How did Ira Glass influence the rise of narrative podcasting?

He took the long-form storytelling of public radio and gave it a backbone of structure, teaching us that a story needs a moment of reflection, a "so what" to land the punch. Before him, a lot of audio was just facts and interviews, but he showed that a well-told anecdote, with a clear arc and a personal take, could make you feel like you were sitting on the porch with a friend. That blueprint, with its mix of tape and commentary, became the gold standard for the whole podcast boom.