.png)
Join us for an episode where we talk about all things podcasting, from its relationship to radio (and why broadcasters can give up on striking the comparison) to whether or not your station should start one (or two or three...). Bob Willette takes time of out of his busy day as the Music Director and Mid-day announcer at 94.9 The Rock (CKGE-FM) to set the record straight about 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM), where he began his career as a member of The Humble and Fred Show.
We start the episode by clearing the air with a simple fact: radio stations that repurpose content in downloadable formats, which they provide on their website, are not podcasts. I repeat: that audio from the morning newscast posted to the station website is not a podcast. But technically, podcasting ceased being podcasting the day Apple discontinued those wonderful devices that housed all our music. Thankfully we do not have to plug our iPods into the computer for updates to download all latest shows and music releases; the iPhone and wireless providers do all that for us now.
If you think radio is in competition with podcasting, you not only don’t understand podcast, but you don’t understand radio either. Radio is not is in competition with podcast. When you are in an “on demand” space, your competition is all the shit people have to do. (Take the kids to dance lessons, hockey, cook dinner, and the quarterly report for the boss) What is Netflix’s #1 competition? Sleep. Radio programmers often wastes its time worrying about Jilly Jack and the Z Zoo rather than marketing their great brands into the lives of potential listeners. I’ll quote Steve Jones from a recent episode from my podcast: “In the case of radio, we have realized that rising tide floats all boats, so everyone wins when radio wins.”)
The question I get asked most often from broadcasters is: should we be doing podcast?
There is an awful lot to consider. Aside from the type of podcast, do you (or the people around you) have the time to make a quality podcast that is worthy of a listener’s time that will be relevant in the weeks and months to come? It takes a few hours to construct a rudimentary podcast, and double to triple that to make a really good one. You also have to spend time marketing it once it’s done. Have you considered that a podcast can be a short series or collection of episodes and not some ongoing weekly or monthly project? It could be seasonal with twelve episodes this spring, with another twelve in the fall.'
The best advice I have for radio people who are mulling over the podcast question is to listen and enjoy a few podcasts of their own and become a listener and consumer first. Your ear is already trained to gravitate towards great audio content. When you find the shows you like and consume them on an ongoing basis, you will develop a vision for the type of podcast you want to create for yourself.
As any therapist will tell you, the answer is inside you... That'll be $150 dollars. Please see the receptionist to book an appointment for next week.