The Podium: Drama, Suspense and Pure Elation

By Sonia Yee

Senior sports reporter and The Podium host, Zoe George. Image courtesy of Stuff

From drama, suspense, disappointment, to pure elation - sport has it all, and Stuff podcast The Podium aims to capture sports news and engage listeners with its high energy, fast paced series.

Launched to coincide with the Commonwealth Games, The Podium, presented by Zoe George, was shortlisted for the New York Festivals Radio Awards 2023 - Best Sports Podcast.

We had a chat with senior producer, Philippa Tolley, who let us in on what it takes to keep up with professional athletes and sports people at the top of their game.

Senior producer Philippa Tolley.

In its first season, The Podium had the arduous and stressful task of covering the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with its production team working across different time zones.

“The time zone wasn’t great, but morning media is morning media - sometimes you do what you need to do to get the product out,” says Tolley, adding that having presenter Zoe George in Wellington, and reporters Rob Van Royen and Ian Anderson in Birmingham, helped to ease the pressure.

But as with all events, it’s when things don’t run to time that everything can fall over.

“The most stressful part was when events were running late [and] surprise medals would come out just after we’d published, [so] there was an inherent rush to get each episode out,” Tolley says.  

Since its launch The Podium has, in what seems like time-warp speed, covered three major sporting events on top of ongoing seasonal games and events. The podcast now rolls out weekly, with coverage that will increase during big events such as the Women’s Rugby World Cup and the Football World Cup.

“During the daily Commonwealth Games updates we had our great Stuff reporters on the spot who were bringing the audience up to date with overnight results. In the regular sporting environment, we like to give a breadth of coverage, explore issues and performance and reflect the excitement of the competitions,” Tolley says.

The Podium features high profile athletes from the likes of motorsports legend Greg Murphy, to Black Caps cricketer Kane Williamson, and Black Ferns Ruby Tui. But Tolley says there is still room for a diverse mix of stories and people.

“Interviews with big names in the sporting world will always draw an audience, but we’re also interested in featuring some of the lesser-known sports yarns, such as the Dutch triathlete who got into the sport after swimming for more than 8-hours to safety, after being shipwrecked in Indonesia,” she says.

Tolley says the most popular episodes tend to naturally coincide with big events including the Commonwealth Games, The Black Ferns’ Rugby World Cup victory, and the Football World Cup.

But the human side of sport seems to appeal to listeners, too. One episode in particular, which resonated strongly with its audience was when ex-All Black coach, Sir Steve Hansen, spoke about his daughter the day after she helped coach The Black Ferns to victory.

Sport is an important part of New Zealand’s social and cultural landscape. But equally, social issues affect sports and the rise of women’s sport and issues around pay equity and opportunities have featured significantly in The Podium. This includes the success of the Black Ferns since the Rugby World Cup, and The Podium will continue coverage of the team ahead of the Women’s Football World Cup.

Another social issue identified in sport is mental health, with top athletes discussing what it’s been like to face a barrage of abuse on social media in connection to their performance.

“[In the podcast] we discussed these issues with top coaches and players about team culture and being on a path to wellbeing, [as well as] competition versus the joy of playing,” says Tolley.

With sports conversations shifting in tone, it doesn’t mean there is no room for the lighter stuff. And Tolley says the production team plays a vital role in ensuring there is a balance of content, including that they don’t “lose sight of the fun of sport and the absurdity that often pops up”.

“Food featured heavily in reporting from the Commonwealth Games with one reporter jokingly suggesting he would trade a member of his family for a piece of fresh fruit,” says Tolley.

“After the Black Ferns World Cup win, nobody had any sleep, we were fuelled by McDonalds [and] Zoe had almost lost her voice after cheering [for] the team at the final. But reporting on such a great event was awesome.”

With so much of our daily news covering sport, including on television, where does The Podium fit in and what is its point of difference? According to Tolley the podcast breaks down some important barriers.

“The Podium does what it says on the tin … but people often have a preconceived idea of what sports news is, and [because we’re] doing it a bit differently with a female presenter, it makes sport accessible to fans who maybe aren’t quite as die hard,” says Tolley.

Listen to the podcast.

The Podium Production Team
Host - Zoë George
Executive Producer - Jono Williams
Senior Producer - Philippa Tolley
Sound engineer - Connor Scott