What Is a Black Podcast? | Dr. Briana Barner on Black Podcast Studies & Cultural Preservation

In Episode 18 of the Heard! Afros & Audio Interview Series, Talib Jasir speaks with Dr. Briana Barner, Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland and creator of the Black Podcast course.

What is a Black podcast? How should Black podcasts be preserved? What does it mean to study podcasting through race, identity, and cultural production?

Dr. Barner teaches a university course focused on Black podcasts as cultural artifacts. In this conversation, she explains how podcasting functions as an extension of Black oral storytelling traditions, why representation in media still matters, and how students navigate race, code-switching, and identity in academic spaces.

We also discuss:

• Defining Black podcasts beyond the race of the host • Combat Jack and the preservation of hip hop podcast history • Why Serial is often credited as the beginning of podcasting and what that erases • Misogynoir, digital media, and the cancellation of Louder Than a Riot • The politics of editing, authenticity, and “brand safety” • Why podcast archiving is urgent in a shifting political and digital landscape

This episode is essential listening for podcast creators, media scholars, journalism students, digital archivists, and anyone interested in Black podcast history and cultural criticism.

Dr. Briana Barner’s research focuses on Black podcasts, digital media, preservation, and Black feminism. She is currently writing a book on Black podcasting as cultural production.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Dr. Briana Barner & Black Podcast Studies 05:00 – What Makes a Podcast “Black”? Challenging Definitions 10:00 – Teaching Black Podcasting in a Majority-White Classroom 15:00 – Cultural Production, Sound, and Audience Identity 20:00 – Representation, Bad Bunny, and Cultural Moments in Media 25:00 – Students Producing Podcasts in Real Time 30:00 – Code-Switching, Identity, and Classroom Breakthroughs 35:00 – Combat Jack and Preserving Black Podcast History 40:00 – Louder Than a Riot, Misogynoir & NPR Cancellation 45:00 – Black Feminism, Digital Harm & Podcast Freedom 50:00 – Authenticity, Editing Choices & The Politics of Sound 55:00 – Why Black Podcast Archiving Matters Now 1:00:00 – Final Reflections on Media, Identity & Creator Autonomy

Listen to the Black Podclass on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-pod-class/id1733359998

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackpodclass

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