NEW YORK & ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America which also has a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, today announced a partnership with the teams behind popular podcast Atlanta Monster — HowStuffWorks, the largest for-profit podcasting company in the world and Tenderfoot TV, a hub for content creators and storytellers — to launch season two as Monster: The Zodiac Killer and continue tackling high-profile cases in subsequent seasons.
Emerging from its debut season as 2018’s breakout hit with more than 30 million downloads, season two will be released in early January 2019, with trailers running through December. Under this agreement, the podcast will officially join the iHeartRadio Podcast Network, and iHeartMedia will become the primary distribution partner for all Atlanta Monster and Monster: The Zodiac Killer episodes. The partnership also includes plans for additional seasons to come.
Atlanta Monster host, director and award-winning documentary filmmaker Payne Lindsey will serve as an executive producer on Monster: The Zodiac Killer, in addition to lending his creative voice on the podcast throughout upcoming seasons. Tenderfoot TV and HowStuffWorks will continue to co-produce the series with Tenderfoot TV President Donald Albright and HowStuffWorks Head of New Initiatives Jason Hoch also serving as Executive Producers. Season two will explore The Zodiac Killer, a serial killer connected to a string of murders in California in the 1960s and 1970s whose identity, to this day, still remains unknown.
“It’s evident that our listeners across the country continue to have a huge appetite for true crime programs -- stories involving real people and actual real crimes. Monster: The Zodiac Killer is not just about exploring the crime, it’s about the people and communities around the crime,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio and iHeartMedia Networks Group. “Atlanta Monster told a powerful story that delved deep into the societal context and cultural significance of the events that took place. This is true crime flipped on its head, and we know season two will be even more captivating and compelling than the first. We are excited about this partnership and being able to introduce this program to our hundreds of millions of listeners.”
The first episode is set to premiere January 3, 2019 exclusively on iHeartRadio’s broadcast radio stations across the country. A digital roll-out of the full season will follow the broadcast premiere and will be available on iHeartRadio. UTA brokered the deal on behalf of HowStuffWorks and TenderfootTV.
“iHeartMedia has extraordinary reach and the ability to engage millions upon millions of listeners via its vast network of broadcast radio stations and its highly engaged digital user base,” said Conal Byrne, President and CEO of HowStuffWorks. “This partnership is an immense opportunity to accelerate the growth of our listenership and expose the next phase of Atlanta Monster to an entirely new audience, thirsty for true crime.”
“With Atlanta Monster, we really tried to explore and understand all the layers of what was an integral and transformative time in not just the city’s history, but the nation’s history,” said host, co-creator and Tenderfoot TV Co-Founder Payne Lindsey. “I think the success of the podcast proved that listeners want more of these true crime stories where we are dissecting not only harrowing, oftentimes tragic, events, but the complex people involved in them. The new season examines the narrative around one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, and we believe that our partnership with iHeartMedia will allow us to bring this fascinating story to a massive audience that only iHeart can provide.”
iHeartMedia is the No. 1 commercial radio podcaster in the U.S. and the largest publisher of podcasts in the country, featuring more than 750 original shows on the iHeartRadio Podcast Network. With iHeartRadio, listeners can enjoy their music and podcasts across more than 250 unique device platforms including in-car, in-home, on wearables, across gaming consoles and more – making their favorite audio content available everywhere they are, on the devices they use most. Visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to Atlanta Monster on your favorite device now.
About iHeartMedia
With over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners in the U.S. and over 131 million social followers, iHeartMedia has the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet in America. As the leading audio and media company in the U.S., iHeartMedia serves over 150 local markets through 849 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/ FM, on satellite, at iHeartRadio.com, on the company’s station websites and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital music, podcast, on demand and live streaming radio service, available on over 250 platforms and 2,000 devices, including on digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables and smartphones, on virtual assistants, smart speakers, TVs and gaming consoles.
iHeartRadio offers users the country's top live radio stations, personalized custom artist stations created by just one song or seed artist, on demand features and the top podcasts and personalities. The all-in-one digital service has more than 1.7 billion downloads, 120 million registered users and is the No. 1 commercial radio podcaster in the U.S.
iHeartMedia’s platforms include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital, social, podcasts, personalities and influencers, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation.
iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (PINK: IHRTQ). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
About HowStuffWorks
HowStuffWorks is the leading for-profit publisher of entertaining and informative podcast content. With more than 30 brands, including Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Atlanta Monster and Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities, the HowStuffWorks team reaches a highly engaged fan base across multiple platforms and distribution partners and has amassed a library of more than 10,000 podcast episodes and driving more than 1 billion downloads to date. With this expansive and award-winning collection of audio podcasts, HowStuffWorks is ranked #2 in global downloads and streams. The company, founded in 1998, is headquartered in Atlanta and also operates studios and teams out of Los Angeles and New York.
About Tenderfoot TV
Founded by Atlanta director and independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright, Tenderfoot TV is a hub for content creators and storytellers. The company launched in August 2016 with the release of the viral true crime podcast “Up and Vanished” and has since created podcasts including the number one hit podcast “Atlanta Monster” and “Sworn.” Together these podcasts amass over 235 million downloads in total, with “Up and Vanished” making up 200 million of those downloads and “Atlanta Monster” and “Sworn” cultivating the remaining 35 million downloads. Additionally, Tenderfoot will transition into the television space with Up and Vanished, as it is now in development with Propagate as a docu-series for Oxygen. Tenderfoot strives to tell compelling stories that connect with the audience, delivering those stories in an entertaining fashion that keeps the audience engaged. No rules. No creative restrictions.
