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The Annual Event Celebrating the Best in Podcasting Will Video Stream on iHeart�ƹϴ�ý’s YouTube Channel and Facebook Page and Broadcast Across �ƹϴ�ý�ƹϴ�ý Stations Nationwide and via the iHeart�ƹϴ�ý App on February 3 

The Virtual Ceremony Will Honor the Very Best in Podcasting Across 29 Categories; Additionally, “My Favorite Murder,” Descript and “Force Multiplier” Will Receive This Year’s Podcast Icon Awards

NEW YORK – January 31, 2022– iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to , today announced special guest appearances from Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, Martha Stewart, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Paris Hilton, Shonda Rhimes, Will Ferrell, Wilmer Valderrama and many more during the. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth annual iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Podcast Awards, originally scheduled to air live from the iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Theater in Los Angeles, will now be produced virtually. The awards will stream on Thursday, February 3 at 9 p.m. ET exclusively on iHeart�ƹϴ�ý’s YouTube Channel and Facebook Page as well as broadcasted across select �ƹϴ�ýradio stations nationwide at 9 p.m. local time.

The  will feature special guest appearances from Baratunde Thurston (“How to Citizen”); Bethenny Frankel (“Just B”); Brian Baumgartner (“The Office Deep Dive”); Flame Monroe (“Laugh and Learn”); Holly Frey (“Stuff You Missed in History Class”); Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett (“SmartLess”); Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey (“Office Ladies”); Leah Lamarr and Teddi Mellencamp (“Real Time Crime”); Malcolm Gladwell (“Revisionist History”); Martha Stewart; Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson (“All The Smoke”); Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang (“Las Culturistas”); Miles Gray (“The Daily Zeitgeist”); Paris Hilton (“This is Paris”); Roy Wood Jr. (“Roy’s Job Fair”); Sam Rapoport and Jane Skinner Goodell ("Earnin' It") with Head Coach Ron Rivera and Assistant Running Backs Coach Jen King of the Washington Football Team; Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland Audio); Will Ferrell (“The Ron Burgundy Show”); Wilmer Valderrama (“Essential Voices”) and more. 

Viewers and listeners will tune in to see who podcast fans have crowned the winner of the coveted Podcast of the Year award, which was again decided by social voting on Twitter. This year’s Podcast of the Year nominees include “Code Switch,” “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” “Crime Junkie,” “Louder Than a Riot,” “Office Ladies,” “SmartLess,” “Stuff You Should Know,” “The Daily,” “The Midnight Miracle” and “You’re Wrong About.” Winners for all other categories are decided by a judging panel comprised of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries. More category information can be found at iHeartPodcastAwards.com.

In addition, the 2022 iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Podcast Awards will present three Icon Awards to pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture. “My Favorite Murder,” a weekly comedy/true crime podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, will be honored with the 2022 Audible Audio Pioneer Award; Descript, an easy all-in-one tool for transcription, podcasting, screen recording, audio and video editing, will be honored with the 2022 Innovator Award; and “Force Multiplier,” a podcast hosted by Baratunde Thurston and in association with Salesforce.org that spotlights the exponential impact we can have on the world by working together, will be honored with the 2022 Social Impact Award.

The 2022 iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Podcast Awards is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of nationally recognized events including the iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Music Awards, the iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Music Festival, the nationwide iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Jingle Ball Concert Tour, iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Fiesta Latina, iHeartCountry Festival, iHeart�ƹϴ�ý ALTer Ego and iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Wango Tango.

Executive producers for the 2022 iHeart�ƹϴ�ý Podcast Awards are John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Conal Byrne for iHeartMedia, and Deviants Media Studio founder Ivan Dudynsky and show runner Jayson Belt. Proud sponsors of this year’s event include Audible, Long John Silver’s and Progressive® Insurance.