Some of my best friends are podcasters. And I’m beginning to think they may be savvier than most radio broadcasters.
Why do I say that? Because it has taken more than five decades for radio personalities to figure out the power of their visual presence. For most hosts and shows, a camera or three in the studio often proves to be revealing and compelling for their legions of fans.
The first radio star I can remember who was all-in with a video version of his show was Don Imus of WFAN in New York City who became the morning guy on a fledgling cable news channel that truly had no hooks.
But starting in 1996, Imus enjoyed a successful 12-year run on MSNBC, a creative leap that helped add viewers to that network while expanding Imus in the Morning‘s appeal outside the environs of the New York City market. To this day though, many outstanding radio stars have avoided the cameras, perhaps to their own detriment.
Podcasters figured this out rather quickly. If you buy the idea the modern era of podcasting began with the debut of Serial in 2014, the last decade has been…well, frothy. As the platformed blossomed, attracting millions of listeners, and billions of dollars, many podcasters have made the leap to video smoothly and strategically.
YouTube was the big topic in yesterday’s post. The platform is celebrating its 2oth anniversary and doing it in style. As podcasting guru Eric Nuzum (pictured) noted in one of his always smart newsletters, “There’s something about YouTube.” Indeed.
Lately, the big number that everyone in “podworld” is bandying about is YouTube’s trumpeting that every month on the site, there are now one billion podcast viewers every month, making it the #1 platform in the category, ahead of Apple and Spotify. That milestone was reported by Bloomberg from a study by our friends at Edison.
That’s a heady number, and it speaks to the shifting sands in podcasting. In a recent
column, another podcast maven, Nicholas Quah (pictured), interviewed YouTube VP Tim Katz for Vulture about the platform’s podcasting journey.
Speaking to this idea of visual podcasts, Katz makes the distinction about content that’s “video optional.”
That is, not every podcast lends itself to visuals, often because their production is too complex. Creating a video version of the type of podcasts produced by our friend, Mark Ramsey, would require the expenses and time required to produce a TV show.
I first discovered Mark’s podcasting prowess a number of years ago when Wondery released his Inside Psycho production, an eight-episode masterpiece that will scare the crap out of you. I love watching Mark make a research presentation, but his writing and narration, combined with the production wizardry makes for a truly macabre and chilling experience – without visuals.
Of course, it’s accessible on YouTube but as an audio-only experience.
And then there’s the podcast comfortably resting atop today’s blog post. Order of the Blazing Horse bills itself as the only Detroit Pistons podcast based on a mythical prophecy. You can access it on YouTube here.
Pardon the obvious nepotism, but this podcast lends itself to YouTubization. Most of the time, it’s co-hosts Harry Moroz and Mickey Jacobs are talking to one another or as you see pictured, interviewing a third person. The podcast does rely on clever visual elements, but in the same arena as a TikTok video. Marty Scorsese-level direction is not necessary. YouTube makes every step of the process easy for these guys.
Visual version of podcasts got a boost late last month when speculation about a new entrant in the space took flight. Chris Peterson (pictured) was one of these voices. Many in the radio community recall when he served as iHeart’s main podcast executive in the early years.
Chris was a great speaker/panelist at a number of our sessions at Podcast Movement. Today, he’s launched DWNLOAD Media. It’s slogan? “Investing in the Future of Audio.”
Lately, I’ve been reading Chris’ thoughtful podcast articles on LinkedIn. He recently wrote about this potential new player in video podcasting:
Netflix
If this comes to pass, it will mark the first time the video streaming juggernaut would integrate creator-driven content. Chris links a story in The Streaming Wars – “Netflix Considers Video Podcasts as Streamers Chase the Creator Economy” – that lays out the strategy for Netflix.
In short, podcasts on Netflix represent cheap content, established audiences (think Joe Rogan), and advertising revenue. The Netflix advertising tier has performed well, so podcasts would provide considerably more spot inventory.
There’s also the issue that someone ought to challenge YouTube’s dominance in the video podcasting space. This arena is also inviting to Gen Z, especially likely to enjoy podcasts that are visual.
Chris Peterson’s take?
“We’ve already seen the lines between audio and video blur, and this move would accelerate that shift. We’ve also seen how culture can be made on Netflix—from the rise of F1 in the U.S. to, well… horrible boxing matches with YouTube stars and retired fighters. Netflix is great at surfacing content, which could be a win for podcast discoverability. But if podcasts are just treated as an afterthought? They’ll be buried.”
So, that’s how several podcasts bigwigs view video podcasts, but we haven’t exactly heard from the most important community – podcast consumers.
Our soon-to-be-released Techsurvey 2025 has included a question about the viability and popularity of video podcasts – and yes, there’s a building story happening here:
In our new study, nearly one-third of weekly podcasting consumers frequently or occasionally watch video versions of favorite podcasts. And note the three-year trend – an obvious indication that YouTube is in the right place, and that Netflix smells opportunity.
Note also that progressively younger podcast consumers are even more likely to regularly watch podcasts.
This is a shift that demands attention, not just in the podcasting community but in
radio broadcasting which has been much slower to show up at this party.
Is “going visual” the right move for every morning show, host, or personality on the radio? Not a chance. But many could enhance their brands by offering audiences a new way to enjoy already popular shows.
And radio could use something new and different right about now.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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