ABC News Will Launch Daily ‘Start Here’ Podcast

ABC News is getting in on the parade of traditional media outlets launching daily news podcasts.

Starting March 28, ABC News debut “Start Here,” a twenty-minute session hosted by Brad Mielke that taps ABC News personnel and offers insight on events shaping the world. New episodes will post each weekday at 6 a.m. eastern  on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music and the ABC News app.

“We’ve got the global resources of ABC News at our disposal so we can tackle each day’s most important and interesting stories.   Sometimes, we’ll be making news with our investigative reporting or high-profile interviews.  But, always, we will provide depth and context and a unique presentation that is contemporary and interesting,”said Steve Jones, vice president and general manager of ABC Radio, via email. He added: “Our presentation will be smart without being pretentious.”

Podcasting has been around for years, but the medium has become more viable as more consumers gain access to mobile devices capable of streaming digital audio or show interest in a new phalanx of connected home devices, such as Amazon’s Alexa, that allow for content to be beamed via broadband to home speakers. The New York Times and NPR have both found traction with sundry podcasts in recent months. Data released by Nielsen earlier this week suggest the number of homes that define themselves as “avid fans” of podcasts rose to 16 million in the fall of 2017, compared with 13 million during the same period in 2016. ABC Radio’s Jones said the median age of podcast listeners is 29.

ABC News has been experimenting with new kinds of digital audio for a few years, Jones said, launching an ABC News audio channel on the ABC News app about three years ago. Executives considered a podcast about top stories, but also felt the content might become dated very quickly. “But, as smart speakers began driving increases in consumer listening, we determined it was time to synthesize our resources in to a podcast that could become a new, daily habit,” he said.

Each episode will feature four to six stories with an emphasis on taking listeners right to the scene of compelling moments using natural sound and on-location reporting. Each day Mielke will talk to ABC News veterans including Martha Raddatz, Chief Global Affairs Correspondent; Jonathan Karl, Chief White House Correspondent; Juju Chang, “Nightline” co-anchor; and Rebecca Jarvis, Chief Business, Technology and Economics Correspondent. “Many of the same names and faces you see on TV or on your social media feed will join ‘Start Here’ to further report on the stories driving each news cycle,”said Jones.

Mielke is an ABC News reporter based in New York. He served as Campaign Digital Journalist during the 2016 election. Since that time, he has hosted several politics shows on ABC Radio and He reports on breaking news events on ABC News Digital.