AI use with creators is moving beyond simple tools for transcripts, show notes, image generation, and editing. In this episode 664 of the New Media Show, host Rob Greenlee, 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer, talks with Mike Russell, founder of CreatorMagic.ai and longtime audio producer behind Music Radio Creative, about how new media creators, podcasters, and video producers can begin building their own “AI creator employee.” Mike explains how AI agents are becoming active collaborators capable of controlling studio lighting, camera settings, thumbnails, content workflows, research, WordPress optimization, and production tasks. The conversation explores the shift from podcasting as an audio-first medium to a broader video-first creator economy, where YouTube, Apple Podcasts HLS video, AI workflows, and agentic automation are reshaping how content is made, distributed, measured, and monetized. Rob and Mike also dig into the tension between human-created and AI-assisted media, why “taste” still matters, how creators can avoid generic AI slop, and why the next competitive advantage may come from combining human judgment with powerful AI systems. What happens when AI stops being just a tool and starts acting like a real creative team member? Rob Greenlee and Mike Russell explore how AI agents, video-first media, and creator workflows are changing podcasting, YouTube, and the future of new media. Topic Chapters: 00:00, Welcome to New Media Show #664 with Mike Russell 01:00, Why AI is becoming more

In episode 663 of the New Media Show, hosted by 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee, Rob talks with Jeanine Wright, CEO of Inception Point AI, and Robert Scoble, known as Scobleizer, Founder of AlignedNews.ai for a deep conversation about one of the biggest and most uncomfortable questions facing podcasting, video, social media, and the creator economy: what happens when AI-generated content stops sounding and looking artificial?  I apologize for the lower audio quality of this episode, which was affected by recording source errors, and I used the best audio enhancement tools to improve it. AI-generated media is no longer just an experiment. It is becoming shows, hosts, voices, personalities, clips, channels, avatars, and soon, live interactive media experiences. Podcasting has always been built around voice, trust, authenticity, and human connection. But that foundation is now being challenged by AI-generated voices, cloned likenesses, synthetic video, autonomous podcasters, and AI systems that can research, write, produce, publish, and personalize content at a scale human creators cannot match. The conversation explores whether the podcasting/new media industry is reacting too broadly by labeling AI-generated media as “AI slop” while missing the bigger shift beneath the surface. Some AI content is low quality, deceptive, or spammy. Some AI content is becoming polished, useful, creative, and scalable. Some human-created content is also low quality,

In episode 662 from May 6th, 2026, of the New Media Show, hosted by 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee, he talks with Imran Ahmed, founder of Great Pods, for a deep conversation about one of podcasting’s longest-running controversies: Discovery. Podcasting has never had a shortage of content. The bigger challenge has always been helping listeners find the right shows and helping quality creators get noticed. Charts often reward scale. Algorithms can miss the human context. Social media attention does not always create trust. But human recommendations, professional reviews, and transparency. editorial signals may still play an important role. Imran joins Rob to discuss how Great Pods is building a podcast discovery and decision-making platform around critic reviews, ratings, attribution, podcast search, user reviews, badges, and curated discovery. The conversation explores why reviews differ from basic listener comments, why constructive criticism can help creators, and how professional critics can serve as trusted filters for listeners trying to decide what to hear next. Rob and Imran also dig into the broader evolution of podcasting, including the role of word-of-mouth discovery, the limits of podcast app charts, the rise of YouTube as a major discovery platform, and the ongoing tension around what defines a podcast in a world of audio, video, RSS feeds, platform exclusives, APIs, Netflix-style talk shows, and AI-generated content.

On Episode 661 of The New Media Show, host Rob Greenlee, 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee, Chairperson of the Podcast Hall of Fame, and longtime new media executive, is joined by Dave Jackson, 2018 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee, founder of School of Podcasting, and Head of Podcasting at Podpage.com, for a deep conversation about whether independent podcasters and media creators can still win in today’s rapidly changing creator economy. This episode centers on a question many creators are quietly asking right now: Can indie podcasters still grow, monetize, and build trust in a market being reshaped by video, AI, platform control, and professionalized media production? Rob and Dave discuss the recent combination of Podpage and School of Podcasting, why podcast education matters more than ever, and how websites, email lists, communities, video, RSS, and AI-assisted workflows are becoming essential parts of a creator’s survival strategy. Dave joined Podpage as Head of Podcasting in 2024, and School of Podcasting has been helping creators launch, grow, and monetize podcasts since 2005.  The conversation also moves into some of the biggest issues facing podcasting and new media in 2026, including AI-generated shows, human voice and video cloning, creator burnout, YouTube’s influence on podcast identity, Apple’s HLS video podcast di

“Podcast episode hosting used to be simple. You uploaded an audio file, generated an RSS feed, and distributed your show everywhere. That model still matters, but it is no longer enough for the modern creator economy.” In this Episode 660 of The Live New Media Show, from April 22nd, 2026, Host Podcast Hall of Famer and Former Libsyn VP Rob Greenlee shares a screen and microphone with Brendan Monaghan, President and CEO of Libsyn, to explore how podcast hosting is changing and what creators should expect from platforms in 2026 and beyond. This conversation gets to the heart of a major shift happening across podcasting and new media. Hosting companies are no longer judged only by whether they can deliver a clean RSS feed and reliable file storage. Creators now expect monetization, analytics, video support, workflow efficiency, AI-assisted publishing, broader distribution, and real help with audience growth. That larger shift frames the entire discussion between Rob and Brendan. Brendan explains that Libsyn still carries the legacy of being one of podcasting’s earliest and most important hosting platforms, but the company is now operating in a far more complex environment. Brendan points to Libsyn’s evolution from a technology-led hosting company into a broader creator platform that includes advertising and monetization infrastructure, especially after the company acquired businesses such as AdvertiseCast and Pair Networks. He argues that the modern hosting business must combine publishing, monetization, measurement, and simplicity for creators at every stage of growth. Rob pushes the conversation further by asking the bigger industry que

Podcasting is entering a new phase, and this episode goes straight into the infrastructure, business models, and platform shifts shaping what comes next. On episode 659 of The New Media Show, Host and Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee shares the microphone with Sharon Taylor, Chief Revenue Officer at Triton Digital (Spreaker & Omny Studio), for a deep conversation about where the podcasting market is heading right now. Sharon brings years of experience from Omny Studio, Triton Digital, and Spreaker, making her one of the best people to help unpack what is changing across hosting, monetization, video, AI, advertiser demand, and measurement. We talk through why podcasting is not simply becoming video-first, even as video becomes a bigger part of how shows are discovered and monetized. Sharon makes a strong case that audio remains at the center of the medium, but the future is clearly becoming more multi-format. That means creators, publishers, and platforms need to think differently about how they distribute content, measure audience behavior, and build sustainable business models for both audio and video. A big part of this conversa

If you are trying to understand where podcasting may still have real, untapped opportunities in 2026 and beyond, this is one of those conversations that point to an important answer: Local. On Episode 658 of The New Media Show, Host Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee shares a microphone and a video camera with guest David Plotz, founder and CEO of CityCast.fm and co-host of the Political Gabfest podcast from Slate, to: Explore what local podcasts can become in a media environment increasingly shaped by video, platforms, social discovery, and changing audience habits. The conversation starts with local audio, but it quickly opens into something bigger: trust, emotional connection, local relevance, and the question of whether city-based media may be one of the strongest growth areas left in podcasting. David frames City Cast as a network of daily local podcasts, newsletters, social content, and events, built around helping people feel more connected to the cities they live in. The real takeaway in this episode is that local podcasting is no

Podcast discovery feels harder in 2026, not because creators stopped trying, but because attention is now split across podcast apps, YouTube, short-form video feeds, newsletters, and search-driven recommendations. On this recorded episode of the New Media Show, host Rob Greenlee shares the screen and a microphone with Arielle Nissenblatt, 2026 Podcast Hall of Famer and Founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective and Head of Community and Content at Pinwheel by Audily, to break down what is actually changing right now and what creators can still do that consistently grows audience and trust. “Arielle brings a listener-first, creator-first perspective that cuts through the noise. Platforms matter, but they are not the whole story. If a show is not clearly positioned, consistently delivered, and genuinely recommendable, the best metadata in the world will not create retention.” This episode focuses on the practical middle ground: respect the power of platforms, but build your growth strategy around behaviors you can control. “A big part of that conversation is Apple’s renewed push into video podcasts and what an HLS-based video experience signals for the direction of distribution.” Rob frames it as part of a broader convergence toward a unified listen-and-watch experience, w

As AI becomes more embedded into content creation, discovery, and distribution, one truth is becoming clearer: the long-term winners in media may not be the fastest or the most automated. They may be the most human. That was the core idea behind this conversation with Erin Diehl of Improve It! and the host of the Workday Playdate Podcast, and New Media Show host and Podcast Hall of Fame Inductee Rob Greenlee on New Media Show Episode 654, where we explored what it really means to build a media business rooted in trust, emotional connection, authenticity, and memorable audience experiences. Erin Diehl, founder of improve it! and host of the Workday Playdate podcast, brings a distinctive perspective to this discussion. Her work sits at the intersection of improv, leadership, communication, and community-building. On her podcast and in her live workshops, she focuses on helping people reconnect with empathy, listening, adaptability, humor, and playfulness as practical tools for stronger communication and leadership. Erin describes those same qualities as the traits of both a great improviser and a great human, and that framing shaped this entire conversation. (itserindiehl.com) What made this episode especially timely is that it did not treat AI as the enemy.

If you’re trying to figure out how to build a future-proof show in 2026, the answer is not a new platform or a new gimmick. Podcasting is changing expectations. Audiences judge creators like brands, platforms reward shows that behave like programs, and AI is raising the baseline quality while making trust and differentiation harder to earn. On this episode #653 of The New Media Show, Rob Greenlee (Podcast Hall of Fame Chairperson, 2017 inductee), and am joined by Anika Jackson, founder of Your Brand Amplified and faculty at USC Annenberg, where she teaches podcasting and digital media management. Anika brings a rare educator-operator perspective because she’s building in the real world while shaping how the next generation of creators thinks about content, AI personalities, human clones, business, and audience growth. Listen and follow: https://newmediashow.com/ and https://robgreenlee.com/ Learn more about Anika: https://yourbrandamplified.com/ A big theme in this conversation is that future-proofing is a systems problem, not a motivation problem. Creators are pulled toward audio, video, clips, social, newsletters, community, sponsors, and now AI tools. The ones who win in the long term are the ones

New Media Show #652 with Rob Greenlee and Lauren Shippen On Episode 652 of the New Media Show, host Rob Greenlee shares a screen with Lauren Shippen, Creative Director at Atypical Artists, to tackle a growing tension in creator media around audio fiction, which is thriving as a storytelling format but is being pressure-tested by the industry’s video-first discovery push. Fiction podcasts did not stop working. What changed is how platforms signal value, how audiences discover new shows, and how creators feel forced to look video-ready to compete. The real question for fiction creators in 2026 is not “How do I force my story into video?” It is “How do I protect the magic of audio storytelling while adding the right discovery layers for today’s platforms?” Lauren shares what fiction creators often misunderstand about sustainability, what typically breaks first when the story stalls, and where video helps, hurts, or becomes unrealistic. Rob lays out a practical framework for separating audio as the product from video as the discovery layer, plus realistic tiers of visual strategy that will not turn your show into a second production company. Qu

On Weds, February 18th Live Episode #651 of the New Media Show, Rob Greenlee, Host, 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer and CEO of Trust Factor Lab at https://RobGreenlee.com, and James Cridland, Editor, https://Podnews.net and 2026 Podcast Hall of Famer discuss Apple’s announcement of a new and improved video podcast experience in the Apple Podcasts app and what it changes technically and strategically heading into 2026.  They explain how video was previously active in Apple Podcasts but was hidden and poorly presented in the iOS apps, and how this new updated experience makes video playback front and center, with a “turn video off” option that keeps the audio track playing.  The episode breaks down Apple’s preferred move to HLS-based on-demand video delivery (via a separate, proprietary API HLS video streaming pass-through submission from approved hosting partners) while still supporting legacy MP4 video via RSS.  They cover HLS basics (chunked delivery, adaptive quality, reduced bandwidth, and hosting costs), improved seeking/scrubbing versus progressive MP4 playback, and new measurement implications (better insight into drop-off and ad viewing). A major focus is monetization: Apple plans to enable dynamic ad insertion for HLS video and charge a per-impression fee, positioning Apple to take

AI-generated podcast hosts and shows are rapidly changing podcasting, video podcasting, and the creator economy across all distribution platforms, including AI LLMs. In this episode of The New Media Show Live #650 from Feb 4th, 2026, Host Rob Greenlee, CEO/Founder of Trust Factor Lab, explores how AI-generated podcasts affect people, trust, and the future of media with Jeanine Wright, Co-Founder and CEO of Inception Point AI. Jeanine Wright will help us better understand what Inception Point AI is building and why AI-generated personalities are different from human-created podcasts and AI-assisted editing tools. This conversation is designed to help podcasters, creators, media executives, and advertisers understand AI-generated podcast content without fear. It will be a clear, accurate discussion about how synthetic hosts work, how audiences respond emotionally, and what the next 12 to 24 months may look like as AI improves. As humans seem to be rejecting AI-generated content, its human consumption is growing and quality is rapidly improvin

This week in episode 649 of the New Media Show, Rob Greenlee is joined by Jordan Harbinger to unpack the question creators ask nonstop in 2026: What actually grows a podcast or show (and what doesn’t)? – Jordan’s core answer is refreshingly “boring,” but real: long-term consistency, and realistic expectations about how long monetization can take—even for shows that eventually become huge. From there, the conversation expands into the bigger shift happening right now: – Audio podcasts increasingly competing (and collaborating) with video ecosystems especially YouTube where the “rules” and algorithmic expectations are fundamentally different from audio distribution. They also dig into platform strategy and brand-fit tension like whether “talk show” style content truly belongs on Netflix, and why creators may face tough tradeoffs when platforms want exclusivity that can limit reach elsewhere. After Jordan wraps and leaves the show, Rob closes with a rapid-fire, ranked set of growth plays emphasizing that none are

The New Media Show #648 Live On-Stage at Podfest Expo (Jan 16, 2026) Where Audio, Video, and AI Flow Together Recorded live on stage at Podfest Expo in Orlando, Rob Greenlee is joined by three of the smartest voices shaping where podcasting is headed right now: James Cridland (Podnews), Rox Codes (Flightcast), and Philip Nelson (Nelco Media). This episode tackles the collision of audio RSS, platform-native video, and AI-powered creator workflows and why the podcast conversation in 2026 is less about labels and more about content that works everywhere. What we cover: -Audio podcasting vs video podcasting and what audiences actually want -Why content first matters more than format wars -The roots of video in early podcasting and why it feels full circle again -Fragmented audiences across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Shorts -Practical creator strategy packaging, titles, thumbnails, retention, and workflow systems that scale Guests and Links: James Cridland Podnews – https://podnews.net/ Podnews Weekly Review – https://weekly.podnews.net/

The New Media Show Episode 647 Live on Jan 21st, 20026 at 6pm ET. Show Topic: Digital Creator 2026 Money Playbook Content Creator’s Business and Financial Strategies are moving faster than ever with video, audio podcasting, AI tools, and nonstop platform changes, but many are still running the business side like a hobby. The New Media Show with Rob Greenlee is joined live by Ralph Estep Jr, licensed accountant and host of The Content Creators Accountant, to break down the simple money systems creators need to turn creator chaos into calm financial clarity. If you earn from YouTube AdSense, brand deals and UGC, affiliate income, memberships and subscriptions, courses, coaching, digital products, or PayPal and Stripe payouts, this episode is built for you. Topics we cover: – How to separate business money from personal without overcomplicating it – How to track income across multiple platforms without headaches – How to set aside taxes automatically even in uneven months – How to make smarter gear decisions without wrecking cash flow – How to build simple repeatable financial systems that creators can follow – What to focus on in 2026 to run a real creator business that lasts – 2026 Podcast Hall of Fame

In this new episode from a LIVE Jan 7th, 2026 New Media Show, Host RobGreenlee.com is joined by Dave Jackson (School of Podcasting and co-host of Ask the Podcast Coach) to unpack why the current shift toward video and AI feels like an earthquake inside podcasting, while the YouTube creator world treats it like a normal day. We dig into how creators are now forced to play two games at once: the RSS subscription game and the algorithm discovery game especially for video, and why the definition debates did not matter as much as audience behavior. Rob and Dave also get practical about what breaks and what endures, including growing frustration with heavy ad loads and pre-roll stacking, the realities of programmatic monetization, and why the first thing a listener should hear is you. We cover where video delivery and monetization are heading (including HLS and video ad insertion), why “watch something” still defaults to YouTube for most people, and what Apple Podcasts would need to change if it ever wanted to truly reprioritize RSS-based video podcasting ag