Podcasting vs Radio

Posted by Tim Gordon on: 2006-03-30 18:57:40

Is the podcasting vs. radio' showdown finally about to take center stage?

It looks like podcasting and other alternative sources of entertainment have finally caused traditional corporate radio to react.

In November of 2004, Bridge Ratings & Research released a report that indicated that the terrestrial radio audience was slowly slipping away.

During the last few months of 2005, the reports show that for the most part, that ‘slippage’ has either stopped or slowed down.

The youngest group – 12 – 24 years of age – showed the most interest in alternative media and the least interest in traditional radio.

The older groups showed slight increases in their use of radio, even though many are still spending a lot of time with what’s considered alternative media: TV, Internet, Recorded Music, Books and Magazines.

The report doesn’t break out the impact of podcasting, but it does mention iPods and MP3 listening as having an effect, especially on the younger demographics.

To me this makes sense. Younger audiences are more drawn to new technologies. They’ll glom on to MP3 players and podcasts and reject a lot of the tradition time-wasters of their parents like books and TV, in favor of downloading songs online, browsing the internet and sticking those earbuds into their head and tuning out any local radio station.

Coming from two-plus decades in radio, I know how hard it is to get and maintain an audience when you DON’T have all of the competition of 2006. In 1976, you might have had a local paper and a few TV channels and a handful of local competing radio stations.

So a radio programmer today now has to compete with 500 channels of cable TV, satellite radio, podcasting, not to mention the other traditional media sources, such as local and national newspapers and magazines, etc.

Where does that leave radio and podcasting?

From a personal standpoint, I don’t have much interest in local radio. Sure it comes up on occasion in my car, but only because I’ve gone through all my CDs and would rather have a local station fill in the space instead of silence.

As I go to sleep, I have my clock radio playing a local classic rock station. Unfortunately, the station is owned by a big media corporation that owns hundreds, if not thousands of radio stations across America. So their announcers are directed to not say a whole lot and as a result are allowed to have very little personality. And ‘after hours’ – when there is no live person behind the microphone – we get automation, which means no live person, no voice tracking (which would at least sound sort of like a live person); just song – song – song – commercial – station promo liner – song – song, etc…

Bo-ring.

On the other hand, when I fire up a podcast, I am suddenly invited into the world of an actual person – someone who talks, eats, breathes and is passionate about their subject, whether its folk music, cult movies, hardcore alternative rock or wine-making.

Podcasting is REAL. It may not hold the production value of a professional radio station, but really, who the heck cares? You don’t listen to podcasting to get the highest quality. You listen to a podcast to get a real person.

And that’s what will continue to draw more and more people to podcasts, whether listening or getting in front of the microphone and creating their own podcast.

I believe as humans we need the personal interaction, and if it means listening to a guy sit in front of a campfire, playing his ukulele and whispering about the stars above, then a lot of us are in; we’re there!

Radio is not going away. The smart programmers are going to let their air staff become more real, especially when they see the inroads that podcasting will continue to make into their audience. Oddly enough, local radio stations have an advantage. In the city I live, there are a couple of local stations. One plays a lot of syndicated programming and very little local programming. They survive because they offer a good lineup of national talk programming.

The other station is completely local: everything you hear is done from their studio, from playing the weird mix of songs which make you want to laugh, cry, shout, cringe and turn the damn thing off – all within a 30 minutes span – to the local announcers who are at various stages talented, untalented, polished, raw, goofy, tender, idiotic, passionate and uncaring.

Above all, they’re REAL. And that's the ultimate attraction - and repellent.

It’s like the locally owned radio stations are already doing what podcasters are doing – being human.

It’s just that podcasters still have extreme latitude, and the local radio folks must stay within certain boundaries.

So if it’s the limitless boundaries you’re looking for in your world, find a podcast that speaks to you, listen to them support them, and let them know you’re out there!

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon shows you how to create professional, high-quality audio on your home computer. With 25+ years of radio production, writing and voice talent, Tim can show you how to set up a small pro studio and create audio for fun and profit. Subscribe to his free newsletter Digital Audio Bits at Digital Audio World. Learn how to podcast with Podcasting Adventures Online.

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