"Podcast" is Spanish for Podcast
After spending a year living in Spain, my natural inclination to search out podcasts led me to discover a number of Spanish-language shows. Since language learning can be hard to pursue and stick with, the passivity of podcasts offered me an easy way to keep the language in my ears while avoiding the mental block lodged between my free time and the act of intentional study. There were moments that I sat down and followed along with a Spanish podcast, occasionally referencing a transcript of the given episode, and no doubt this practice was much more beneficial. By in large, I took the approach of using podcasts to supplement other methods of study, as none of these shows are geared toward complete beginners. That said, here are the podcasts I've worked in to my stable of regulars:
Radio Ambulante
Hosted by author and podcaster Daniel Alarcón, Radio Ambulante marks NPR's first venture into Spanish podcasting. It delivers exactly what you'd expect from NPR - solid narrative journalism unraveling stories that are compelling and very much in need of hearing. High production values and expert onsite interviews across many different locations keep each episode varied and well paced. It's one of the few shows that offers online transcripts in both English and Spanish, which make for a great learning tool if you've got the drive. Episodes are released on a rotating schedule, and the newest season is just about to drop.
Zona Pop
Initially Zona Pop seems like a talking-head discussion-based show, mostly because of the charmingly buoyant personalities of the hosts. But this unique offering from CNN of all places is actually a legit vehicle for pop culture interviews with artists all across the Spanish speaking world. Hosts Marysabel Huston (based in Atlanta) and Javier Merino (based in Mexico City) cover everything from the Kids Choice Awards in Mexico to Gloria Gaynor and her appeal to a Hispanic audience. While the majority of the interviews are conducted in Spanish there are several people who are interviewed in English and then dubbed over. The sound quality can get pretty grating at times, but is usually spread out enough that it doesn't make the show unbearable. Episodes are over an hour, but the mix of banter interjected between interviews prevents the show from dragging.
NHK World Radio Japan
The shortest show on the docket, this daily news cast is produced under Japanese media giant NHK. It is what it sounds like, headlines of world news from a Japanese perspective. Which, recently, has basically been peppered with an alternating current of "misil balístico intercontinental," "Corea del Norte" and "Donald Trump." The familiar format from show to show makes it easy to follow along, and the topics are often recognizable if you've followed current events at all. Episodes are released daily, and tend to run about 10-13 minutes in length.
Showtime
Definitely the most niche offering on the list, Showtime covers all things basketball - from the NBA to Liga Endesa with a lot of coverage during the Euro League finals. The hosts speak very quickly and the discursive nature of the shows can be a little confusing if you aren't tuned in to the news beforehand. For anyone interested in the NBA, the familiarity of story lines make this palatable in concert with reading the companion coverage on Showtime's parent site COPE. I definitely miss a lot of nuance, but the gist is that it's sports talk which, in any language, is fairly similar. Episodes come out weekly and correspond to the basketball season, with coverage running through the playoffs.
Nomadas
I love the concept of this show: it's an audio travelogue to destinations all around the world. It is particularly fun to listen to an episode canvassing a familiar city, and I admit that with my novice Spanish I ironically skip episodes covering a place I've never visited. Sometimes the episodes can drag on a bit, as they run close to an hour and are comparatively formal in production, so the episodes I do listen to tend to sit in my queue longer than most on the list. Even with passive listening, it feels like a bit of an undertaking!
In closing I'll note that many of the links to these show pages leave a lot to be desired, something I've found to be true of a lot of podcasts across the board. Finding them in your podcatcher of choice (Podcast Addict, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts etc.) is much easier than streaming online, especially if you plan to do so with any regularity. I'd love to hear if anyone else out there listens to other Spanish shows, or what you think about any of the ones I've highlighted above. ¡Espero que todos encontraís algo bueno para escuchar!
Radio Ambulante
Hosted by author and podcaster Daniel Alarcón, Radio Ambulante marks NPR's first venture into Spanish podcasting. It delivers exactly what you'd expect from NPR - solid narrative journalism unraveling stories that are compelling and very much in need of hearing. High production values and expert onsite interviews across many different locations keep each episode varied and well paced. It's one of the few shows that offers online transcripts in both English and Spanish, which make for a great learning tool if you've got the drive. Episodes are released on a rotating schedule, and the newest season is just about to drop.
Zona Pop
Initially Zona Pop seems like a talking-head discussion-based show, mostly because of the charmingly buoyant personalities of the hosts. But this unique offering from CNN of all places is actually a legit vehicle for pop culture interviews with artists all across the Spanish speaking world. Hosts Marysabel Huston (based in Atlanta) and Javier Merino (based in Mexico City) cover everything from the Kids Choice Awards in Mexico to Gloria Gaynor and her appeal to a Hispanic audience. While the majority of the interviews are conducted in Spanish there are several people who are interviewed in English and then dubbed over. The sound quality can get pretty grating at times, but is usually spread out enough that it doesn't make the show unbearable. Episodes are over an hour, but the mix of banter interjected between interviews prevents the show from dragging.
NHK World Radio Japan
The shortest show on the docket, this daily news cast is produced under Japanese media giant NHK. It is what it sounds like, headlines of world news from a Japanese perspective. Which, recently, has basically been peppered with an alternating current of "misil balístico intercontinental," "Corea del Norte" and "Donald Trump." The familiar format from show to show makes it easy to follow along, and the topics are often recognizable if you've followed current events at all. Episodes are released daily, and tend to run about 10-13 minutes in length.
Showtime
Definitely the most niche offering on the list, Showtime covers all things basketball - from the NBA to Liga Endesa with a lot of coverage during the Euro League finals. The hosts speak very quickly and the discursive nature of the shows can be a little confusing if you aren't tuned in to the news beforehand. For anyone interested in the NBA, the familiarity of story lines make this palatable in concert with reading the companion coverage on Showtime's parent site COPE. I definitely miss a lot of nuance, but the gist is that it's sports talk which, in any language, is fairly similar. Episodes come out weekly and correspond to the basketball season, with coverage running through the playoffs.
Nomadas
I love the concept of this show: it's an audio travelogue to destinations all around the world. It is particularly fun to listen to an episode canvassing a familiar city, and I admit that with my novice Spanish I ironically skip episodes covering a place I've never visited. Sometimes the episodes can drag on a bit, as they run close to an hour and are comparatively formal in production, so the episodes I do listen to tend to sit in my queue longer than most on the list. Even with passive listening, it feels like a bit of an undertaking!
In closing I'll note that many of the links to these show pages leave a lot to be desired, something I've found to be true of a lot of podcasts across the board. Finding them in your podcatcher of choice (Podcast Addict, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts etc.) is much easier than streaming online, especially if you plan to do so with any regularity. I'd love to hear if anyone else out there listens to other Spanish shows, or what you think about any of the ones I've highlighted above. ¡Espero que todos encontraís algo bueno para escuchar!
having a super hard time finding the feel URL to Showtime....any luck?
ReplyDeleteYeah, they don't make it easy. I found it on Podcast Addict, and there is something called iVoox which is where it was originally sent my way (https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-showtime_sq_f111819_1.html). The parent site COPE has a link to iTunes and episodes can be streamed online (http://www.cope.es/programas/showtime/podcast) but of course they don't make it easy for android!
Deletehttp://www.cope.es/api/es/programas/showtime/audios/rss.xml
DeleteThere is the feed URL that I managed to get and worked in my podcast app.
Nice! What is your app of choice? I've experimented with Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify and Pocket Casts but I primarily roll with Podcast Addict.
DeleteUsed podcast addict for a while, but currently using Pocket Casts. I really like how clean it looks and how it syncs to my web account on my desktop too.
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