The show is hosted by Dan Savage and produced by Nancy Hartunian.[1] The podcast debuted in 2006 as an extension of the Savage Love column in The Stranger.[2] The show uses a freemium model with advertising in free "micro" episodes and extra content behind a paywall.[3] The free "micro" episodes are roughly 50 minutes long, while the paid "magnum" episodes are about 90 minutes in length.[4]
Format
In each episode, Savage answers voicemail messages from listeners seeking advice.[5] For instance, in the October 13, 2015 episode, Savage answers a voicemail about jelousy of a partner's longterm relationship with someone of the opposite sex and discusses the Westermarck effect.[6] Sometimes rather than answer a voicemail, Savage will have a guest on the show. The show opens with a short and upbeat theme song, which is followed by Savage delivering a monologue about the news or a personal experience.[3] While earlier in the show's run, the monologue was often serious and political in tone, in more recent years the monologue has grown less serious and focuses on lighter subjects.[7]
Reception
According to The Guardian, the podcast had 200,000 weekly listeners in July 2014.[4] According to Slate Magazine, the podcast had 300,000 monthly listeners in September 2021.[1]
In Slate Magazine, Bryan Lowder chose episode 109 as one of the best podcast episodes ever.[8]The Atlantic deemed the show one of the best podcasts of 2016.[9]Time Magazine included the podcast on their list of the best podcasts of 2017.[10]The Guardian considered the show one of the best podcasts of 2018.[11]
Peter Wells wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald that "the Savage Lovecast is a podcasting institution" due to the show's longevity and reach.[12] Lauren Passell wrote in LifeHacker that the podcast helped shape the sex and dating advice genre within the medium of podcasting.[2]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.