One of the key areas of investigation in our new Techsurvey12 – coming up this month – is podcasting. Most of you probably think this is a no-brainer. There wasn’t much competition for the key word in radio in 2015. It might have been SDK, Bubba, or Boom.
But I’m thinking it was no contest that the word of the year was podcasting.
Serial appeared to be the catalyst that got the conversation going, and it hasn’t stopped. At every conference and convention with a radio emphasis, there’s at least one podcasting panel. And you can expect the Podcast Movement conference this summer in Chicago will be bigger than ever.
Yes, there are outstanding issues with the platform that will take time to unravel, refine, and address. Starting with metrics that matter, the road to monetization is still a shaky one. And consumer access is still not ideal, although it continues to get better via mobile gadgets and apps.
Our Digital Dot Connector, Seth Resler, wrote a post called “The Race to Dominate the World of Podcasting” last month where he laid out some of the key barriers that podcasters face.
It’s a good read because there are obvious signs that podcasting is going to be an audio force. It’s easy to follow these technological bread crumbs and conclude that on-demand audio (aka podcasts) is going to continue to expand and become a larger part of many audio diets.
And unlike other disruptive platforms in which radio was not able to participate, podcasting isn’t one of them. In fact, many radio programmers and personalities have the experience, background, and skills that lend themselves to being great podcasters.
Production techniques, a sense of timing, and storytelling are all key ingredients central to creating great podcasts. But here’s the dirty little secret – there are some very good podcasts out there that cannot find an audience because their producers have no viable means of promoting or marketing them to their target audiences. Contrast that with radio, a medium that makes it relatively easy to draw a sizable crowd.
Our experience in the mobile apps space has clearly illustrated how truly easy it is to encourage and generate downloads. Radio’s powerful megaphone – its strong reach – is the engine that drives this behavior.
The same could be true with podcasts. A solid radio station and/or an effective personality could easily garner a considerable number of downloads based on brand equity alone. And you can bet that many consumers would actually listen to these podcasts if they were any good.
In fact, when you talk with podcasters outside the radio business, many will tell you that one of their biggest frustrations is their inability to generate attention for their audio masterpieces. Outside of social media, they simply don’t have the presence, the pull, the gravitas necessary to drive awareness and behavior. Or put another way, they don’t have the cume.
Yet, many radio companies, clusters, and stations are hesitant to even dip the proverbial big toe into the podcasting waters.
At the Nielsen Client Conference last month in D.C., Seth moderated a great panel comprised of some of the best, brightest, and most experienced pros in the podcasting space. He opened the session by asking the radio-centric audience how many are involved with podcasting.
And no more than a half dozen hands shot up.
So why the reluctance to jump into the space and at least take a stab at creating a podcast or two? It can’t be attributable to a major barrier to entry. Podcasts don’t require an FCC license, a tower, or a transmitter. You don’t need a major capital expenditure on equipment because every stations has mics, recording equipment, and production resources.
The skills necessary for creating a compelling podcast are also present inside virtually every station on the air today.
In fact, the only investments necessary are time, imagination, creativity and a sense of curiosity, imagination, and adventure. The cost of failure? Not a whole lot.
In theory, quality radio professionals should be better podcasters than the majority of those flailing away at the craft each week, trying to get noticed in the podcastosphere.
But radio won’t get anywhere in the podcasting space if it doesn’t make an effort.
It was one thing to have radio’s portability blindsided by a new technology, like when the iPod came into being.
It’s another to have been disrupted by a different form of radio, like when satellites were launched, and XM and Sirius were born.
But to sit on the sidelines and let the podcasting space work out its kinks, mature, come together, and start making money, is more than just a lost opportunity – it’s another sign that broadcasters are too slow to react to the obvious changes in content and distribution that will ultimately rock their worlds.
This one is right in front of us.
As group programmers lead their stations and as market managers guide their clusters, the podcasting question should be on the table at every strategy session. In the same way that programmers and personalities must address their Spring Book plans, their contest and marketing activities, and their digital presence in the form of websites, social media, streams, and apps, podcasting needs to be addressed, too.
This is a challenge to both commercial and public stations, because while the latter group may be ahead of the podcasting curve on a network basis, local noncommercial stations have the same, if not better, opportunities than their commercial cousins to succeed in the space.
But like any other form of content, it requires planning, strategizing, brainstorming, and commitment. Why not help shape the future, rather than reacting from behind.. If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution, podcasting is a good place to start.
So you think you can podcast?
Then let’s see what you’ve got.
A well-written and researched paper about podcasting, its history, and its potential was written by Vanessa Quirk. Her “Guide To Podcasting” is a great perspective piece about the platform, where it’s been, and where it may be headed. Access it here.
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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Well said. I’ve been wondering for a while why public radio’s become so dominant in the space while commercial radio’s been a non-presence. I suspected for a while that because there was no obvious or immediate “return” on investment, some groups (shortsightedly) might not see the value. You put it best: “The cost of failure? Not a whole lot.” This isn’t where audio’s moving to; it’s already there.
Thanks for writing this.
Agree, James. And while public radio is ahead, Most is being produced by networks and repurpose shows that have aired. Creating original content is the key. Thanks for commenting.
My take: commercial radio, for decades, has primarily relied on and integrated the creative works of others into their own product (think recording artists and labels).
Licensing issues being what they are, this severely limits the ability of commercial radio to “podcast” its content.
The answer is developing much more original content that can be easily translated into podcasts; content that will have substantially less licensing issues. Public radio has developed so much original content that its makes the distribution of that content through podcasts (or whatever delivery method) much easier.
Dan, spoken word podcasts have few issues as you suggest. Broadcasters can create podcasts that are meaningful but it requires thought, creativity, and a strategy. Thanks for the comment.
These podcasters who are doing good work but can’t find an audience are the type of people who used to go into radio back when there were jobs and and occasional bits of creative freedom, often disguised as public service programming.
Why not dig up a worthy podcast or four and adopt them? The station gets content, the caster gets recognition and eventually everyone might make a buck or two.
Marrying the two makes so much sense, bringing content to broadcasters and reach to podcasters. Thanks for tying it together, Sheila.
I think there are two reasons broadcast companies haven’t embraced podcasting.
1) it’s not “live”. For many years we told ourselves live products were somehow better than recorded products. Of course, the voice tracking revolution put the lie to that one.
2) highly leveraged companies (and just about all of them are highly leveraged) are deathly afraid of producing anything that could draw ears and PPM devices from their measurable on-air product. They know how to sell those products; they do not know, nor care to learn, how to sell digital products.
It’s human nature to stick with what you know, and radio has proven to be really good at that.
“The way we’ve always done it” is a recipe for obsolescence. The lessons of the last decade is that radio must move forward into bold new spaces. Podcasting is one of them. Thanks for your thoughts.
The transmitter mindset in action – podcasts don’t feed the transmitter, so people don’t do them.
You’ve got to feed that transmitter, Fred. That’s the only thing that matters…
(If only consumers still thought like that)
Precisely, James. Podcasting is such a wonderful opportunity, and it’s just sitting there for radio operators to embrace. We can only hope. Thanks for the comment.