2021 winner Dr. Lindsay Byron to debut "Hookergate: Criminals & Libertines in the South”  coming this Summer as part of the iHeartPodcast Network

WHO:   iHeartRadio, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, and award-winning multiplatform broadcaster Dan Patrick announced today the 2021 winner of The Next Great Podcast search, "Hookergate: Criminals & Libertines in the South” a new show concept discovered on Tongal from Atlanta-based podcast creator Dr. Lindsay Byron, a former English professor, Southern historian and longtime stripper turned full-time artist, storyteller and community leader. Launched in 2020 in collaboration with content creation platform Tongal, The Next Great Podcast initiative helps reach up-and-coming creative talent for a chance to develop a new original show for the iHeartPodcast Network. Creators can go to NextGreatPodcast.com to learn more.

WHAT: "Hookergate: Criminals & Libertines in the South” takes listeners back in time to 1977 when a high-profile prostitution ring involving 11 businesses in three states was the most-talked-about headline of the day. The podcast combs through the dusty archives of the Danville Register & Bee, which were carefully clipped and preserved by Lindsay's aunt's mama, who held a familial connection to this web of crime. "Hookergate: Criminals & Libertines in the South” will share unforgettable colorful quotes from local reporters and unbelievable but true dramatic scenes pulled straight from the police reports. It’s all brought to life by Dr. Byron and presented alongside present-day interviews with individuals from the older Southern generation, who remember the madness as it unfolded in real time.

WHEN & WHERE: “Hookergate: Criminals & Libertines in the South” will be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network and will make its debut this Summer on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard. Fans can also check out the 2020 winning creators Lianna Holston and Siena Jeakle’s “Tossed Popcorn,” a movie review podcast from a pair of friends who “don’t really like movies," which was also discovered on Tongal and debuted with the iHeartPodcast Network in July of 2021.

About Dan Patrick

Dan Patrick is one of America's legendary sports journalists and a revered member of the national media industry.  In 2021 he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and in 2020, he was inducted into the National Sports Media Association (NSMA) Hall of Fame. Winning the 2018 and 2012 Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year, “The Dan Patrick Show” is known for extensive A-list interviews from the world of sports entertainment. Nationally syndicated by FOX Sports Radio, the program airs on more than 360 stations nationwide. In August 2020, Patrick signed a deal with NBCUniversal’s Peacock to add a live, free video stream of The Dan Patrick Show. Patrick also signed a deal with iHeartMedia in 2020 to launch The Dan Patrick Podcast Network, featuring a slate of iHeartRadio original podcasts co-produced by Patrick, iHeartRadio and Workhouse Media. Patrick recently wrapped season two of the Amazon Music Original, “That Scene with Dan Patrick.”

About Tongal

Tongal is the ultimate platform for content creation that gives networks, studios, and brands access to a global community of creators to simplify and scale content development. The company connects the best and brightest creative talent to opportunities in a virtual online production studio that facilitates remote work and collaboration. Tongal's product and technology power the entire creative process end to end to bring undiscovered, great ideas to life through branded content, original content and advertising made on the Tongal platform. Tongal is backed by Endeavor and Insight Partners.