Podcasts at the Golden Globes: a serious business

“Seemingly, everyone has a podcast now,” said USA Today. “So it’s about time that major awards shows caught up, right?”

The Golden Globes waded into “previously uncharted territory” last night, handing out its very first podcast of the year award to Amy Poehler for her show “Good Hang with Amy Poehler”. But like any significant change to the category line-up, the news has provoked a backlash.

‘Celebrity-heavy’ focus

Following various scandals over allegations of bribery and membership non-diversity, the Golden Globes “returned from the brink”, said Glenn Whipp in the Los Angeles Times. But the show’s ethical practices appear to be “worse than ever”.

The shortlist of 25 podcasts was whittled down by audio analytics company Luminate, which, like the Golden Globes itself, is, “surprise”, owned by Penske Media. It soon became clear that the “real motivation” behind the new category was “money”. Penske-owned trade publication Variety “had its sales team pitch nominated podcasts an array of paid marketing partnerships”, including a “$75,000 deal for the podcaster to be given the Variety Creative Impact Award in Podcasting”.

Conservative podcast host Ben Shapiro mounted an “aggressive” campaign after making the initial shortlist, said Vanity Fair. “But it was all for naught.” None of the right-wing political podcasts that qualified – including those from Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson – made the cut. Instead, the final nominations were dominated by “down-the-middle, entertainment-focused shows”, said USA Today.

The “celebrity-heavy” focus of the final list suggests the category is “at least in part, a way to lure more big names to a ceremony that’s always relied on star power to justify its existence”, said Abbie Ruzicka, co-founder of podcast producer Arcana Audio, in The New York Times. It appears more like a “bid for relevance” from the Golden Globes than a genuine “sudden appreciation for the medium”.

While the inclusion of the podcast category in this year’s show makes sense, “the category, as it exists, does not”. It remains unclear how works that “differ so dramatically in their form and intent” can be fairly evaluated against each other. “Mashing together” celebrity chats with news shows and “self-help monologues” while omitting narrative podcasts entirely reveals a “lack of understanding about what podcasts are and why they matter. Podcasting isn’t a genre; it’s an industry.”

A ‘satisfying’ win

Poehler’s victory “might just have been the most satisfying win of the night – and not just because she beat her ex-husband Will Arnett”, said Glamour. “There’s something even sweeter.”

For the “umpteenth” year in a row, Joe Rogan’s podcast was the most listened to on Spotify, while seven of the top 10 spots were shows hosted by men. Although “not everything is a battle of the sexes”, it does “make a difference how much of the idle chit chat” we consume while driving or cooking is “being uttered by a man or a woman”. In a world filled with “toxic masculinity”, what a “breath of fresh air it is” to see Poehler succeed in the field with her “thoughtful and kind conversations, and feminism couched in humour. She is also, as ever, funny as hell.”

Poehler has a “goofy warmth and ability to riff” that is perfectly suited to podcasts, said USA Today. Crucially, she also has a “genuine curiosity and sensitivity” that encourages her celebrity guests to “open up in ways they rarely do in interviews”, while knowing exactly when to “sit back and listen to her subjects”.

If the new category is to “endure” at the Golden Globes, the “fix may be simple”, said Ruzicka. Podcasts should be treated the same way as Hollywood movies and TV shows, with categories spanning everything from chat shows to scripted fiction. As a “rare visible stage” for podcasts, it’s vital the ceremony gets this right. “Having opened the door, now comes the harder part: listening.”