Podcasting University

I've made a number of posts about something called "podcasting". I think you need to pay attention to this, if you want to remain competitive. Here I try to give you the basics, along with some links to explore on your own.

Podcasting: Tivo For iPod

Think of Podcasting as something like a Tivo for your iPod (though it isn't exactly like that). Here are some definitions to get you started:

• Podcast: a "show", usually recorded in MP3 format and available for download on the Internet. Though the name evokes the iPod, Podcasts can be listened to on any device that will play MP3s.
• Podcatching: receiving Podcasts in a way that is automated, via subscriptions (which are free).
• iPodder: the software (also free) you use to Podcatch.

Why This Is Important To Radio People

Podcasting is brand new - about a month old in its present form.  It's taking off like wildfire. It's been written up in the LA Times, the New York Times, and many other mainstream publications.

Who's listening to Podcasts? A lot of the listeners are "geeks"...but many are not. The attraction: being able to pre-load one's iPod (or other MP3 player) with programming of one's choice, automatically.

Many users report that they just plug their iPod into its cradle when they go to bed, they wake up the next morning and pick up the iPod on their way out the door, and then listen to their programs on the commute to work. Are you beginning to see the problem for radio?

As the software becomes more user-friendly, and the process simplified, more and more users will be using Podcasts to "time-shift" their favorite shows, to avoid being bombarded with endless commercials, and to escape the homogenous, boring programming that is so prevalent on many radio stations.

What must you do to avoid being beaten out in the ratings war by an iPod?

I'm glad you asked.

Get Your Own Podcast Going

I strongly recommend that anyone who does a personality radio show get a Podcast. Now.  And vigorously promote it to your listeners.

You'll need to do some work: put together a well-produced, tightly edited podcast; make sure it features only your best material; do a good job of explaining what this is all about to your listeners; understand that in the beginning the numbers will be small. But if you stick with it, the listeners will come, and they will do so in bigger and bigger numbers as time goes by.

So how do you get your own Podcast? I'm afraid it's going to take some geekery on someone's part. If you're so inclined, you can do it yourself (I have some links below that will get you started). If you would rather not do it yourself, find someone who is geekishly inclined and have them get you set up.

Please post a comment here (at the bottom of this post) if you have questions, and I'll do my best to point you in the right direction.

Links To Help You Get Started

• The best way to understand Podcasts is to start listening to them. I suggest you start by listening to Adam Curry's Daily Source Code; you can download the shows directly at http://www.dailysourcecode.com/ . Just click on any link labeled "mp3".
• Want more? Go to http://audio.weblogs.com/ , and click on any podcasts that look interesting. Listen to a few of them.
• Ready to get serious? Get the iPodder software at http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php and install it on your computer (no, you don't have to have an iPod...and it works on Windows or Apple computers). Subscribe to some podcasts. Watch them show up on your computer automatically. Neat.
• Read the really geeky stuff at http://ipodder.org/ for technical details, Podcasting news, etc.
• For the story on how former MTV VJ Adam Curry and computer 'net guru Dave Winer invented podcasting and saved the world, read this article.
• If you want to try "rolling your own", here is a great piece on how to do your own podcast:  http://www.engadget.com/entry/5843952395227141/.

Okay, that should get you started. Post a comment if you have questions...and look for a Radio X-Factor podcast coming soon!

[Editor's note: my brother Kris and I have been doing a podcast for the last couple of weeks...it's kind of geeky and isn't really targeted for radio people...but what the hell. Check it out at http://www.radiobrothers.com - Ray]

Comments

[garybibb]

Great article.

We've done about 4 podcasts now and with everyone we get better and better. It also shows in the amount of downloads growing each week too.

It's not easy but it's a helluva lot of fun

[Leo]

As a long time radio guy (28 years next month) I also recognized the importance of podcasting.

I started by putting up airchecks of my weekend show on KFI. Now, it's a computer show so I already had most of the pieces in place, including a technically literate audience.

Within one week I had 2000 subscribers. So far this month 33,000 people have clicked on the XML link, and around 5,000 people have actually downloaded my last show. My listeners love it. More to the point, I have many new listeners who can't hear the show otherwise.

[garybibb]

Ok I think Leo is trying to make me jealous. If he's not he still did a good job ;). I'm working my way up, the last oodcast had roughly 200+ dl's so far and counting. I'm workin on that 33,000 dag nabbit.

[Ray]

Leo's my hero - I sure do miss seeing him on TechTV. But the good news is: I am a subscriber to his podcast! Thanks, Leo, for being one of the pioneers.

Gary, you're on your way - I like what I've heard on your podcasts. Keep after it.

[Andrew Garton]

Great stuff! We work with community groups, provide hosting and specialist IT/media services. I'd been talking to community radio stations in Australia for a couple of years now about enabling access to their archives via RSS. That is, radio documentaries, interviews, etc.

Couple of months ago I gave a talk about portable media devices and how it will be important for community media producers to fuse their traditional production values with these new technologies... then a week later I got an email about Podcasting! Bloody amazing!

So, what are we doing? We used to do an on-demand program called Netnews in 1995-96. But we don't have the energy to do this kind of thing anymore. But as we're also composers and run a not-for-profit record label we decided to make some of our music available for podcast producers.

http://toysatellite.org/secession/podcast.xml

So, every week we enable a single track to be "podcast" under a Creative Commons License. Podcasting and Creative Commons are a natural partner, don't you think?

[Kyle]

Typepad support for Podcasting?

I just signed up for a free trial of Typepad to try out podcasting. I see this website is also on typepad. However, it doesn't seem as if typepad supports this through it's RSS feed. Does anybody know if this is the case, or if there is a workaround, if not, what site would you recommend blogging off of?

Thanks to anybody who can help.

BTW, Leo, thanks you turned me on to the whole idea and I think it's great. Keep up the good work everyone.

[Andrew Garton]

Kyle, whilst developers integrate Podcasting into their RSS feeds you will need to add the appropriate enclosure yourself.

For more info try http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/enclosuresAggregators

Alternatively, you could try Blogharbor.

[James Corbett]

Kyle, I'm also a TypePad user and looking for a solution. As far as I understand it your feed needs to be in RSS 2.0 format as that is the RSS format which supports enclosures (for MP3 files).

If you're a TypePad Pro user I believe there's a way to change your templates in order to output a RSS 2.0 feed but I've recently come across an interesting alternative called "SmartCast" from 'FeedBurner' -

http://www.burningdoor.com/feedburner/archives/000812.html

If you read down along the comments on that blog entry you'll come across one from JD Lasica where he's offering "free bandwidth and eternal storage" on the Internet's Archive servers.

Hope that helps,
-Jim.

[pamela]

This iPod sounds amazing.
But I'm working with a Windows 98 SE
I have installed Java (05)
but I can't download Apple iPod
because of the above system.

Does this leave me out of things?

Cheers Pamela

[Andy Skinn]

Great article!

I had caught wind of Podcasting and when doing searches for how to get started, your page popped up in Google.

I'm now happy to say that based on a lot of the information presented here, my brother and I have started our own Podcast called The Skinny on Sports. It's a 10 minute sports commentary program looking at the current issues in the sporting world.

Since we're just starting out, if anyone has any suggestions or feedback, we'd love to here from you. Check us out at http://www.andyskinn.com/skinny/