Last week, I published the first episode of a new podcast series which features interviews I conducted at the 2015 Worldwide Radio Summit in Hollywood last Spring. I interviewed a broad cross-section of radio executives, broadcasting consultants, record label representatives, and more. We discuss all of the issues that are on the minds of broadcasters today.
Subscribe to the Podcast
You can also listen to the podcast through the All Access mobile app (built by our sister company, jācapps):
In the first episode, I interviewed Emmis CEO, Chairman, and Founder Jeff Smulyan. We discussed a wide range of topics, from the launch of legendary stations like WFAN, Hot 97, and Power 106, to the economics of streaming, to the campaign for the Next Radio App.
You can listen to the interview here.
To Podcast or Not to Podcast?
There’s a lot of buzz around podcasts these days. The mainstream media has devoted a lot of ink and airtime to Serial, Invisibilia, and Marc Maron’s interview with President Obama. But don’t get caught up in the hype — there has been no “resurgence” in podcasting; just a resurgence in media coverage of podcasting. Podcasting continues to see slow but steady growth. According to our Techsurvey data, approximately 17% of the population has listened to a podcast in the past month. Not surprisingly, we do see more podcast listening among younger listeners.
So should your station be podcasting?
The answer is a resounding “maybe.”
Podcast listening is growing, and it would be smart for broadcasters to get in sooner rather than later. But as we all know, few broadcasters find themselves with a lot of extra cash or time on their hands. So how big a priority is this?
Here are the factors to consider:
- Do you already have a successful blogging strategy in place? Text is more likely to go viral than audio, and audio can’t be indexed by search engines, so blogging should be your first priority.
- Do you have a staff member in house who wants to champion podcasting? This project is going to be a lot easier if you have somebody who’s excited to spearhead it. So find somebody who’s enthusiastic and give them a lot of creative control over the product. This is great way for up-and-coming air talent to develop their chops, or for existing personalities to explore other interest in depth. There’s no reason your afternoon jock can’t do a podcast about sports or parenting or local bands.
- Can you tie in a sponsor? You will have a much easier time getting management to buy in to this project if they see it generating revenue. See if you can find an existing client who would be interested in a podcast sponsorship. This also allows you to promote the podcast with a paid spot schedule.
Limit Your Commitment
There is a tendency to think of podcasts as open-ended affairs, like The Tonight Show or Meet the Press. But there’s no hard-and-fast rule that says podcasts have to go on for ever and ever. In fact, Serial proved that you can produce a very successful podcast with a limited number of episodes.
So instead of committing to a never-ending podcast series, start with a set number of episodes in mind. For example, let your morning show producer do a 10-episode podcast featuring interviews from local chefs. If it’s a huge success, you can return to produce a second season. If not, you’re not locked into anything. More than likely, you’ll learn a lot in the process and will want to make some tweaks before you continue.
But Commit to a Promotional Plan
Don’t assume that just because you build it, they will come. If you’re going to ask your staff to invest time into this project, make sure you give it the proper promotional support. That includes live and pre-recorded on-air mentions, a social media gameplan, search engine optimization, email blasts, push notifications from your mobile app, and press releases. Expect to spend some time submitting the podcast to various directories, like iTunes and Stitcher. (This video will show you how to submit your podcast to iTunes.)
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