As one of the first news media companies in Argentina to embrace podcasting, Los Andes set its sights high: It was determined to become the leader in innovative formats and to grow the audience of the 136-year-old company by adding audio to its offerings.

To reach that goal, Los Andes deployed an array of podcasts with topics ranging from news to true crime to music. The podcasts use the comps best journalists to tell the stories in the first-person, and in each case, the journalist is extremely passionate about the topic.

Since launching its podcast format in 2018, Los Andes has seen rapid success in acquiring listeners. In its first year, the listening audience totaled 173,000 and pushed visits to the podcasts’ online publications on the Los Andes Web site above 1.2 million.

Today, Los Andes has more than 170 programmes that range in length from 10 to 20 minutes. This provides audiences with more choices and, therefore, more gateways into discovering what else Los Andes has to offer:

• Most popular podcast: Among its podcasts, the most-listened-to programme is “Resumen Secreto” (Secret Summary), directed by Eduardo Luis Ayassa. This episodic podcast chronicles police events and revisits the crime scene of unsolved but highly publicised cases. The first 12 episodes accumulated more than 55,000 listeners.
• Podcasts focused on the arts: Other podcasts are designed to attract music and art lovers, such as “Manso disco” (Gentle Record) with Néstor Sampirisi, which reviews iconic rock albums such as The Beatles’ Revolver or Charly García’s Modern Clicks. “Album,” hosted by Patricia Slukich, explores world music and digs into obscure or overlooked sounds and artists. “Mejor te lo diré” (I’d better tell you) is designed to teach listeners about the work of famous writers, musicians, painters, and thinkers. This popular programme is spearheaded by journalist and writer Fernando G. Toledo.

• Podcasts for young listeners: Podcasts famously attract a younger audience, and Los Andes has developed several programmes specifically to appeal to those demographics. One of the most popular is “Pasión Registrada” (Registered Passion), in which host Pablo Philippens shares fascinating inside stories from the world of soccer. From explaining nicknames to sharing anecdotes, this lighthearted approach to one of the country’s biggest passions adds more than 21,000 listeners to the audience. Further captivating younger listeners is “Capricho Millennial” (Millennial Whim), which examines the social phenomena of this generation, looking at the audio-visual experiences of movies, television, and technology that captivate them.
• Podcast for unconventional listeners: “Soy lo que soy” (I am what I am) with Estefanía Scortichini is a space that includes voices often invisible by the “norms” that are prevalent throughout society. Gender, sexual diversity, identity, eating disorders, and beauty standards are just some of the topics examined in this popular podcast.
• Podcasts about news: Of course, Los Andes stays true to its news foundation, offering content such as “Verdaderas Noticias” (True news) with Alejandra Vargas and Gastón Bustelo, and “Stop the Rotary” with Leonardo Rearte. Each of these programmes add about 16,400 listeners.

All Los Andes podcasts are offered free on such streaming platforms as Spotify, Audioboom, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and others.

This case study originally appeared in the recent INMA report The Engagement and Economic Promise of News Podcasts. 

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