Radio broadcaster SummitMedia has entered the podcast industry with a strategic alliance with CurtCo Media. The radio company, which owns and operates 47 radio stations in nine states, has made an undisclosed financial investment in CurtCo, with several other investors also part of the Series A financing round. The move puts SummitMedia in alliance with a network which is home to a number of podcast series including Meet Me in the Middle, Medicine, We’re Still Practicing, Cars That Matter, A Moment of Your Time, A Moment For Kids and Life Done Better with Supermodel Jill de Jong.
“SummitMedia’s partnership with CurtCo Media provides us with an exciting opportunity to develop and explore the rapid-growing podcast medium,” SummitMedia CEO Carl Parmer said in an announcement. “We’ve known and watched CurtCo create engaging and innovative content for years, and value the integrity and quality they bring to the media industry.”
CurtCo Media CEO Bill Curtis says the “alliance and investment from SummitMedia makes this partnership the most powerful moment to date in our business development. We’re so excited to work with [SummitMedia Co-Owner] Greg Kelly, Carl and their team to create new dynamic programming and combine Summit’s powerful radio platform with CurtCo Media in the fast-growing world of podcasting.”
CurtCo Media made a pivot from magazine publishing to podcasting in late-2019 with the launch of a podcast studio. Best known for targeting affluent readers with titles such as Robb Report, CurtCo has looked to leverage its contacts in the world of business, politics and the luxury market as it moves into audio. That includes the hiring of musicians to compose and perform show themes and musical transitions for its podcasts.