The worlds of culture, entertainment and journalism welcome PODIUM Podcast, PRISA Radio's global network of podcast in spanish

The Fernando de Rojas room at Madrid’s Circulo de Bellas Artes yesterday hosted the presentation of PODIUM Podcast, the global network of podcasts in Spanish. This is a living and flexible network featuring audio content tailored to the needs, tastes and interests of each listener. It is designed exclusively for Internet with new radio narratives that are committed to sound and quality.

PODIUM Podcast is an initiative from PRISA Radio the world’s largest Spanish-language radio group with a presence in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, United States, Spain, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Ecuador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. It is the largest network to bring together cultural, journalistic and editorial audio content in Spanish, and offers on-demand services on all connected devices.

The launch of PODIUM Podcast has aroused enormous interest among the technological, cultural and media sectors, and a range of leading figures from these worlds were among the attendees.

The event was presented by Macarena Berlin, Cadena SER journalist. Andrés Cardó, CEO of PRISA Radio, explained that the company seeks to spearhead podcasting in Spanish. "We’ve been able to demonstrate that consumption of audio on demand is increasing in Spain and Latin America". That’s why PODIUM Podcast aims to leverage the "immense possibilities offered by internet to offer much more content to our listeners, much more than can be broadcast on the airwaves, and of course, greater opportunities for advertisers."

Meanwhile, Vicente Jiménez, managing director of SER and PRISA Radio in Spain, said that "the listener has long ceased being passive. We cannot hope to understand the future of radio without radio on demand". But he stressed that "PODIUM Podcast is not radio, it is a new experience. It is born from a desire to experiment, to create new formats and narratives and to set the standard ".

The director of Cadena SER, Antonio Hernández-Rodicio, unveiled the wide range of content being made available on the Spanish-language network. He stressed that the project has been “carefully crafted and is committed to quality".

Also contributing to the debut of PODIUM Podcast were Mario Vargas Llosa, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Guillermo Arriaga and Juan Cruz. Together they debated the relationship between literature, entertainment and podcasts.

Mario Vargas Llosa recalled that for him "radio is a modus vivendi." The Nobel Laureate worked at a number of radio stations in his youth. Attendees were told that the audio adaptation of Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter will air on PODIUM Podcast in 2017. The author was delighted at the prospect of people from all over the world and all walks of life gaining access to his fiction. “It induces a kind of vertigo because literature will become global in a temporal and spatial sense, and will be available on multiple devices; It is something that defies the notion of time. With this technological revolution, we will be increasingly able to create a unique space for cultural products, and differences will begin to wither away."

Juan Cruz wondered whether the project might need to take into account the wide regional linguistic differences of Spanish, to which Vargas Llosa replied that "while the wealth of Spanish allows for tremendously subtle variations, at the same time a writer has an obligation to history and not certain idioms or certain local linguistic color ".

The Spanish writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte, author of the script of Mi narco favorito (My favorite narco), directed by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Arriaga, recalled the radio dramas he heard in his childhood. Pérez-Reverte believes the secret to transforming narrative into a podcast is to make "a novel with little description and a lot of dialogue". Reverte explained that "no two readers are alike" and that, with sound, the same thing happens. "A radio drama with voices and proper development suggests just enough but leaves plenty to the imagination of the listener, and that's why it’s so magnificent."

Meanwhile, the Mexican film director Guillermo Arriaga argued that "just like with the novel, with audio and sound effects you are imagining a world that you create".

Wide range of content

PODIUM Podcast offers users a wide and varied range of content, all characterized by universality, high sound quality and timelessness. And for audio enthusiasts, new podcasts will be continuously be added to existing content. The network debuts with 19 titles, and by the end of 2016 there will be more than 600 episodes across various genres: fiction, entertainment, investigative journalism and cultural journalism. Highlights from the PODIUM Podcast catalog include the following titles:

‘Le llamaban padre’ - 'They called him father'

By Carles Porta and José Ángel Esteban, this is a true story about child abuse, told in eight parts and based on the book of the same name, one of the biggest recent hits on the Internet and in the young history of podcasting.

‘El gran apagón’ - 'The great blackout'

A fictional radio series in eight episodes recounting what happens after a solar storm causes a major blackout. Directed by Ana Alonso and written by José Antonio Pérez, the series features actors Nacho Fresneda, Irene Escolar, Juanra Bonet, Tina Sainz, Miguel Rellán and Nancho Novo.

‘Educa como puedas’ - 'Raise them any which way you can'

Journalist Carles Capdevila brings listeners 24 comedy monologues about the unenviable task of raising children and adolescents.

'Encuádrate' - Framed

María Jesús Espinosa and Alfonso Latorre explore the most important paintings in the world, in 24 episodes.

‘El país que venció a la guerrilla’ - 'The country that defeated the guerrillas'

A series in 20 episodes reporting on Colombia's fight against terrorism

‘Poemarios’ - 'Poems'

20 episodes of poetry readings, showcasing two of the most important Chilean authors: Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral

'Sopitas'

Comedy monologues from one of the most famous tweeters in Mexico.

‘Los cuentos de Fontanarrosa’ - 'Tales by Fontanarrosa'

2 episodes of tales adapted from the work of the Argentine writer and comedian Roberto Fontanarrosa.

‘Los búfalos nocturnos’ - 'Night Buffaloes'

Fortnightly episodes of cultural content in collaboration with the El País supplement, Babelia.

‘La tía Julia y el escribidor’ - 'Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter'

Narration with dramatizations, in 14 episodes, of the novel by Mario Vargas Llosa.

‘Mi narco favorito’ - 'My favorite narco'

Original radio drama by Arturo Perez-Reverte and directed by Guillermo Arriaga, in 12 chapters.

Also available are timeless stories, the best audio productions in Spanish, and 'Essential' podcasts, curated by Ángeles Afuera and which features content from the PRISA Radio broadcasting archive in Spain and Latin America. In addition, PODIUM Podcast will enhance the audio experience with images, videos and texts.

Responsive format and maximum connectivity

The network offers a free, user friendly and intuitive experience that adapts to any device: computer, mobile or tablet. The user chooses when and where to listen. PODIUM Podcast also enables users to follow their favorite podcasts on platforms such as iTunes, iVoox and other such services. Users also can share and discuss their favorite episodes on their Twitter andFacebook accounts.