HT Smartcast is India’s youngest and fastest growing podcast producing platform with the largest catalogue of podcasts. It encompasses specially curated podcasts across Hindustan Times (HT) Media’s businesses such as Mint, Hindustan Times, livehindustan, Fever FM, Radio Nasha, Radio One and Health Shots. HT Smartcast produces podcasts covering a variety of genres like politics, news, entertainment, mythology, lifestyle, etc.
Combining the energy of Fever FM and the credibility of HT Media Group, HT Smartcast allows listeners to delve deep into topics and understand them without having to spend time reading or watching a video. The audio content offered by HT Smartcast is comprehensive and short, a perfect companion to your daily commutes and busy routines. It is India’s largest podcast publisher with over 120 shows across 40+ genres and over 7 million listens. ‘Whatsapp University: Jhakaas ya Bakwaas’ is a podcast voiced by Radio ki Hiroini, RJ Rohini from Radio Nasha and Executive Editor, Hindustan Times, Sachin Kalbag.
WhatsApp, housed in almost every smartphone has suffered from the unreliability of news for a very long time. Hence, HT Smartcast has introduced ‘WhatsApp University: Jhakaas ya Bakwaas!’ to verify the news being circulated over WhatsApp. In this podcast, Rohini introduces her questions to Sachin, who guides her and the listeners to the authenticity of the news. Myths are titled ‘Bakwaas’, while genuine news is termed ‘Jhakaas’.
RJ Rohini said, “Fake news is the biggest illness we are batting in our society today. It spreads faster than any virus. To battle the spread of fake news on WhatsApp, I have teamed up with the Executive Editor of the Hindustan Times, Sachin Kalbag and we bust the myths behind most popular or trending WhatsApp news of the week on our podcast. It’s for our audiences to listen and more importantly, share with their friends and families who may be the victims of the fake news. It doubles up with our daily podcast ‘Mumbai Smart News’ to ensure the most verified and correct news reaches our audiences and empowers them on a daily basis.”
Deepti Ahuja, Podcast Producer, HT Smartcast, said, ‘Every now and then, apart from debunking fake news we also invite guests – comedians, activists, influencers – on the show to drive the message of verifying news deeper into the Indian psyche. We have Sorabh Pant and Ashish Shakya this month, who in their own signature styles, address news and politics.’
‘Whatsapp University: Jhakaas ya Bakwaas’ has engaged thousands of listeners. It has entertained cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Indore etc. It has an international listenership in Australia, Canada, Germany, UAE, US and many other countries. All HT Smartcast productions can be found on major streaming platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, JioSaavn, Gaana, Hubhopper and more. To find more content on the HT Smartcast official website, click here.