The Front Page: NZ Herald to launch daily morning news podcast

The NZ Herald's new daily podcast The Front Page is set to launch at 5am tomorrow, giving news fans fresh insight behind the headlines.

Hosted by former online business editor Damien Venuto, The Front Page will feature 15- to 20-minute discussions with the journalists, columnists and newsmakers behind the biggest stories in the country.

Coverage will range from politics, business health, local interest, world news, entertainment, sports, lifestyle and everything in between.

The first episode of The Front Page will launch at 5am tomorrow, with Venuto interviewing political journalist Derek Cheng on what life with Covid means for Kiwis. New episodes will follow every weekday.

NZME managing editor Shayne Currie says The Front Page is another example of the NZ Herald continuing to adapt to growing audience demand for short-form, topical, digestible content.

"We are continually innovating and evolving, with a focus on providing high quality, trusted, easy to access news across multiple platforms to appeal to all audiences – be that through digital, audio or print.

"Damien Venuto is a respected and experienced journalist and he will make a fantastic host – capturing further insights with in-depth interviews with the NZ Herald's talented editorial team as well as columnists and other special guests," says Currie.

The Front Page joins a growing slate of NZ Herald podcasts, including A Moment in Crime, In the Loop, On the Tiles, Continuous Disclosure, Money Talks, and Science Digest.

The NZME and iHeartRadio content library - which includes podcasts from the NZ Herald, Newstalk ZB, ZM and Hauraki - consistently rates as the largest podcasting network in the country, with over 4.8 million podcast downloads in February 2022.

Venuto says he feels incredibly privileged to be given the opportunity to build something from the ground up.

"I'm currently feeling a strange mix of excitement and fear in the lead-up to launch," says the host.

"One of the things I've always loved about journalism is the conversations that happen behind the scenes during the newsmaking process. Sharing the thoughts and opinions of journalists who have been intimately involved in investigating major stories is a massive responsibility. I really hope our work resonates with the audience."

The Front Page will be available to download from 5am each weekday from Tuesday 22 March via nzherald.co.nz, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.