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We’ve been making jokes for years now that everyone seems to have a podcast—and yet the medium continues to grow even bigger than ever. More than 584 million people have listened to podcasts in 2025, according to the podcasting platform Riverside, and that number is expected to grow to 619 million next year. Meanwhile, podcasting has gone from the purview of hobbyists and NPR stalwarts to big names like Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michelle Obama … not to mention yours truly, the Peabody Awards. Two seasons into our collaboration with the Center for Media and Social Impact, We Disrupt This Broadcast, we are thrilled to have won an award ourselves—a Gold Signal Award in the Arts & Culture category. We recently attended the Signal Awards ceremony, and to celebrate, we’d like to recommend some of our fellow honorees to you.
‘American Masters: Creative Spark’
Like our own We Disrupt This Broadcast, Creative Spark provides deep, insightful interviews with people changing the culture from the inside, including comedian Phoebe Robinson, singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, and playwright and theater director George C. Wolfe. Each episode focuses on the process behind a single, defining work, walking listeners through exactly how zeitgeist-defining ideas come to fruition.
Where to Listen: PBS.org
‘Beyond Voting’
Beyond Voting‘s first season tackled the 2024 presidential election from many angles: how the war in Gaza affected votes, what role threats to democracy played, and how to choose a candidate if you’re not crazy about either. And host Emily Williams, the executive director of Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, has returned for a second season post-election to consider the effectiveness of boycotts, the state of democracy, ICE raids, and other pressing political issues.
Where to Listen: ArcusCenter.kzoo.edu
‘Cautionary Tales’
Host Tim Harford delivers storytelling at its finest, offering dramatic true tales meant to illuminate major historical mistakes worth avoiding in the future. With the benefits of hindsight, perspective, and meticulous research, he performs the stories like scary, adult fairy tales, emphasizing dramatic twists and suspenseful moments, often animated by sound effects and voice actors at key moments. Standout installments include a three-parter on Houdini, a look at an alleged cure for impotence from the 1920s, and the devastating story of how Men at Work’s 1981 hit “Down Under” unraveled the band’s lives over several decades thanks to its distinctive flute solo.
Where to Listen: Pushkin.fm
‘Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD’
Peabody-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika takes listeners on a 12-episode tour through the surprising history of the world’s largest police force—its origins in slavery, the rival police gangs that fought for territory across the city, and activists who agitated to keep the force in check. The arc of the NYPD’s story helps to inform debates currently raging about the role of policing in modern society.
Where to Listen: Wondery.com
‘Las Culturistas’
Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers are two of the funniest guys working in comedy, and their host chemistry is incendiary, making this pop culture chat podcast an absolute delight (something I don’t say lightly). Their go-to interview question is brilliant, and one of the best cocktail-party conversation starters ever: “What was the culture that made you say, ‘Culture is for me’?” (Mine is Reality Bites.) Recent guests have included Sarah Paulson, Jennifer Lawrence, and Cate Blanchett. And, incidentally, they also hosted one of the most engaging entertainment awards ceremony of this year, still available to watch on Peacock.
Where to Listen: YouTube
‘The Outlaw Ocean’
CBC’s anthology podcast explores what it calls “the most lawless place on earth—the vast unpoliceable ocean.” Episodes have delved into how goods produced through forced North Korean and Uyghur labor make their way into worldwide seafood supply chains, the abusive culture of Chinese fishing vessels, and the shocking amount of oil routinely dumped into the sea. A fascinating and bracing look at the area that covers most of the earth’s surface, and answers to no one.
Where to Listen: TheOutlawOcean.com
‘Switched on Pop’
Want to feel super smart about the pop music you listen to? Musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding break the hits down to their granular music-theory elements to explain why and how they work—a nerdy poptimist’s dream. They’ve recently explored how Lily Allen and Tate McRae have revived the revenge anthem, how the recently deceased R&B master D’Angelo changed music, and what works on the new Taylor Swift record.
Where to Listen: SwitchedonPop.com
Our Team with Our Signal Award
Part of the team behind the podcast We Disrupt This Broadcast: writer Sasha Stewart (The Daily Show, Dying for Sex), consulting producer Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, producer Jordana Jason, with comedian and host Gabe González. With two seasons of stories now available. Tune in to experience the Signal Awards Gold–winning podcast!