This American Life's, Ira Glass, To Receive Governors Award
The Podcast Academy's Fifth Annual Award for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies) announced that Ira Glass (This American Life) will be honored with the evening's Governors Award.
This is someone who has been a staple in audio from radio to podcasts for over three decades and I'm happy for this well earned recognition.
When: March 31st, 2025
Time: 6PM - 7:30PM CST
Where: Twitch w/ host Tig Notaro
More information below.
NEW YORK, NY, February 27, 2025—The Podcast Academy, the preeminent professional podcast organization, announced today that Ira Glass, host and creator of the public radio program This American Life, will receive the esteemed Governors Award, which recognizes a podcast or individual for the compelling influence they’ve had on the industry. Glass joins the illustrious list of Governors Award recipients including Malcolm Gladwell (2024), Stuff You Should Know (2023), Serial (2022), and WTF with Marc Maron (2021). The honor will be bestowed upon him at the Fifth Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies), which will be hosted by previously announced multi-hyphenate comedian Tig Notaro, on Monday, March 31, at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago. The ceremony will be LIVE streamed by Twitch from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CST.
The Ambies celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression. The ceremony will highlight 199 nominees across 28 categories with winners to be selected by every voting member of The Podcast Academy (TPA). A full list of the 2025 nominees may be found here.
“Ira Glass has been a cornerstone of podcasting, revolutionizing the way stories are told and connecting audiences with deeply human narratives,” said Christy Mirabal, chairperson of The Podcast Academy. “His work on This American Life set the gold standard for storytelling, proving that curiosity, craft, and a well-told story can change how we see the world. This award is a celebration of his profound and lasting impact.”
Glass is the host and creator of the public radio program This American Life. The show is heard each week by over three million listeners on public radio stations and podcasts. Glass began his career as an intern at National Public Radio’s network headquarters in Washington, DC in 1978, when he was 19 years old. He put This American Life on the air in 1995. He also served as an editor for the groundbreaking podcasts Serial, S-Town, and Nice White Parents. Under Glass’s editorial direction, This American Life has won the highest honors for broadcasting and journalistic excellence, including seven Peabody awards and the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded for audio journalism. In 2021, This American Life episode “The Giant Pool of Money” was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, the first podcast ever so honored.
ABOUT THE PODCAST ACADEMY
Founded in February 2020, The Podcast Academy is a not-for-profit professional membership organization that celebrates excellence in podcasting and elevates awareness of podcasts as an indispensable medium for entertainment, information, and creative expression. It values individual and organizational creators alike, of all backgrounds and means, and defines achievement through the values of quality, creativity, innovation, inclusion, and impact. The Podcast Academy provides community, professional development, and industry connections through inclusive, dynamic programming. For more information about The Podcast Academy, please visit www.thepodcastacademy.com and follow/like/subscribe on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Linkedin. Visit our donation page to support our mission.
Sponsor support for The Podcast Academy includes Wondery, The Hollywood Reporter, Audible, Dolby, Airwave, The Podcast Show, Castbox, Outfront Media, Twitch and IMDb.
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