Anna Faris: From Podcast To Broadcast

• iHeartMedia announced a first-of-its-kind agreement with actress Anna Faris to bring her hit podcast, Anna Faris is Unqualified, to Top 40 radio and the iHeartRadio Podcast Network. Faris created the podcast with her longtime friend and co-host Sim Sarna, who produces the show and runs the production company, Unqualified Media.

Leveraging its “Podcast, Meet Broadcast” strategy, iHeartMedia has struck a deal with Unqualified Media to produce a long-form version of Anna Faris is Unqualified as a radio show that will air weekends across Top 40 radio stations. Anna Faris is Unqualified will officially partner with iHeartRadio Podcast Network to provide exclusive podcast content and iHeartMedia will create short-form weekday content to promote Unqualified.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be partnering with iHeartMedia to bring Unqualified to millions of new listeners,” said Faris. “At Unqualified, we pride ourselves on generally not knowing what we are doing, and it seems iHeart is willing to accept our values and form this expansive partnership with us. Being able to embarrass Sim to millions of new listeners is simply a dream come true.”

Chris Peterson, SVP of Podcasting for iHeartMedia, commented, “As big fans of Anna Faris and Unqualified, we know this series is the perfect partner to launch this Podcast-to-Broadcast opportunity. We can help podcasts like Anna Faris is Unqualified scale in a big way by introducing them to our quarter of a billion broadcast listeners each month. While podcasting continues to grow on iHeartRadio and across the industry, nearly three-quarters of the country still do not listen to podcasts. We have the ability to reach those listeners through radio’s massive reach, helping to introduce podcasts to the vast majority of people often for the first time.”