Spanish Podcaster Runs Podcast Club Like A Book Club

No exact global count of book clubs exists, but estimates suggest millions worldwide, with over five million in the United States. In Spain, book clubs are also popular, with Barcelona’s provincial library network alone featuring more than 1,130 active book clubs hosting upwards of 13,000 sessions a year. Smaller towns like Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol maintain nearly a dozen municipal reading groups spanning various languages and genres. Platforms like Meetup list dozens of large specialized groups (such as English-language and creative writing circles) with thousands of registered members across Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona, as well as global networks like Goodreads Spain Groups.

Spanish Podcast Pro Ana Ribera has developed a unique take on book clubs: a “Podcast Club” — Club de Podcasts Encadenados — that operates like one. Of course, instead of discussing books, the group talks about podcasts.

Before we discuss the Podcast Club, let me tell you more about this innovator, Ana Ribera. Ana is a member of the Eurowaves Advisory Board. She is an audio editor and documentary narrative specialist with over 25 years in Spanish audiovisual media, spanning television, digital platforms, and podcasting. She began her career in 2001 as part of the founding team of Castilla-La Mancha’s regional television network, later becoming Head of Acquired Production and Co-productions and leading content strategy for CMMPlay, the first digital platform launched by a Spanish regional broadcaster. As Editor-in-Chief at PRISA Audio, she led the executive production of WePod, a cross-border European podcast co-production with eight partner organizations, including the series The Right Kind of Family, while also developing acclaimed narrative series such as Hoy en EL PAÍS and Sin control. She is the editor of Criminopatía and, between 2022 and 2025, authored Sonograma, EL PAÍS’s weekly newsletter on the podcast and audio industry.

Since 2008, Ana has written Cosas que (me) pasan, one of Spain’s longest-running personal newsletters, now with over 7,500 subscribers. Within it, she has published “Podcasts encadenados,” a weekly podcast recommendation column, since 2019, covering narrative podcasts from Spain, Latin America, and the English-speaking world.

Ana’s innovation began in January 2024, when she launched the Club de Podcasts Encadenados, a monthly live listening club for subscribers that brings together podcast creators and engaged listeners worldwide to discuss narrative audio in depth. With over 27 sessions and guests including Isabel Coello, David Modigliani, Manuel Bartual, Juan Sanguino and David Trujillo, it has become one of the most active podcast communities in Spanish.

Ana talks about her love of podcasting. “The thing is, I love podcasting! Since 2015, I have been listening non-stop whenever I can. I have an audio calendar on Google where I write down every episode I listen to every day. I also have a database with all the podcasts I have listened to, including my opinion, categories, and comments. I felt the need to write about podcasts, so I created a section on the blog called ‘Podcasts encadenados’, where I share reviews and criticism of podcasts in Spanish and English. In 2022, the blog became a newsletter, and in 2024, I launched a podcast club. I wanted to teach people how to listen and go beyond ‘I like it/I don’t like it’. I never in my wildest dreams thought that the club would be so successful and great.”

Ana explains that “We meet once a month on Sunday evenings at 7 pm Madrid time. One month in advance, I send my subscribers the ‘homework’: a Spanish-language series (fiction or non-fiction) and something in English (a series, an episode or a selection of episodes from different podcasts). During the session, we discuss whether the series accomplishes its purpose and consider aspects such as rhythm, information, accuracy, and sound design. Sometimes I invite the creators to talk to their listeners.”

Ana adds: “I’m so glad to have this club because it’s such a great experience, and I’m happy to see people enjoying listening more and more over time.”

The Podcast Club attendees

As in any book club, most attendees are women. Many attendees are from Spain, but people also join from Argentina, Finland, Sweden, France, the UK, Italy, Uruguay, Mexico, and the U.S.

Ana explains: “Usually, between 60 and 80 people attend each session, and this number is growing slowly but surely.”

What specific podcasts has the group discussed?

Sunday’s session on September 13th was the 28th meeting, and Ana maintains a complete list of podcasts that the group has analyzed.

Ana says: “There is always a Spanish-language podcast, of course, but they can be from Spain or any country in Latin America, or even from the U.S.
In English, we have discussed Pack One Bag (David Modigliani, its creator, joined us from the U.S. in this session), The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop, The Runaway Princesses from In the Dark, 10 Things That Scare Me, Field Trip, Forever Is a Long Time, Gay Girl Gone, Alternate Realities, some episodes of Articles of Interest, and a few others.

Ana has a theory about why the Podcast Listening Club is so successful. “Millions of people listen to podcasts and feel the need to discuss them with others, just as they talk about films or TV shows they’ve watched or books they’ve read. But they can’t find a way to do so. Often, they’re avid listeners, but they don’t know anyone around them who loves podcasts as much as they do. They often find that when they say, ‘Well, I listened to a podcast,’ the only responses they get are along the lines of, ‘Here you go again with the podcasts.’ For them, finding a place where they can talk about what they listen to, learn how to listen, and share with others would be very rewarding.”

Ana explains hr role: “In the club, I act as an authorized curator, selecting content that they wouldn’t have found on their own. They tell me this a lot: ‘I would never have listened to this if it weren’t for your recommendation, and I really liked it.’ It makes me think differently.” Also, talking to the creators opens up a whole new perspective, because people don’t know how podcasts are made or how much work goes into them.

What are the Podcast Listening Club members saying?

“For me, the club operates on two levels. On the first level, it exposes me to other kinds of content that I might not have sought out on my own (whether because of the language, the subject, etc.). But on the second level — when we have a session — it opens me up to different perspectives and sensibilities, to ways of listening that differ from my own, and to different backgrounds. That’s why I enjoy it so much — because I learn a lot,” says Barbara.

Victoria says: “It leads me to listen differently, to pay attention to details I wouldn’t have even imagined if it weren’t for what you’ve been teaching and guiding us through. It leads me to a variety of podcasts where I encounter all kinds of experiences—some I can relate to, and others I can’t even begin to relate to. Plus, as if that weren’t enough, the time between sessions on chat and Instagram is fun, intriguing, entertaining, and funny. In short, I’m really enjoying it.”

María observes: “In this type of event, having the creators of many of the podcasts participate in the sessions is a luxury very few have!”

Montse notes: “In a world as tense as today’s, it’s a luxury to have a space where we can discuss and share our opinions without being disrespectful to one another.”

Menchu says: “Since joining this group, I’ve listened to some wonderful podcasts that I highly recommend. Plus, I find everyone’s contributions enriching, and I’m always surprised by the different perspectives we each bring, even when we’re listening to the same thing. It also keeps me connected to Spain, after so many years living in Luxembourg. And another thing I love is being able to talk with the podcast creators.”

Sira has a cultural take on the club: “This club is like a little window into Spain, which — after 23 years in France — is great for catching up and for speaking Spanish!!! Sometimes it might be the only time all week that I speak Spanish, and honestly, it’s wonderful.”

“As for the English-language podcasts, they’re really tough, but I’ve realized that trying to listen to them helps me better understand people who speak to me in English, so that’s another plus.”

Natalia talks about how the group can be counterweighted to the solitary nature of listening to podcasts: “I learn a lot, but I think it’s also been essential for me to be able to share a “solitary” activity like listening, which — at least in my case — is hard to talk about in my daily life. That feeling of “belonging” to a group — even if it’s a bunch of geeks — I love it, and it makes me listen to and take an interest in topics that I actually don’t like at all and that I’d give up on if I didn’t know I could talk about them afterward.”

Marta compliments Ana, the curator: “The recommendations that come up during the sessions and in the chat are excellent. And well, I don’t know if you mean to say this, but the club thrives because the podcast recommendations are great, and you have excellent taste — there’s a lot of junk out there, and you bring us the best the market has to offer.”

Can there be more Podcast Listening Clubs?

Ana Ribera is definitely onto something here. Podcast listening — and viewing — can be a solitary exercise. The Podcast Listening Club brings a more communal experience to listening or viewing. Keep in mind that more than half the people consuming video podcasts are doing so with either the screen minimized or while they are engaged in another activity and listening, not watching.

What I especially admire about Ana’s concept is that the “club” engenders connections between people from different countries, cultures, and languages. We need more exchanges with people from different countries, backgrounds, cultures, and languages.

Europe is far ahead of the United States here. America has become a succession of gated communities, with each group hiding behind its own confirmation bias. These gated communities console themselves with conspiratorial creeds that are exclusionary, racist, and exist in a dark halo of ethnic purity.

For independent podcast creators trying to convert listeners into a community that supports the show, developing such a club seems like a no-brainer. For podcast creators, monetizing their podcast requires more than attracting people who are passively listening. You want people actively participating in a live event or a Podcast Listening Club.

If you have questions about setting up a Podcast Listening Club, contact Ana Robera at [email protected].