iHeartMedia Announces Nominees for The 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards Presented by The Hartford Live at SXSW on March 11

Maggie Freleng and Jason Flom of “Wrongful Conviction” and Jonathan Goldstein of “Heavyweight” to be honored with Icon Awards, and “Rotten Mango” as the recipient of the Innovator Award presented by YouTube

The event will also broadcast on select iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide, digitally through the iHeartRadio app and video stream in partnership with YouTube

iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, announced the nominees for the 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards presented by The Hartford live at SXSW. The awards, which will honor the very best in podcasting from 2023 and celebrate the most innovative talent and content creators in the industry, will feature 29 categories spanning podcast genres. This year, iHeartMedia teamed up with South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals to host the live and in-person ceremony in Austin, Texas at the Fairmont Hotel on Monday, March 11 at 8 p.m. CT. The ceremony will also broadcast on select iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide, digitally through the iHeartRadio app and video stream in partnership with YouTube on the iHeartRadio Channel. The event will additionally be available on demand following the initial live stream on YouTube.

“As the podcast industry continues to rapidly grow, this past year has clearly proven that podcasters are always innovating in the audio space and finding new ways to reach and engage new audiences,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia’s Digital Audio Group. “The nominees for the 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards reflect the results of honing that creativity and we’re thrilled to celebrate and once again empower these creators and elevate the podcast industry together live in person at SXSW.”

Nominees across categories include podcasts from all creators, distributors and platforms with a judging panel composed of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries who will determine the winners in categories including comedy, crime, news, tv and film, sports, food, business and more. Each year, podcast fans help decide the winner of the coveted Podcast of the Year presented by The Hartford award by voting online at iHeartPodcastAwards.com from Feb. 5 through Feb.18. This year’s nominees include “Crime Junkie,” “The Daily,” “My Favorite Murder,” “New Heights,” “Normal Gossip,” “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” “The Retrievals,” “Scamanda,” “SmartLess” and “Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.” Fan voting begins today and will run through February 18.

In addition, the 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards presented by The Hartford will present industry Icon Awards to pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture. Maggie Freleng, a Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter and producer, and Jason Flom, a former artists and repertoire (A&R) music executive, activist and Lava for Good CEO who works with The Innocence Project, will both be honored with the 2024 Social Impact Award for their work on the podcast “Wrongful Conviction.” Jonathan Goldstein, audio industry veteran, author and podcast host of “Heavyweight,” will be honored with the 2024 Pioneer Award.

The Awards will also honor the podcast “Rotten Mango” with the Innovator Award presented by YouTube. The Innovator Award celebrates the voices that are breaking new creative ground in podcasting, and “Rotten Mango” continues to show unique storytelling through both audio and video.

Last year, the virtual 2023 iHeartPodcast Awards, hosted by actor and comedian Brian Baumgartner, featured a variety of appearances by award nominees, celebrity presenters and special guests including Jason Alexander and Peter Tilden, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, Mayim Bialik, Alex Borstein, Zach Braff and Donald Faison, Nicole Byer, Charlamagne Tha God, Colin Cowherd, Bob Costas, Malcolm Gladwell, Draymond Green, Bethany Joy Lenz, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Enrique Santos, Iliza Shlesinger, Questlove, Angela Yee and more. Click HERE for more highlights from the 2023 iHeartPodcast Awards.

The full 2024 category nominees are:

Podcast of the Year presented by The Hartford:

• Crime Junkie
• The Daily
• My Favorite Murder
• New Heights
• Normal Gossip
• On Purpose with Jay Shetty
• The Retrievals
• Scamanda
• SmartLess
• Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Best Business & Finance:

• Direct Deposit 
• How I Built This
• MoneyWatch with Jill Schlesinger
• Networth & Chill with Your Rich BFF 
• Planet Money

Best Comedy:

• Baby, This is Keke Palmer
• Handsome
• SmartLess
• This Is Important
• Why Won’t You Date Me

Best Crime:

• Crime Junkie
• The Girlfriends
• The Retrievals
• Scamanda
• Something Was Wrong

Best Pop Culture:

• Las Culturistas
• I’ve Had It
• Just B with Bethenny Frankel
• Search Engine
• Watch What Crappens

Best Food Podcast Award Presented by Planet Oat:

• Cereal Killers
• Hungry for History
• Recipe Club
• The Splendid Table
• Sporkful

Best Wellness & Fitness:

• Huberman Lab
• Maintenance Phase
• The Mel Robbins Podcast
• On Purpose with Jay Shetty
• Therapy For Black Girls

Best History:

• Mobituaries with Mo Rocca
• Revisionist History
• Slow Burn
• Throughline
• You’re Wrong About

Best Kids & Family:

• Good Inside with Dr. Becky
• Kids Short Stories with Mr. Jim
• Sound Detectives
• Story Pirates
• The Suga

Best Music:

• Disgraceland
• Million Dollaz Worth of Game
• Popcast
• Questlove Supreme
• Song Exploder

Best News:

• The Daily
• Pivot
• Pod Save America
• Today Explained
• Up First

Best Fiction:

• Ad Lucem
• Full Body Chills
• The Mantawauk Caves
• Radio Rental
• The Space Within

Best Sports:

• Around The NFL
• Club Shay Shay
• The Dan Le Batard Show
• New Heights
• Pardon My Take

Best Science:

• Hidden Brain
• Inner Cosmos
• Ologies
• Radio Lab
• StarTalk

Best Technology:

• All-In
• Hard Fork
• Lex Fridman Podcast
• TED Radio Hour
• Vergecast

Best Ad Read:

• Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
• Heavyweight 
• How Did This Get Made?
• Say More with Dr. Sheila
• SmartLess

Best Overall Host:

• Joe Budden (The Joe Budden Podcast)
• Jonathan Goldstein (Heavyweight)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Wiser Than Me)
• Laci Mosley (Scam Goddess)
• Nicole Byer (Why Won’t You Date Me?)

Best Overall Ensemble:

• The 85 South Show
• Handsome
• New Heights
• SmartLess
• Today, Explained

Best Political:

• The Ben Shapiro Show 
• CNN Inside Politics
• Countdown with Keith Olbermann
• NPR Politics Podcast
• Pod Save America

Best TV & Film:

• Drama Queens
• Films to be Buried With
• Give Them Lala w/ Lala Kent
• How Did This Get Made?
• Pop Culture Happy Hour

Best Spanish Language:

• La Brega
• Cassettes
• Duolingo Spanish
• Leyendas Legendarias
• Transportista: Who Murdered Captain Coral? (Spanish version)

Best Advice / Inspirational:

• Getting Curious
• Dear Chelsea
• Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast
• This Keeps Happening with Vienna Pharaon
• We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle

Best Beauty & Fashion:

• Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack & SuChin Pak
• Articles of Interest
• Fool Coverage with Manny MUA and Laura Lee
• The Goop Pursuit: Healing in a Sick Society
• Lipstick On The Rim

Best Travel:

• As Told By Nomads
• Atlas Obscura
• The Travel Hacking Mom Show
• Travel With Rick Steves
• Women Who Travel

Best Green:

• Climate of Change
• Discarded
• Living on Earth
• TED Climate
• Sea Change

Best Spirituality & Religion:

• The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz
• The Bible Recap
• Elevation with Steve Furtick
• On Being with Krista Tippett
• Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts

Best Branded Podcast: 

• Crimson Hearts Collide (Hallmark Media)
• Love In Gravity (ViiV Healthcare)
• Mind the Business (Intuit Quickbooks)
• Symptomatic (Novartis)
• Townsizing (HGTV)

Best Emerging:

• Classy
• Handsome
• How to Destroy Everything
• I’ve Had It
• The Really Good Podcast with Bobbi Althoff

Best International:

• CTV Question Period with Vassy Kapelos (Canada)
• Dichosa Sexualidad (Mexico)
• The Fold (New Zealand)
• The Imperfects (Australia)
• Rocio Cordova (Mexico)

The 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of nationally recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartCountry Festival and iHeartRadio ALTer Ego. Additional information including guest hosts, presenters, celebrity appearances and more will be announced soon.

Proud partners of this year’s iHeartPodcast Awards include presenting partner The Hartford, a leading small business insurer, YouTube and Planet Oat with more to be announced.

For more information about the 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards, click HERE.

About SXSW

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music, and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, exhibitions, professional development, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2024 will take place March 8–16 in Austin. Learn more at sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend.

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month. It consists of three business groups.

With its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. Its leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 860 live broadcast stations in over 160 markets nationwide; its National Sales organization; and the company’s live and virtual events business. It also includes Premiere Networks, the industry’s largest Networks business, with its Total Traffic and Weather Network (TTWN); and BIN: Black Information Network, the first and only 24/7 national and local all news audio service for the Black community. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio suite of data targeting and attribution products using data from its massive consumer base.

The iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group includes the company’s fast-growing podcasting business -- iHeartMedia is the number one podcast publisher in downloads, unique listeners, revenue and earnings -- as well as its industry-leading iHeartRadio digital service, available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices; the company’s digital sites, newsletters, digital services and programs; its digital advertising technology companies; and its audio industry-leading social media footprint.

The company’s Audio & Media Services reportable segment includes Katz Media Group, the nation’s largest media representation company, and RCS, the world’s leading provider of broadcast and webcast software.

Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.