clear: create more high-quality on-demand audio or video-driven content.
Thanks to our clients. Everything we do has been about building and sometimes, rightsizing. And along the way, meeting many wonderful and passionate people in a rapidly growing business.
Ten years ago, I dropped my corporate key card on the table and walked into podcasting.
No regrets.
A note of thanks to a few incredibly important advisors who have helped along the way, including Pierre Bouvard, Fred Jacobs, Paul Jacobs, Steve Seidmon, Sarah Van Mosel, Larry Rosin, James Cridland, Dan Franks, Steve Jones, Scott Gojkovich, Michelle Novak, Kathy Doyle, Brian Mayfield, and my incredible wife and chief counsel, Jennifer Goldstein.
Now, onto the next ten.
In addition to our “From Explosion to Evolution: The State of Video Podcasting” keynote with Coleman Research at Podcast Movement Evolutions, we also will have a new “A View from The Top” panel. This time, industry leaders Stephanie Chan (Podcast Partnerships, YouTube), Will Pearson (President, iHeartPodcasts), Neil Mody (CEO/Co-Founder, Headliner), and Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe), will join me to share their perspectives on the state of the business. See you there!