Abe R. Rant's Guide To Petrifying Podcasts on Roku - Aurally Abhorrent Audio for Halloween Chills & Thrills: *** SPECIAL MONTH-LONG BLOGATHON PREVIEW ***

Hi, everyone !!

Well... would you believe it!?! September has come to an end already and, aside from being the time for Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day to get woken-up, it means that (in the Northern Hemisphere) Autumn (or, "Fall", as it's perhaps better known to our friends across 'The Pond') is rapidly closing in (once again) and, as it does so, the days will get shorter while the nights grow longer... and darker - as we count down the days to Hallowe'en on 31st October 2019 !!!!!! :-O ;-) :-)

Anyway... one advantage of these long, dark nights is that they're pretty much perfect for huddling-up and playing something on your Roku player. I'm sure many Roku owners (myself included) will be enjoying the build-up to Hallowe'en by streaming something horror-related or slightly more scary than usual on their Roku player(s) as October 31st draws ever nearer...

If that sounds like you, then you may already be familiar with an annual online event which is known as the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" that encourages participants (i.e. bloggers) to contribute to a month-long blogging marathon in honour of the Hallowe'en season. I've long been a fan of this event but, since I only started my UK Roku blog in 2013, I made my debut as an "Official" 'Cryptkeeper' for the 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2013' and participated again for 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2014' and 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2015', plus the 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2016', along with another for 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2017', as well as reprising my role (albeit in another slightly different guise) for the 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2018' last year. Fortunately, being an annual event, this fiendishly fun (and sometimes frightening) celebration has presented me with yet another prime opportunity to spotlight even more Horror themed Roku content for you in the build-up to Hallowe'en 2019...

As with the last few years, because the series of posts I have planned will be devilishly different from my regular weekly offerings (not to mention a lot more frequent, too) I plan to group them all under a unifying banner. However... instead of "A MummyVision Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku" as used in 2013, or "Another CreatureFeature Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku" as it was known in 2014, or the subsequent "Alucard's Bat-tastic Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku" from 2015, not forgetting my look back over "A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku" from my Hallowe'en blogathon in 2016, plus my guide to "Awesome Horror Streams for Hallowe'en Screams on Roku" from 2017, or the terrifying 'toons of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" in 20 18, this year's theme will be "Abe R. Rant's Guide To Petrifying Podcasts on Roku" through which I'll be offering lots of "Aurally Abhorrent Audio for Halloween Chills & Thrills" by sharing links for a veritable 'A to Z' of petrifying podcasts that are guaranteed to get you in the seasonal mood, all the while endeavouring to still bring you one post each and every day, throughout October, culminating (as you may expect) on the 31st... when the Countdown To Hallowe'en 2019 ends and the celebrations begin !!! :-O ;-) :-)

For quick & easy access to the official Countdown To Hallowe'en website which includes a list of all "Cryptkeepers" (i.e. contributing bloggers) for 2019 with yours truly (once again) among them (plus details of all past contributors) you'll find the following badge with a built-in link to their website in the upper right hand column of my blog for the duration of the Countdown To Hallowe'en 2019:-

Please make the effort to click on the badge and visit the Countdown To Hallowe'en website to show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it if you visit their blogs & share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.

For my part, albeit in a slightly different format to last year, I'll (once again) endeavour to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each covering one letter of the alphabet, from A to Z, and featuring as many petrifying podcasts as I can find (featuring suitably spooky audio content) beginning with the letter for that day. Most of the podcasts will feature either horror fiction or horror chat, or horror film reviews... others will be more Hallowe'en specific but, as is usually the case with my month-long blogathons, I reserve the right to chuck-in the odd curveball every now and again. With dozens of horror-related podcasts to choose from by the end of the month, you'll have lots of options for your Hallowe'en listening pleasure as we approach All Hallow's Eve! :-O


As in years gone by, I'll try to ensure that as many of the featured podcasts are also available on Roku in Canada and the USA (i.e. not just the UK & Ireland) however, due to geographical restrictions, I reserve the right to post certain podcasts which may only be available here and not (currently) on Roku in USA and/or Canada. Either way, you can rest assured there will be PLENTY of Hallowe'en / Horror themed audio content available to stream FOR ALL ROKU OWNERS, who have access to channels like 'myTuner Radio', plus 'Spotify' and 'Deezer', 'Musiclouds' and 'Plex', along with 'TIDAL' plus 'TuneIn', and private channel 'iTunes Podcasts' - the access code for which I've included below - as well as the 'YouTube' channel for certain podcasts that are hard to find! ;-) :-)


So, if you wish to get a head-start by installing any of the afore-mentioned Roku channels which you don't (yet) have among the selection of apps that you've already added to your streaming device(s), here's a list of links to all my recommended apps for streaming the petrifying podcasts I'm sharing:-

myTUNER RADIO.....................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***

SPOTIFY MUSIC................COST: FREE (n.b. may require additional fees) [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***

PLEASE NOTE:- That I have deliberately chosen *not* to include an active link to a 'Roku Guide' review of the 'Spotify' app for the Roku platform because they only have one for the original channel (which was subsequently withdrawn) and there has been no 'Roku Guide' review published for their updated Roku channel version, 'Spotify Music', since it returned to the platform towards the end of last year. Although the original review was updated to reflect the fact that the previous 'Spotify' app had ben removed from the Roku Chanel Store, there has been no further update to suggest that they now have a new 'Spotify Music' app available. If you would like to know more about this updated app from 'Spotify', then I suggest reading my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #303" post, from December 2018, which not only covers the main differences between the two versions, but also includes links to related articles from the official 'Roku Stream' blog and the 'CNET' website! ;-)

DEEZER...............................COST: FREE (n.b. may require additional fees) [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***

MUSICLOUDS...........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***

PLEX........................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "PERSONAL MEDIA" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***

PLEASE NOTE:- That, unlike some aspects of the 'Plex' channel (app) requiring Plex Media Server to be up and running on your network, all podcasts are free... and do not require Plex Media Server, although you will not be able to access any podcasts that require authentication. When navigating the User Interface (UI) of 'Plex' on Roku, simply select Podcasts in the navigation panel on the left-hand side of the screen, using the directional buttons on your Roku remote, and pressing "OK" to select:-

If you've never used 'Plex' before, or would (at least) like an overview of how to access podcasts on each of their supported apps, there is a useful help article on the 'Plex' website that covers the basics. If nothing else, the extra information for their mobile apps could come in handy for resuming your current podcast series on your phone or tablet, whenever you're away from your Roku player. There is also a more general article on podcasts and the 'Plex' platform which might be of use to newbies! At any rate it's another good (plus free) option for streaming podcasts on your Roku device(s)! ;-) :-)

TIDAL......................................COST: FREE (n.b. may require additional fees) [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***

TUNEIN...............................COST: FREE (n.b. may require additional fees) [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***

YOUTUBE....................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***



In addition to the above channels (apps) - all of which are available via the Roku Channel Store that can be found built-in to your Roku player(s) under "Streaming Channels" from the 'Home' menu of your device - you should consider installing the private channel 'iTunes Podcasts', for which you must be signed-in to your online Roku account, that can be done using the ACCESS CODE: itpc by way of the "Add channel with a code" option in the 'Manage Account' section of Roku's website.

HINT:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!

If, for whatever reason, you have not yet added 'iTunes Podcasts' to your list of installed apps... then you will need to follow the necessary steps (outlined below) to make it available on your device. As mentioned before, because this is a "private" channel, you will not be able to find it in the Roku UK Channel Store... and will instead need to log-in to your online Roku account where you can make use of the "Add channel with a code" option. For the benefit of anyone who may not have installed any so-called "private" channels to their Roku account before... if you 'Sign in' to the Roku website online, then look under 'Manage account', you will see an active link through which you may "Add channel with a code" and, if you click on that, you will then see a pop-up window where you need only enter the 'Channel access code' and click the 'Add channel' button to have the channel added to your Roku account. In this instance enter ACCESS CODE: itpc to install it.


Here's a screenshot of the 'Manage account' section, with the active link to "Add channel with a code" highlighted in blue. To get to it... simply scroll down the 'My Account' page, which is the main page that loads-up after you sign in to your Roku account online, until you see the section shown below:-

ONCE AGAIN:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!

If you have never added a "private" channel to your Roku account before (or it has been a while since you last added one) then you should be aware that, following some recent problems in Mexico which led to a ban on the sale and/or import of Roku products in that country, it became necessary for Roku to issue a 'WARNING' message (see screenshot below) every time a "private" channel is added. This is nothing that should concern you and, having already installed this particular channel myself, I can confirm that there are no issues with it - so just click "OK" to continue...

AS BEFORE:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!

Once you have clicked the "OK" button, you will then get another pop-up window asking you to confirm that you wish to add the private channel to your account. From there, you need only click on the "Yes, add channel" button to have 'iTunes Podcasts' added to your account. Here is the channel icon (aka 'HD Poster' image) to look for among the list of apps added to your Roku account:-

TIP: If you don't see the above icon for the 'iTunes Podcasts' private channel at the end of your list of installed apps, go to Settings > System > System update > Check now on your Roku device and, once you see the on-screen message saying "Your Roku player software is up to date", simply press "OK" followed by the "Home" button on your Roku remote, to return to the main menu. From there... you need only press the 'RIGHT' directional arrowhead key once, followed by a single press of the 'UP' directional arrowhead key, via your Roku remote and you should then see the 'iTunes Podcasts' private channel sitting at the end of your list of installed Roku channels ready to be launched! ;-) :-)

Meanwhile, if there's any Roku Channel Developers or Content Providers who are featuring any of the podcasts I mention on your channel, and would like to be included in this series of articles, then feel free to comment below, providing details of the channel plus which podcast(s) I've shared that are on it, and I'll be only too happy to mention your app by way of an additional option for Roku users to stream the podcast(s) you have available. Your assistance with this is much appreciated... although I cannot guarantee that each individual channel will be included for every podcast, as there is obviously only a finite number of posts that can be made throughout the month and I may not have the time. Don't let that put you off though because, if I can't squeeze you in this time around, then there's always the possibility of being included in next year's Countdown To Hallowe'en instead! ;-)

Anyway, I just wanted to give you all a "heads up" as to what I've got planned for this blog over the month of October. Of course, there will still be my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts to keep you informed of ALL NEW ADDITIONS to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store during that time. All of which means... that there's now even more reason(s) for you to visit this blog on a regular basis as you prepare for your own Roku-assisted Hallowe'en celebration(s)... Mwah-Ha-Haaaaaaaaaa !!!!

Still, that's about it for now... I hope to see most, if not all, of you back here tomorrow and each day of October as we bring you "Abe R. Rant's Guide To Petrifying Podcasts on Roku" with a total of 31 blog posts covering the entire Countdown To Hallowe'en 2019. Be afraid... BE VERY AFRAID !!!!!!

Just don't be too afraid to pay us another visit !!

That's all folks !!