Hark Audio, an innovative podcast curation platform, today announces the launch of a new product that enables listeners to hear the best podcast discussions around an interest, “The Conversation.” Podcasts are where the most interesting and nuanced discussions are happening, but there’s no way to consistently hear the best ones. The Conversation delivers 3-5 minute clips, curated by Hark editors, in an ongoing playlist, from a wide spectrum of podcasts, providing an easy way for listeners to follow the conversations happening around trending topics. Each Conversation is updated several times a week, with listeners being notified when new, relevant clips are added. The Conversation is hosted by a notable podcaster or subject matter expert, who introduces each clip, guiding listeners through the playlist.
The first Conversation to be released is Campaign Trail 2024 hosted by David Plotz, co-host of Slate’s Political Gabfest. David will guide listeners to the most illuminating, curiosity-sparking, sometimes funny election conversations from a wide range of shows – the big shows listeners already love, and some great ones they may not know yet.
“We used to be able to keep up on a topic with a Google alert. But now, the most insightful discussions and analysis of whatever you are interested in are happening on podcasts. And not one podcast, but dozens of them. It would take all your time to listen to all of them. The Conversation solves that by curating the most interesting discussions and notifying you whenever there’s an incredible moment you won’t want to miss. And what topic could be more crucial for this than the 2024 election!” said Don MacKinnon, CEO & Co-Founder of Hark.
Kelly Alfieri, Hark’s Co-Founder and Head of Product & Content said “The Conversation and ‘Campaign Trail 2024’ aims to give listeners an efficient way to tap into a diverse range of voices and perspectives as the election unfolds. Cable news, traditional media and social media often fail to provide the thoughtful, nuanced conversations we crave. Podcasts are where so many of the most insightful conversations are happening but there are so many shows and most listeners only listen to a handful of them – missing out on these great conversations. That’s why we built this product and are focusing on the election as our first news topic.”
To select clips, Hark editors listen to dozens of high quality podcasts to find the smartest conversations, commentary and developments. When users want to keep listening to a clip, they can tap to dive into the full episode. New podcast clips will be added to The Conversation a few times each week. Listeners can choose how they want to be alerted to new clips – via push notifications, email notifications, or a weekly digest. The Conversation: Campaign Trail 2024 can be accessed via Hark Web or the Hark App (for iOS and Android).
“We’re veering towards a critically important presidential election but so many people, myself included, feel burned out on U.S. politics and need a saner way to keep up on the meaningful election conversations that are happening.” said David Plotz, host of the new podcast. “I’m excited to partner with Hark and to host Campaign Trail 2024 to bring listeners the illuminating, thought-provoking discussions and perspectives from a wide range of podcasts–the big ones you probably already know, and some great ones you may not have discovered yet. I think this product is a break-through on how to keep up on the election, as it unfolds.”
About Hark Audio
Hark Audio enables listeners to hear the very best stories, conversations and ideas from the wide universe of podcasts. Hark editors curate brilliant moments from podcasts and organize them into “Harklists”: playlists around news, culture, sports and more. Hark also helps brands, like Starbucks, deepen their engagement with their customers through curated short-form audio. Hark was named a Time Magazine “Best Invention”, a Webby Honoree and recently won American Public Media’s NextChallenge Vision Award for a platform with a bold vision to reinvent media and journalism.
