With millions of podcasts currently available to choose from, finding a show that suits your interests can be relatively easy. Yet finding a podcast worth listening to can take a lot of time that you may not want to spend.
Audacy is looking to help with a new initiative called Podsauce, a daily podcast discovery show hosted by Dax Holt and Alesha Reneé that will recommend shows, highlight new programs in development, and point listeners to podcasts that may not be getting the attention they deserve. The show will also feature guests who share what podcasts they’re listening to and projects they may be working on.
Awful Announcing readers might be interested in Podsauce‘s very first guest, former ESPN personality Kenny Mayne. Mayne is currently busy during the Tokyo Olympics hosting a nightly recap show on Peacock with Cari Champion, Tokyo Tonight. Presumably, he recorded the interview before the Summer Games began while in the midst of some downtime that allowed him to watch his nephew’s Little League game, play golf, and spend time with family in Seattle.
The first episode of Podsauce is now available on YouTube (in addition to Twitter, Facebook, and podsauce.com). An audio version of the show can be found through the Audacy app and your podcast app of choice. Excerpts from the show will also run on Audacy radio stations throughout the country.
Podsauce‘s conversation with Mayne begins at the 6:08 mark:
Related: Kenny Mayne says ESPN’s offer was a 61 percent pay cut: ‘I just think I can do better elsewhere’
Some sports fans and Mayne supporters might not like him getting political with his podcast recommendations. But as he alluded to in a recent interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Mayne now feels the freedom to endorse causes and commentary he believes in more loudly than when he was at ESPN.
That was certainly apparent with the two podcasts Mayne named as his current favorites for Podsauce. The first was Gaslit Nation, hosted by writers Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa. Both have written about the beliefs, voting concerns, and economic and social trends that led to the election of Donald Trump.
The other was Pod Save America, hosted by former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vietor, and Jon Lovett. That show also looks at current events and politics, while emphasizing how voters can get involved to enact change and support candidates who support progressive issues and causes. Mayne also appreciated that the show put him in touch with Olipop, a health-conscious soda that he now endorses.
After a little bit of tension with Reneé over her taking notes while he was talking, Mayne mentioned that a podcast might be in his future. If he gets that show launched, his dream first guest would be Stevie Wonder. The legendary singer gave Mayne his favorite memory from 27 years of broadcasting when he said on camera that he couldn’t appear at Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game due to a high ankle sprain.
Related: ‘Fuck you, Aaron Rodgers’: Kenny Mayne signs off from SportsCenter for final time
Following Mayne on the show was Kevin Carroll, host of Kataglyphs. The “instigator of inspiration” is a former head trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers and creative executive at Nike who is now a performance coach and motivational speaker.
Another former ESPN personality, Trey Wingo, host of the Half-Forgotten History podcast, will be a future guest on Podsauce. The date of his appearance has not yet been announced.
As mentioned, Podsauce is available in video format on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and podsauce.com. The show is also available in audio through your podcast app of choice and the Audacy app. Three episodes are currently online at launch.
