The Power of Podcasts

Podcast Movement ran for four days in Dallas last week. This is a conference that feels like a throwback to the growth days of radio. A time when deregulation had led to consolidation, and ownership groups were growing without a thought of the future.

Podcast Movement was rich with enthusiastic attendees, sponsors with their displays and exhibits, sessions loaded with takeaway content, keynote speakers, and parties & suites. The feeling of excitement in the air was the same as I’ve felt in previous years. 

If there was any difference, it would be that there were fewer hobbyists than in the past and more people were intent on making a living, building a career, or adding podcasting to their business for marketing purposes. There were a number of radio and social media content creators there. A healthy dose of audio and video artists was also on hand. That is, individuals who have built careers in art, film and TV, and other parts of legacy media. 

I’m involved in a scripted podcast project with Benztown President Dave “Chachi” Denes and Film Producer William Stuart. It’s an adaptation of the book American Afterlife by author Pedro Hoffmeister. I moderated a panel featuring Mr. Stuart and the lead female on the series, Scarlett Estevez. At 17 years old, she has a resume that includes appearances on Netflix, Nickelodeon, and Disney. She has a starring role alongside Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in Daddy’s Home and its sequel. I share this to magnify that the breadth of podcasting continues to expand. 

It’s clear to me that those in and around radio who dragged their feet to get involved with podcasting have grasped, or are grasping, that podcasting is a viable and valuable platform to provide more reach. The recycling opportunities alone are valuable. Replaying an encoded radio show as a podcast can get you Nielsen credit in PPM markets. Using podcasting as a way to provide unique content that is appropriate for your show/station, but not appropriate for on-air, is also an opportunity that’s being realized. 

Audio is hot. I’m not going to get into an argument whether or not we should say “radio” versus “audio”… mainly because it’s a moot point. I’ve seen focus groups where listeners tend to refer to audio as “radio” regardless of where they hear it. There is real, true excitement for audio. I could argue that while different, podcasting and social media have stoked the fires of radio.

Add video to your podcast, put it on YouTube or on social media, and you increase the temperature of what is already hot. 

There are those who demean podcasting. We see it in movies as well as in commercials. While it’s true that there are many hobbyists who have a podcast, it’s also purposeful to be everywhere and be able to be heard and seen everywhere. The same approach is important for your talent. A repurposed radio show, while not my favorite type of podcast, enables your program to be on demand. What I favor more so is a unique podcast that is not the same as your radio show because it expands the brand of the talent and the station.

It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Radio is a mass medium. Podcasting is niche media. We need mass media to drive niche media. That’s where radio comes into play. Those broadcast companies that support or promote their own podcast platform have an advantage. They can advertise their podcasts without added expense. Radio provides the element that is missing for many who are trying to grow a podcast audience. 

The Power of Podcasts:

• They extend a brand or station’s reach.

• They’re digestible in chunks and on demand.

• They create a one-on-one listening experience.

• They fit into the overly busy world in which we exist.

Radio is the original audio creator. Podcasting is one of today’s portable audio platforms. They go together and are seen by the consumer/listener as interchangeable. Take advantage of podcasting. Embrace it. Own it. Promote it.