Audacy’s first CTO on the ‘ubiquitous’ nature of podcasts and new tech media

Sarah Foss, the first-ever CTO of Center City-based audio tech company Audacy, says that if it hasn’t already, technology will soon permeate every piece of media in the near future.

“Media is a way for us to be entertained, to be informed, to have important dialogue or sometimes just to hear the game while you’re walking the dog or making dinner,” Foss said. “Technology is truly the underpinning for a lot of what we’re doing here.”

Foss and Kevin Greenwald, Audacy’s VP of strategy, M&A and business development, talked about the future of the company’s tech strategy during a conversation at Technical.ly’s Developers Conference of Philly Tech Week 2022 presented by Comcast. The pair both previously worked in TV at Comcast, and called out a newer form of media — podcasts — as an influential market in the media space.

“It’s a form of media that totally sprung from technology,” Greenwald said — “the ability to be delivered to any device or speaker at any time you want.”

Their niche subject matter, accessibility and the “ubiquitous” nature of audio has allowed for this form of media to grow so quickly, Foss said. Greenwald works with Foss’ tech team on bringing unique experiences to consumers and helping them find the content that they want. He called out voice technology like smart speakers as one of the company’s newest explorations to pull listeners in. They’re exploring the technology with advertisers and in strategies to get listeners to engage with new topics or shows.

Watch the full conversation below: