The podcast industry is finally turning into an honorable avenue thanks to iHeartMedia. At the top of 2019, the media giant will host its first-ever iHeartRadio Podcast Awards on Jan. 18 and has slated Charlamagne as historic show’s host, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 90-minute show is set to take place in Los Angeles at iHeartRadio Theater.
The Breakfast Club host is set to co-host the event with Holly Frey of Stuff You Missed in History and country radio personality Bobby Bones while actor Mario Lopez has been recruited to host the event’s complete live stream. The array of hosts certainly reflect the wide pool of sectors the podcasting world has managed to tap into, including Hip-Hop with the presence of Charlamagne who is an undisputed personality on behalf of the culture.
“Tha God” shared and confirmed the news on Instagram deeming the upcoming experience as “fun.”
Conal Byrne, president of iHeartMedia’s podcasting division cites the award show as one that will recognize the evolution of podcasting in America. “The iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will provide a forum to celebrate the high-caliber, creative content that has made podcasting a major new audio category — and that truly reflects America’s favorite podcasts, voted by the listeners themselves. We look forward to hosting this transformative, annual event and encouraging everyone in the podcasting industry to push the envelope and inspire even more creators in this space,” said Byrne.
There will be a total of 22 categories with 17 of them luckily giving fans the chance to vote. The winners of the five top categories will be chosen by a league to eminent figures in the podcasting arena podcast of the year, breakout podcast, best-branded podcast, the best social impact from podcast/host and the podcast innovator award. While little to no Hip-Hop based podcasts have been nominated, there are certainly some culturally affiliated honorable nods.
Of course, syndicated morning radio show Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club has been nominated for the best multi-cultural podcast with 2 Dope Queens, The Read, Latino Rebels Radio, The Nod, and Radio Ambulante as fellow nods. Voting will take place on iHeartMedia’s website and social media starting Oct. 22 through Jan. 6.
