Twenty Thousand Hertz

The history of podcasting has rarely been told. But in this episode, the brightest minds in podcasting reveal the inside story of this medium: from the invention of RSS feeds, through the Gold Rush era of corporate investments, to the bubble bursting, and the rise of celebrity podcasts. Along the way, Ira Glass explains the origins of This American Life and Serial, Marc Maron recounts Obama visiting his garage, Roman Mars lays out his vision for indie podcasts, and so much more. This story was adapted from the feature documentary ⁠⁠Age of Audio⁠⁠.

Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at ⁠⁠20k.org/2026⁠⁠.

For updates on Age of Audio, visit the ⁠⁠official website⁠⁠, or follow the film on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠⁠⁠Defacto Sound⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Find out how you can get the iPhone 17 Pro at no cost with an eligible iPhone trade in at ⁠⁠att.com/iphone⁠⁠, or by visiting an AT&T store.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/20k⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠quo.com/20k⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 20% of your first 6 months of business phone software.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One day, Ethan had an unfortunate bathroom incident. Then, he found an entire collection of songs online with his name in the title… and they all seemed to be about that embarrassing moment. That experience sent Ethan and his sister down a bizarre rabbit hole involving AI music, lots of poop jokes, and possibly the world’s most prolific songwriter. This story comes from the Hyperfixed podcast.

Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at 20k.org/2026.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Hyperfixed wherever you get your podcasts.

Hear A Song About Ethan by Matt Farley, or request a custom song by him.

Find out how you can get the iPhone 17 Pro at no cost with an eligible iPhone trade in at att.com/iphone, or by visiting an AT&T store.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes the music of Bluey feel so warm and alive? In this episode, Dallas travels to Brisbane, Australia to visit the studio of Bluey’s composer Joff Bush. There, Joff reveals the quirky instruments, musical easter eggs, and songwriting philosophy behind this beloved series. Along the way, he breaks down the music of two iconic Bluey episodes, “Sleepytime” and “The Sign.”

Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at 20k.org/2026.

See Dallas tour Joff's studio on Youtube.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Find out how you can get the iPhone 17 Pro at no cost with an eligible iPhone trade in at att.com/iphone, or by visiting an AT&T store.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Radiolab became a cultural phenomenon, it was an experiment… one that Jad Abumrad built voice by voice, sound by sound. In this episode, Jad walks Dallas through his journey with the show, from its scrappy beginning in a New York basement, to leading a massive team, and ultimately stepping away. Along the way, he breaks down his signature sound design and storytelling techniques, and how he’s carried those into newer projects like Dolly Parton’s America and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.

Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at 20k.org/2026.

See Dallas tour Jad's studio on Youtube.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to Radiolab, More Perfect, Dolly Parton’s America, and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man wherever you get your podcasts.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial at ⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/20k⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠quo.com/20k⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 20% of your first 6 months of business phone software.

Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, we ran three full episodes of listener-produced stories. But one beautiful story was just a little too long for the final cut… and we couldn’t leave it behind. In this episode, sound designer Jesse Herrera tells the story of his grandfather, who lived in silence for 35 years before receiving a cochlear implant, and the overwhelming, joyful process of learning to hear again. Afterwards, Dallas and Casey reflect on last year’s Listener Stories and kick off this year’s competition. 

Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at 20k.org/2026.

To make a donation to the Harry Hakeem Scholarship Fund supporting the education of children with hearing loss, visit peiabq.org/giving.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Explore incredible speakers, soundbars, and more at ⁠sonos.com⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠quo.com/20k⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 20% of your first 6 months of business phone software.

Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial at ⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/20k⁠⁠⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices