Bill Simmons is leaving ESPN

Seems like a poor decision, so yes.

 

Also 10 years late so that the major players have already been decided and learned how to monetize them better, so definitely yes.

 

Has Bill Simmons’ The Ringer figured out the model for podcast success?

Posted for the analysis of the podcast business contained within. About The Ringer, the company handing ad sales takes a third of revenue.

 

Simmons is very good at getting out podcasts just hours after big events happen. I don't know anybody else who does it as well as the Ringer does. So even if they're not all that well done, he'll be talking about Anthony Davis wanting to be traded just a few hours after the news breaks.

 

Agreed. And, I'm always amazed at how bad ESPN is at it.

 

I don't care for his style but Rich Eisen does a very good podcast.
I read a statistic once that the vast majority of podcasts don't even make it six episodes. It is truly a beggar's game.

 

Get audiobooks from your library! Or a different library! I'm told you don't have to live in Cuyahoga County to get a library card, and their audiobook selection is amazing (Cuyahoga County Public Library - OverDrive)!

 

That's a lot of work. How much sleep you get – four hours a night?

 

Hey, shouldn't I be the one promoting this??

But it is true. Ohio has a great library system. Any Ohio resident can get a card at any Ohio library ... though I think you gotta do it in person. But Overdrive and Hoopla are both great online resources for audiobooks that your library might subscribe to.

 

About three. But I’m leaving the newspaper job next month so a little more sleep awaits me. Not too much with a screaming baby in the house, but a little more.

 

The article says the company has 15 million in revenue. If the company selling ads is taking a third that leaves 10 million to pay 100 employees salary and benefits, rent, travel, IT costs etc. While the Ringer may be profitable it is not rolling in profits. And some pretty high powered hosts (J.J. Redick, Larry Wilmore, et. al) must be working cheap.

I love the Ringer, listen to podcasts and hope it succeeds. But I did not believe everything Simmons said in the article.

 

That is one thing that puzzles me about podcasts in general. I listen to podcasts when I am on my exercise bike in the morning. I am unaware of anyone doing an NFL recap pod that is posted by 5:00 A.M. Monday morning. The Ringer NFL shows start to be posted on Tuesday.