Is Podcasting the Future of Radio?
Is Podcasting the future of radio?
Is Podcasting the Future of Radio on Demand?
The worldwide web has advanced the way we communicate with each other and how we produce, partake of, and share information. The creation of the internet-connected the entire world in real-time, making the dimensions of space and distance irrelevant.
How did the top podcasters get so popular? Because they had awesome content, interesting presenters, branded shows, and a solid plan. The word Podcast derived from the original word iPod, and that POD is an abbreviation of “Personal on Demand,” which means a new and individual way to consume well-targeted information and entertainment.
Can Podcasting Impact the Broadcast Formatting of Internet Radio?
Podcasts are not new. Their origins can be traced back to the late 1980s, but the podcast as we know it dates back to 2004, the year the world wide web became 2.0. Podcasts were one of the cornerstones of this new age of the internet, and alongside the advent of social networks, blogs, wikis, and video sharing, it set the tone that the producer was the user on the new web.
So, Podcast, despite being inventions that belonged to the ’80s, reached its mature stage in current times, after many of Social Media and network sites have matured and attained the status of multimedia portals. For a long time, Podcast was lost in the Bermuda Triangle of the internet inventions, and at one point they were regarded as inefficient. All in all, this assumption only proves that the podcast format was born in the wrong decade.
Much of that perspective was because of the amount of bandwidth that may have been needed to make Podcasts desirable, fast, and downloadable, which was not available at the time.
Podcasting New format: Temporal vs. Extemporal Content
The technological innovations in mobile devices and broadband capacities in 2011 caused the resurrection of this audio format. Since 2015, the Podcast framework finally found the perfect technical conditions to flourish. The advancement of smartphones single-handedly made possible the resurgence of podcasts because of their bandwidth and mobile connectivity and the optional streaming, without compromising the audio quality.
The podcast is a mixed breed, it can mingle its programs with music, narratives, interviews, and storytelling; use the old-time radio format with episodes and novellas, or lively talk shows.
Podcasts have the possibility to immortalize its content by breaking the glass ceiling of temporal content with expiring date. The new Podcast consumer trend requires the production of content that meets the specifics of the medium, the diversity of its audience, and the perfect deliverability.
Nowadays, those in cutting edge of podcasts production concentrate on the construction of extemporal stories, so, just like a good classic movie, a well-produced podcast can be appreciated and consumed for years and years. Their production is both an aesthetic and professional strategy.
The Production of the Podcast is not Broadcasting
Broadcasting is a transmission of content from one person or point of origin to an audience (to the many). A Podcast, being much different from the Internet Radio format, it is a transmission of audio content from one provider (point of origin) to one receiver (one-person audience); the Podcast is created to be an individualistic consumption. Not only is the Podcast a format with an extremely qualified audience, it is also a desirable digital strategy. And truth to be said, it is a paradise for audience metrics.
Podcasts & Radio Broadcast and Audience Metrics
Despite the fairy tales that many radio online providers would try to sell to you, there is no way to quantify the audience through an Internet Radio, as it stands. The same is also true for terrestrial radio. The only way close to a decent way to quantify Internet Radio is through page hits on the internet radio website. The quantification of people actually listening to any radio show via any app is virtually impossible, and the only number a provider can refer to is how many people downloaded their apps, that is all.
Take one of the biggest Radio internet providers, for instance, which we will not name here for obvious reasons; they usually quantify audience by how many people were on their site at certain hour, at any given time. So, If John Doe had a show at 10 am on a Friday, he will receive the total number of people registered by the Provider as his dedicated audience. But in reality, it is a number that tells the number of people that was online on their website during that hour, listening to their infinite number of shows at that same time as John Doe’s show. They are not his audience, they are his potential audience available at the website at that time, and that is the best number they can give.
I can’t count how many people out there say to me they have an audience of a million people in this provider when, in reality, people that actually follow their show is less than 10 people. Misdirection is an understatement.
Podcasts, on the other hand, provide the transparency that many providers used to complement their information of public audience. With the podcast’s sites, the proof is in the pudding.
Reasons to Continue Investing in Internet Radio:
Despite the rise of the internet with numerous websites, blogs, and video platforms, radio still has some advantages over other Internet media:
The listeners do not have to stand still to keep up with the programming. The radio can be heard in the car while walking, or while doing housework or while commuting.
Because it is a means of communication that uses only hearing, even people with vision impairments and other disabilities can use it, thus having an inclusive and accurate character, even its audience is older.
Compared to television, radio has a much higher prime time and audience. Thus, both web radio and traditional radio have benefits and advantages. What is undeniable is that this means of communication is still very popular and present in people’s daily lives, due to its practicality, its impact, and its reach.
Radio and Podcasts are narrative forms that finally understand the possibilities of the medium; both are instruments of dissemination and access technologies that streamline and facilitate content consumption. While this combination is reflected in a solid present, it is the future of the podcast that draws the most attention.
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