Audio Journalism Experiences in Spain: Moving to a Hybrid Model of Podcast Production in News Media Publishers

This article analyses how Spanish newspapers and news agencies are embracing audio journalism and to what extent podcasts are establishing themselves as a tool for narrative, strategic, and commercial innovation. Based on the original production of 138 titles released by 15 news organizations, a mixed design (documentary collection, systematic listening and a 25-variable matrix on production, content, and distribution) is applied to describe formats, genres, themes and launch models, as well as the weight of co-productions and audio–video hybridisation. The results show, on the one hand, a clear expansion of informative podcasts, in the form of dailies, narrative series and conversational spaces, as well as a dominant focus on current affairs content; and, on the other hand, an asymmetrical development between groups, with Vocento’s audio division standing out in contrast to publications that barely exploit the expressive resources of the audio medium. It is concluded that podcasts are establishing themselves as vectors of transformation for the daily press by reinforcing editorial identity, diversifying offerings, and opening avenues for monetisation, but there is uneven experimentation with the potential of podcasts to deeply renew the ways of narrating and relating to audiences.