THE BUGLE GOES INDEPENDENT

New beginning for leading satirical podcast

Satirical comedy podcast The Bugle, hosted by JOHN OLIVER (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) and ANDY ZALTZMAN (7 Day Sunday on BBC Radio 5Live) has found a new home, following its departure from The Times in January 2012.

Fans were able to download the 179^th issue of the newly-independent Bugle, featuring JOHN and ANDY in their respective home cities of New York and London, on Friday 20^th January, via iTunes or www.soundcloud.com/the-bugle, and the show’s new website, www.thebuglepodcast.com.

Last year, the podcast had an average of over 2 million downloads per month.  It has regularly featured in the official iTunes podcast top ten in both the USA and UK, and has topped the iTunes comedy charts.  In the wake of Friday’s relaunch, The Bugle reached the number 10 spot on the iTunes chart.  As of Sunday night, The Bugle was in the top 5 comedy podcasts in the USA and UK, as well as in the top 10 in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and was the UK’s highest-ranked independent podcast.

Issue 179 of The Bugle saw JOHN and ANDY reunite to cast their unique perspective over the week’s major news stories and protagonists.  Subjects covered with their trademark cocktail of political satire and outright nonsense include the Wikipedia internet blackout, the Republican nominations race, and the Queen’s proposed Jubilee yacht.

The Bugle, which debuted in October 2007, is a transatlantic comedy show, in which JOHN and ANDY are connected via ISDN.  It has built up a devoted worldwide following, and is listened to in more than 145 countries, including Yemen, Armenia, Burma and Gabon.  Listeners have also emailed in from Afghanistan, Darfur and Antarctica.

The numerous topics the show has covered include:  the 2008 U.S. presidential election, the 2010 U.K. general election, the global economic crisis, the Arab Spring, the crackpot antics of the world’s various despots and lunatics, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and Lou Reed’s epoch-defining 2010 concert for dogs.  The Bugle has left no satirical hot potato unbuttered.

The first podcast of 2012 can be downloaded from www.iTunes.com / www.soundcloud.com/the-bugle

Official website:  www.thebuglepodcast.com or visit www.facebook.com/buglepodcast  

The Bugle’s Twitter feed is @hellobuglers.