iHeartMedia Announces First Podcast Awards Co-Hosted By Charlamagne Tha God

In the last decade, podcasts blew up as a new form of entertainment. Mixing elements from old-school radio shows with 21st Century technology, podcasts essentially created privatized radio programming for entertainers to reach niche markets. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, iHeartMedia has chosen to highlight the podcasters who bring the world personalized entertainment. The media company will be launching the first ever podcast awards on January 18. 

The inaugural iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will take place at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles. It is the first live awards show for podcasting where listeners can vote for the winners. The 90-minute ceremony will be co-hosted The Breakfast Club's Charlamagne Tha God, who has skyrocketed to a level of journalism success beyond many of his peers. The Stuff You Missed in History Class host Holly Frey and country radio personality Bobby Bones will join Charlamagne for hosting duties. 

"Podcasting has roared onto the audio scene, creating the most excitement since the advent of streaming music services," stated the President of iHeartMedia's Podcasting Division Conal Byrne. "The iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will provide a forum to celebrate the high-caliber, creative content that has made podcasting a major new audio category — and that truly reflects America's favorite podcasts, voted by the listeners themselves. We look forward to hosting this transformative, annual event and encouraging everyone in the podcasting industry to push the envelope and inspire even more creators in this space."