Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Podcast News

CBC Podcasts: Pitch Guide

CBC is the strongest media brand in Canada, known for its wide range of programming that informs, enlightens and entertains.
CBC Podcasts ·
Dozens of CBC Podcast logos in a collage.
(CBC Podcasts)

Last updated: July 2023

CBC Podcasts and BBC World Service Call for Submissions — Love, Janessa: A new season

CBC Podcasts and BBC World Service are launching a new podcast commissioning opportunity to find what we hope will become a new season of the chart-topping investigative series Love, Janessa. Click here to view the Call for Pitches.

CBC Podcasts creates award-winning series that compete and thrive on a global stage. We're excited by the idea of working with creative, talented producers who have projects that will expand our premium slate of programming. 

We create podcasts across many genres and formats. Have a listen to the types of projects we produce:

We're also looking for pitches for podcasts that land a little outside conventional format and genre. Podcasts like Wind of Change, Patrick Radden Keefe's investigation that used the structure of a true crime serial to tell a story about culture, history and spycraft. Or Reply All, a show that is ostensibly "about the Internet," but that consistently finds adventure and surprise in every corner of the web. These are podcasts that are guided by investigative curiosity, a sense of wonder, and above all, great storytelling. Other examples include: Welcome to Your Fantasy, Wild Boys, Anything for Selena, Scattered, Dead Eyes.

Here are some things to think about if you'd like to pitch us: 

  • We want ambitious, exciting and unique projects that can bring new audiences to the CBC
  • We create series that build a devoted following and garner critical acclaim
  • We are looking for talent and producers who bring creativity, experience, and can produce quality content
  • We value stories that will help us meet CBC's mandate and can also compete in the global, borderless world of podcasting
  • We are interested in stories that have novel characters, or characters to whom you have unique access
  • We are interested in pitches that reflect a diverse and contemporary society
  • Keep in mind that talent and producers can live anywhere, as long as one of the key creatives is Canadian
  • We welcome collaborations with both independent producers and established media companies
  • We will consider bringing established podcasts in-house if they align with our goals (past examples include Secret Life of Canada, PlayME, Inappropriate Questions and Sickboy.)
  • We accept pitches year-round

Here are some things to avoid: 

  • Pitches that are better suited to one-off documentaries, tv projects or segments on existing CBC radio programming.
  • Pitches that rely on copyrighted music (due to rights issues)
  • Ideas that are general or vague subject areas

Please submit your pitch using this Google Form. We strongly recommend saving your answers in a separate document before submitting the form.

In addition to contact information, here's what we ask for in your submission: 

  • Introduce yourself and what you bring to the table [max 500 characters]
  • The working title of your podcast. Please include a tagline. [max 250 characters]
  • Your elevator pitch or the gist of your idea [max 600 characters] 
  • Your target audience and why they'll care about your idea [max 450 characters] 
  • Tell us how your podcast will sound. What is the format and tone? [max 750 characters] 
  • Feel free to include the names or outlines of potential episodes. [max 500 characters] 
  • Your proposed release schedule (weekly? monthly? Is it a 6-episode series or a season for an existing series (i.e. Uncover)? [max 250 characters] 
  • What is your role in the production process? What will you need help with and who else do you see on the team? [max 500 characters] 
  • Your resume 
  • Audio samples (optional)
  • Video and/or image samples (optional)

Please note: A required action before uploading your pitch will be to agree to the terms and conditions of our Pitch Release Agreement. 

Submit your pitch via Google Form

You will get an email confirming that we have received your pitch. If we'd like to learn more about you or your idea, we will be in touch! If you don't hear back from CBC Podcasts within two months of submitting your pitch, it means the concept isn't for us. But we strongly encourage you to continue pitching in future.

Please note that CBC Podcasts is a signatory to the Equality in Audio Pact.

 

now