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"Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 6:48 pm
by NoManches
I stole the title from James29's awesome thread about Spanish telenovela recommendations.

Over the years I've spent hours looking for good podcasts in Spanish, and although I have come across some good ones, it has taken a lot of effort to find them. I'm not sure if this thread will be really popular or not, but I'm hoping to share some of my favorites and get some good recommendations in return. Also it seems like most of the searches I've done for Spanish podcasts come back with the same returns over and over again: a list of podcasts for learners ...and oh yea.. Radio Ambulante (which IS an awesome podcast). I'm hoping to share (and get) some different material in this thread

I have a long list but I'll get it started by sharing a few of my favorites from Mexico:

El Explicador:
Enrique Gánem and María de los Angeles Aranda talk about really interesting topics, usually relating to science. Good audio quality, and a great way of expanding your vocabulary. Because some of the shows are very scientific in nature, this might be best for advanced learners.


Así como suena
This is an awesome podcast with great audio quality. It is one of the few podcasts that I can listen to while driving because the audio is usually clear, and loud. From their own description: "En Así como suena contamos historias: historias de amor y de odio, de crimen, de política, de corrupción, de vida cotidiana. Nuestro extraordinario equipo de reporteros no se queda en la superficie, en la nota. Cava profundo. Y te ofrece piezas sonoras extraordinarias; historias que merecen ser escuchadas."

Contrapoder, con Jorge Ramos
I suppose this is from the US, but it is hosted by Mexican born reporter Jorge Ramos. This includes some great interviews with key figures in today's world. Definitely worth checking out!

La Mesa con Leon Krauze
This is one of my all time favorites (I even read his book which is based on the podcast)/ Basically, Leon Krauze sits down with people and they tell him their life story: how and why they came to the US, what they do for a living, where they grew up, etc. I highly recommend this one. Might be good for a low intermediate learning trying to work on listening skills.

Historias del más allá
I like this one, although the sound quality isn't super good. It involves people calling in and telling stories about paranormal/creepy things that have happened to them. A great way of working on your listening skills since people from all over Mexico call in, and sometimes it's hard to hear because of phone issues.

Los Desvelados
I like listening to this one at night when I'm driving for some reason. People call in and talk about "OVNI's" and other supernatural occurrences.

The Manager's Podcast
I'm not a manager but I like this one because it is updated regularly and the host is very easy to understand. Good audio quality as well. The host offers advice for managers but a lot of the info on this program can be applied to everyday life.

Neteando con Kate y Jessica
Hosted by Kate del Castillo and Jessica Maldonado
Not something I would ever listen to in English but it is a great way of expanding my vocabulary about topics I normally don't care about. Some topics are geared towards women, but some are about topics that are important to almost everyone. I especially like this show because Kate drops little bits of information here and there about La Reina del Sur 2 and Ingobernable season 2 (although Ingobernable 2 is now available). Great audio quality, very easy to listen to while driving. They so go from Spanish to English a decent amount which is annoying, but the content makes it worth it. Also, I feel very proud of myself when Jessica doesn't know a word in Spanish (but I know it), and she has to ask Kate ¿como se dice.....?



I have a lot more, including some good ones from Spain and Colombia. Feel free to share everything and anything.

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 8:16 pm
by Speakeasy
NoManches wrote:I stole the title from James29's awesome thread about Spanish telenovela recommendations...
Excellent initiative, always steal from the best!
Steal From the Best.gif

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 8:35 pm
by mjfleck2000
El Explicador:
Enrique Gánem and María de los Angeles Aranda talk about really interesting topics, usually relating to science. Good audio quality, and a great way of expanding your vocabulary. Because some of the shows are very scientific in nature, this might be best for advanced learners.
some reason. People call in and talk about "OVNI's" and other supernatural occurrences.

Thanks for the great suggestions. I am always looking for alternative material.

I wanted to echo your recommendation for El Explicador. The host will challenge your listening skills at times. He, like all of us, tends to rush the last portion of a sentence. At times he will also allow his voice to become very soft during a long explanation. I have to listen again to what he said when he rushes and speaks softly. I believe he is doing that because he just WANTS to give you the information that he thinks is soooo very interesting... just like how you will hear others talk in normal, day-to-day speech. Great program!

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:41 am
by kanewai
aiee, I don't even know where to start ... so I've downloaded five episodes of each of them! Thanks for this list. I've struggled finding good Spanish audio that keep me interested.

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 6:02 am
by Jaleel10
Thanks, NoManches for opening up this thread. I hope to contribute to it as my listening comprehension improves. Right now I have nothing notable to add haha but that thanks for the recommendations!

Here as some gaming podcasts to anyone interested (both from Spain):
MG Podcast:
A podcast by gaming journalists/fans. One of the most popular Spanish language gaming podcasts. The hosts are very chill and the production of the podcast is very good. My favourite podcast to listen to after a long work day. Reminds me of my school days when me and friends use to have long winded conversations about games.

Podcast Reload:
By far the most popular Spanish language gaming podcast. Not as good as MG but very much deserving of its title, the podcasts are very in depth and they have many different speakers. Some you'll love, some you'll loath

The great thing about these podcasts are that you will get to experience how young people talk and how they talk about gaming. It's pretty dificult at times to keep track but your saving grace will be the fact that they have to throw in a bunch of English words because well some gaming terms are just better expressed in English :)

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 7:15 am
by Bex
Excellent suggestion, I will be bookmarking.

Is there any chance of stating where the podcast is from?

I specifically like to listen to podcasts for shadowing and so it would save me a lot of time finding resources if the region was stated along with the title.

I know it's not important for a lot of listeners but I thought I'd just ask.

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:27 am
by garyb
Great stuff!

Two common recommendations from Spain are Futuro Abierto (discussion of themes that affect society) and Nómadas (travel). Both are very clear and easy to understand, and full of language on interesting topics.

I'm looking for recommendations for something more challenging and conversational, again preferably from Spain. A few have been mentioned in the Spanish Group thread.

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 11:09 am
by devilyoudont
Due to my level these are mainly for beginners :)

SpanishPodcast.net - dialect: Spain. This is a podcast aimed at learners that is 100% in Spanish. The most often topic is explaining Spanish idioms. The host Alex will break things down in very easy to understand Spanish. He will explain the phrase word by word, and then what all of the words mean together. And he will also provide examples of usage. Sometimes they also cover historical topics or other things as well.

Duolingo Spanish - dialect: various Latin American. This Podcast has a new native speaker on for each episode. They tell an important story from their life. The topics have varied from dealing with a parent's dementia, to kidnapping, to moving to Maine with your hairless Peruvian dog. The podcast is intended for a low level, so what they do is they add context to what the native speaker is saying by having an English host provide bridging material. So the Spanish speaker will talk for a while, then the English speaker will talk for a little while. However, the English Speaker does not translate what the Spanish speaker said, she, again, just provides additional context, or provides a bridge to what the Spanish speaker will talk about next.

Cienciaes.com dialect: Spain. This is just a general Science podcast. I find science podcasts to be a bit easy to listen to just because the amount of vocabulary that crosses over.

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:51 pm
by NoManches
garyb wrote:I'm looking for recommendations for something more challenging and conversational, again preferably from Spain. A few have been mentioned in the Spanish Group thread.


If it's podcasts from Spain that you want, then it is your lucky day!

Documentales Sonoros
Documentaries that you can listen to. Audio quality isn't super great, and a lot of the episodes are dubbed (you can here the English in the background). But, these are pretty interesting and you might find a topic that interests you.

Escuchando Documentales
Same as above.

El Podcast de Marketing Online
Also from Spain, I think I heard about this when listenting to another podcast called "Te Invito Un Café". I don't care at all about marketing online but this podcast is from Spain, has great sound quality, and is updated regularly.

Desarollo Professional
Another topic that doesn't always apply to me, but.....from Spain, great audio quality, and updated regularly as well.

If you want a ton of great quality podcasts from Radio Nacional de España, then go here: http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/programas/rne/todos/1/

I only listen to a few from that list, I need to find some more. Here are a few that I like:

Sangre sobre la tierra
From Spain, a horror show dealing with anything spooky, creepy, and paranormal

Nomadas
Already reccomended but I love this show, it is one of my "go to" podcasts

Espacio en Blanco
Dedicated to OVNIs and other paranormal activities. From Spain.

Sorry to keep everyone hanging, but I have some REALLY good ones from Spain that I will add later. And when I say really good, I'm talking about hours and hours of pure listening pleasure, guaranteed to boost your listening comprehension. I'll give you a hint: they can all be found from "Podium Podcast" available online, on iVoox, or on their app. Their podcasts/shows are really good and I think almost everybody will find a show that interests them. I'll add it later when I have more time.

Happy Listening!

Re: "Official" PODCAST (in Spanish) Reviews and Recommendations

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:10 pm
by James29
Great thread. It makes me feel bad I'm not listening to podcasts when I drive anymore.

VOA Noticias is great (Voice of America in Spanish). I listened to Buenos Dias America (daily news broadcast) every day for about a year. They have tons of programs.