That seems to support christopherslee's point. NPR already had what it needed institutionally to do podcasts people wanted to listen to and the reach to make sure they have a chance to reach an audience. I could start one and probably do okay because I already know a bit about audio engineering and marketing and can make my own music, but most people start from 0.
I thought they could be an add on to podcasts or radio shows where instead of having a phone bank or twitter feed, people listen in on clubhouse and then when picked by the host they get to talk or win tickets or whatnot.