The Conversations Network
The Conversations Network was a listener-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit podcast network that operated from 2003 to 2012, producing and distributing curated spoken-word recordings of technology conferences, academic lectures, and thought-leader interviews via multiple channels and free RSS feeds to a global audience of podcast listeners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersKentfield, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Conversations Network does
The Conversations Network, Inc. was a California-based 501(c)(3) listener-supported non-profit podcast network that operated from 2003 until the end of 2012. Founded by Doug Kaye with the launch of IT Conversations (the second podcast ever created and, at the time of shutdown, the longest-running podcast of all time), the organization produced and distributed curated audio and video recordings of technology conferences, academic lectures, and thought-leader interviews through a portfolio of channels including IT Conversations, Social Innovation Conversations (co-produced with Stanford GSB Center for Social Innovation), CHI Conversations (with BayCHI/ACM SIGCHI), Media Conversations, and '08 Conversations (with Public Radio Exchange).
The underlying platform combined podcast production tools, a content management system, RSS/Atom syndication, and pioneering live-streaming capability for technology conferences. Complementary products included The Levelator®, a free audio normalization software tool downloaded more than 500,000 times, and SpokenWord.org, a metadata database and search engine that catalogued 1.5+ million podcast episodes and 8,000+ RSS/Atom feeds by shutdown. Content was hosted free of charge via Limelight Networks CDN and preserved in perpetuity through a partnership with the Internet Archive, where the organization was also headquartered.
The business model mirrored public radio: all content was freely available, with optional paid memberships offered in exchange for ad-free listening, individual and institutional donations, and corporate underwriting acknowledgments. A global community of 215+ volunteers supported operations, supplemented by a small appointed management team of senior editor, audio engineer, and software engineer. Distribution reached a 100x ratio of recorded-event listeners to in-person attendees, and Social Innovation Conversations exceeded one million downloads by May 2009. Operations ceased at the end of 2012.
The Conversations Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Conversations Network
- Legal name
- The Conversations Network, Inc.
- Website
- https://conversationsnetwork.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Closed
- Short description
- The Conversations Network was a listener-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit podcast network that operated from 2003 to 2012, producing and distributing curated spoken-word recordings of technology conferences, academic lectures, and thought-leader interviews via multiple channels and free RSS feeds to a global audience of podcast listeners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Conversations Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Podcast Network
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Sound Recording Industries (5122)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Podcast Live & Interactive Podcast Platforms (Live Shows, Call-ins) (MPACADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Live Podcast Recordings (MPAGACAJ)
Keywords
Where The Conversations Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kentfield
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Conversations Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Dues and Donations: Listener-supported model similar to public radio. Optional paid memberships allowed members to download and stream programs devoid of acknowledgment messages. Donations solicited from individuals, universities, and for- and non-profit organizations.
- Underwriting: Organizations could become underwriters for a period of time (one month minimum) or underwrite specific events or series. Underwriting acknowledgments were brief audio segments inserted into programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Listening - All programs available at no cost |
| Subscription | Monthly | Paid Membership - Ad-free listening with acknowledgment messages removed |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Conversations Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Conversations Network was a listener-supported non-profit podcast network that captured, produced, preserved, and distributed audio and video recordings of conferences, lectures, interviews, and speeches through multiple curated channels. Its core offerings were five podcast channels (IT Conversations, Social Innovation Conversations, CHI Conversations, Media Conversations, and '08 Conversations) supported by The Levelator® audio normalization software and the SpokenWord.org spoken-word discovery directory. All content was distributed freely via RSS and website streaming with optional paid memberships modeled on public radio.
Product overview
The Conversations Network was a listener-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit podcast network that operated from 2003 to 2012. The network consisted of multiple curated podcast channels (IT Conversations, Social Innovation Conversations, CHI Conversations, Media Conversations, and '08 Conversations) that produced and published audio programs from conferences, lectures, interviews, and speeches. The portfolio included supporting products: The Levelator® free audio normalization software, SpokenWord.org directory and search engine for podcast discovery, PodCorps.org remote recording matchmaking service, and the Podcast Academy training program. Content was distributed via RSS feeds with free and paid membership options, and was preserved through Internet Archive after operations ceased at end of 2012.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IT Conversations: The original channel, at the time the longest-running podcast on the planet, publishing audio from tech conferences and unique programs.
- Social Innovation Conversations
- CHI Conversations
- Media Conversations
- '08 Conversations
- The Levelator
- SpokenWord.org
Products and services
- IT Conversations Flagship podcast channel producing audio programs nearly every day from important tech conferences and unique interview programs, including O'Reilly's ETech and Digital Democracy conferences and an exclusive distribution partnership with Tech Nation (748 episodes over eight years).
- Social Innovation Conversations Podcast channel dedicated to social change topics including the AIDS pandemic, climate change, and global poverty, co-produced with Stanford GSB's Center for Social Innovation; the Center took over the channel at the end of 2012.
- CHI Conversations Podcast channel covering the design, human factors, cognitive psychology, and social science of Computer/Human Interaction, produced in partnership with BayCHI.
- Media Conversations Third channel of The Conversations Network featuring video programs including the in-house produced 11-part Future Talks series.
- '08 Conversations Fourth channel of The Conversations Network launched in partnership with Public Radio Exchange to cover the November 2008 U.S. elections, producing 25 unique programs.
- The Levelator® Free software application for audio engineers that automatically adjusts audio levels within programs to normalize variations from one speaker to the next. Downloaded more than 500,000 times and adopted throughout the audio and radio world.
- SpokenWord.org Free metadata database and search engine that helped users find, share, and keep track of spoken-word recordings. A database populated by member submissions containing nearly two million audio and video programs and feeds.
- PodCorps.org Matchmaking service that teamed podcast producers with stringers available to record audio and video at remote locations throughout the world; operated for approximately three years before closure.
- Podcast Academy Training program for podcasters launched at the Portable Media Expo and Podcasting Conference in November 2005, running training sessions for two years in multiple U.S. locations.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100x audience reach compared to in-person attendance for conference recordings
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Conversations Network
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Conversations Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Conversations Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BayCHI (San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of ACM SIGCHI)corePartnered with BayCHI to produce CHI Conversations channel covering design, human factors, cognitive psychology and social science of Computer-Human Interaction. Published more than 40 BayCHI monthly meetings over 2.5 years.
- Public Radio Exchange (PRX)minorPartnership to launch '08 Conversations channel covering November 2008 U.S. elections. Produced 25 unique programs before the election.
- Center for Social Innovation at Stanford Graduate School of BusinesscoreCollaborated to create Social Innovation Conversations channel covering social innovation, philanthropy, sustainability and environment topics. CSI later took over the channel at end of 2012 and continued producing new programs.
- Dr. Moira Gunn / Tech NationcoreIT Conversations began exclusive online distribution of Tech Nation podcast. Over eight years, collaborated on 748 episodes of Tech Nation.
- O'Reilly MediacoreO'Reilly Media permitted recording and publishing of Emerging Technology (ETech) and Digital Democracy conference sessions. IT Conversations pioneered live streaming of these conferences over the Internet for free, believed to be the first time a tech conference was available for free, live online.
- Limelight NetworkscoreLimelight Networks provided content-delivery services at no charge throughout IT Conversations' existence. This relationship continued until operations ceased in late 2012. No CDN outages were experienced during this period.
- Internet ArchivecoreInternet Archive preserved all content for free access in perpetuity. The Conversations Network was headquartered at Internet Archive's San Francisco facility. Brewster Kahle, founder of Internet Archive, served on the founding Board of Directors.
- PodCorps.orgminorInternal matchmaking service launched in April 2007 to team podcast producers with stringers available to record audio and video in remote locations worldwide. Closed after more than three years of operation due to insufficient user base.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Conversations Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Internet Archive: The Internet Archive was The Conversations Network's preservation partner and hosted its headquarters. While not a direct competitor, it is a deep infrastructure peer that preserved all Conversations Network content and whose mission of permanent access to spoken-word recordings closely aligned with the company's.
- Libsyn: Libsyn is one of the largest podcast hosting and RSS distribution platforms. It served as enabling infrastructure of the same kind that The Conversations Network used and provided to creators, making it a relevant ecosystem peer for distribution mechanics.
Direct peers
- Public Radio Exchange (PRX): PRX is a listener-supported public radio distribution network and podcast publisher that partnered directly with The Conversations Network on the '08 Conversations election channel. Both operate as non-profit, listener-supported spoken-word content networks distributing via RSS and underwriting partnerships.
- Radiotopia (from PRX): Radiotopia is PRX's premium spoken-word podcast network, founded in 2014 with crowdfunding support. It directly extends the listener-supported podcast-network model that PRX and The Conversations Network both pioneered.
- This American Life: This American Life is a long-running spoken-word podcast and radio program featuring curated interviews and stories. Its listener-supported, narrative-audio focus closely parallels the conference-and-interview programming that defined IT Conversations.
- Gimlet Media: Gimlet Media (now part of Spotify) was a major podcast network producing high-quality spoken-word narrative and interview content distributed via RSS—the same core offering as The Conversations Network, but executed at venture-funded professional scale.
- Earwolf: Earwolf is a podcast network specializing in curated spoken-word comedy and interview programming, distributed via RSS and monetized through advertising and memberships—comparable category, business model, and content type to IT Conversations.
- WNYC Studios: WNYC Studios is a public-radio-affiliated podcast network producing high-quality spoken-word programming distributed freely via RSS with membership/underwriting revenue—directly comparable in mission, business model, and content category to The Conversations Network.
Broad incumbents
- Audible: Audible (an Amazon company) is a major spoken-word audio subscription platform and original content producer. It overlaps with The Conversations Network in the spoken-word audio category but at vastly larger scale with a subscription-driven model.
- NPR: NPR is the prototypical listener-supported public-radio spoken-word network whose underwriting-and-membership model The Conversations Network explicitly emulated. It is a much larger incumbent covering similar spoken-word/audio content territory with a comparable revenue model.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Conversations Network social profiles
Digital presenceThe Conversations Network compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Conversations Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Conversations Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Conversations Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Conversations Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Conversations Network
What does The Conversations Network do?
The Conversations Network was a listener-supported non-profit podcast network that captured, produced, preserved, and distributed audio and video recordings of conferences, lectures, interviews, and speeches through multiple curated channels. Its core offerings were five podcast channels (IT Conversations, Social Innovation Conversations, CHI Conversations, Media Conversations, and '08 Conversations) supported by The Levelator® audio normalization software and the SpokenWord.org spoken-word discovery directory. All content was distributed freely via RSS and website streaming with optional paid memberships modeled on public radio.
Is The Conversations Network a public or private company?
The Conversations Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was The Conversations Network founded?
The Conversations Network was founded in 2003.
Where is The Conversations Network based?
The Conversations Network is headquartered in Kentfield, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Conversations Network make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues and Donations are the primary driver. The others are underwriting.
Who are The Conversations Network's main competitors?
Others on record are Internet Archive and Libsyn. Direct peers are Public Radio Exchange (PRX), Radiotopia (from PRX), This American Life, Gimlet Media, Earwolf and WNYC Studios. Broad incumbents are Audible and NPR.
Does The Conversations Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Conversations Network.
What industry is The Conversations Network in?
The Conversations Network's product category is Podcast Network. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACADAJ, Podcast Live & Interactive Podcast Platforms (Live Shows, Call-ins), with a secondary code of MPAGACAJ, Live Podcast Recordings. Its NAICS code is 5162 and its SIC code is 7370.