Hearing Things with Julie and Brad isn’t, technically, a podcast. But that’s the most common name people use. We use it, too. Because it’s easier to have people understand what we mean, than talk show or video series or two DHH BFFs having a hilariously good time talking about hearing loss. But it’s not just us. Loads of people host things they could have been called podcasts once upon a time. But with the proliferation of video-based social media, they’ve added a video part. Traditional radio show do it too. So I wanted to talk about where the term came from and my experience with them as a bionic aid user.

And away we go…

Origin

Podcasts were invented by two fellows named Adam Curry and Dave Winer back in 2004 (Source). They wanted on-demand radio shows that allowed for colorful language. The watershed moment, and source of the name, came during Howard Dean’s presidential campaign that year. Nicco Mele, downloaded what was being called “webcasts” at the time and uploaded them to his first generation iPod. Since Dean’s campaign was the first to leverage technologies such as websites, that action gained traction. And since Apple’s iPod was the most popular mp3 player of the time (anyone remember Microsoft’s Zune?) people used them to listen to the webcasts. And thus the name stuck. Even though iPods are no longer a thing, the name isn’t going anywhere. 

My History with Them

I started using bionic ears around the same time; in 2003. My commute to work was longer back then. And so I started to listen to audiobooks during the drive. But this was before Libby and that meant audiobooks were books on CD. The narrators’ voices varied in volume, so my bionic ears gave me a fighting chance to hear what they were saying. But I would always be changing discs at the most inopportune moments. So, I decided to see what all the podcast hubbub was all about. I downloaded episodes of shows I found from iTunes to my iPod. It was great! Sorta. Some shows I liked but couldn’t hear well enough. Because this was before Bluetooth allowed me to stream directly to my aids. Which meant those shows with soft-spoken hosts were off the table. 

A few years later a smartphone replaced my iPod and PlayerFM replaced iTunes. And that allowed Bluetooth to enter the fray. My first set of aids were Phonak. Today they have the Roger On Bluetooth streamer/remote mic. But back around 2006, they had something else. I can’t remember what it was. But I got one. And that allowed me to stream podcasts from my ‘Droid directly to my aids. Which allowed me to finally listen to The History of English podcast; a show that traces the development of English from the Proto-Indo European days to today. 

Then I switched to Oticon aids and didn’t have the money to replace the streamer that I’d been using. I’m not sure if it would have worked with a different manufacturer’s aids. But it didn’t matter. It had died on me. I tried to make do without the streamer but eventually, I gave in and shelled out the $314 to get my first ConnectClip. And I was able to listen to podcasts like Writing Excuses, a show that gives advice to aspiring writers, once more. 

Then I switched to an iPhone. I’d always been hesitant to get in the Apple game. Some Apple Apostles are a little too aggressive in their enthusiasm for their products. (They don’t call it The Cult of Apple for nothing.) But I’d been gearing up to get the set of bionic ears I have now and one of the things Apple has over Android is accessibility. They have the technology to pair aids directly with my iPhone. With my Android phones, I’d needed the ConnectClip to stream podcasts (and phone calls) to my aids. Since I’d stopped ignoring my hearing loss and started leaning into, I decided that any misgivings I’d had about Apple were moot. 

Google is getting better, certain models will play nice with certain aids. But because there are so many different manufacturers for Android phones – LG, Motorola, Samsung, etc – as opposed to just Apple being in control of iPhone hardware, it’s not a sure thing. There is cause of hope, though. In October of 2024, the Hearing Loss Association of America was one of the organizations that worked with the FCC to pass a rule that all smartphones must be fully hearing aid compatible. (Source)  I hope computers are next. I’ve had to get another ConnectClip so that I can hear better on Zoom calls. 

Apple also did something else to make podcasts more accessible. They rolled out transcriptions in their Podcast App. 

The Lawsuit

Back in 2021, the National Association for the Deaf sued SiriusXM, Stitcher, and Pandora for lack of accessibility. (Source) The main argument is that there is so much information being relayed via podcasts and podcasts only, that they are inaccessible to the Deaf Community. I have enough of my hearing that hearing aids amplify the sound and Bluetooth connections allow me to listen directly in my aids. This allows me to enjoy podcasts. But if I were capital-d Deaf, I wouldn’t be able to, because there would be nothing to amplify. As of June 2025, the case is still ongoing. At the beginning of the year, the case got a new judge. (Source) So here’s hoping the podcasting landscape will change soon! 

But Apple didn’t wait.

I found it interesting that Apple wasn’t one of the defendants but they heard (heh) the clamor and did something about it. In March of 2024, I moved from Spotify to Apple Podcasts because they rolled out transcriptions for podcasts. Now I can follow along if a show has a quieter host or a guest-star with a voice that rolls out any of the DHH Rogue’s Gallery (accents, mumbles, speed, etc). It took three years to get it in place but the technology behind the transcriptions wasn’t something they could put together in a slap-dash manner. It’s still not perfect, there are still hilarious and confusing moments, but it’s a great help.   

Now that I’ve given you the 50,000-foot view of the podcast landscape, let’s land this plane and check out a few of my faves.  

Podcast Recs!

Stuff You Should Know is my favorite podcast. I’m an enthusiastic learner and I have an insatiable appetite to know how stuff works. I’m a curious cat and I have an eclectic set of interests. This show knows no bounds. With a topic list that ranges from Murphy Beds to rescue dogs; from the Satanic Panic to Mr. Potato Head, from grass to Evil Knievel, there is nothing Josh Clark and Charles W. “Chuck” Bryant (and Geri!) won’t cover. And they do so with a rapport and a sense of humor that makes even the most tedious of topics interesting. I’ve been listening to them for close to a decade. I’ve come to think of them as friends. But I know that’s a parasocial relationship. Because they did a show on it. 

Grammar Girl is the show I’ve been listening to for the longest. I actually started listening on my computer in iTunes. Mingon Fogarty helps me brush up on grammar rules, teaches me etymologies, and gives me other cool stuff. I love words, I love languages, I love things hiding in plain sight. For instance, thanks to something called Grimm’s Law (yes the same Grimm as in The Brother’s Grimm Fairy Tales), we can see how pronunciation changes in words can show how languages are related; the Latin “pater” begat The Dutch “vader” begat the English “father”. 

32 Thoughts is a Canadian podcast. Before I tell what it’s about, would you care to guess? Yep. Hockey. Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas talk about rumors swirling around the NHL, rehash stuff that happened during games, and answer listener questions. The name is taken from Elliotte’s blog where he writes thirty-two thoughts about things happening around the league. The number comes from the number of teams. While neither the blog nor the podcast actually has one thought per team (as I originally thought it would) I’m a big enough hockey fan that I don’t care if there’s no Bruins news.    

Knowledge is power
no matter what form it takes.
Learning can be fun.