Did you think podcasting was dead? Not by a long shot. In an extensive Nieman Storyboard post last week, Knight alum Cynthia Graber (2012-13) chronicles “the remarkable resurgence of podcasting” underway these days, and what it might mean for the “tribes” of engaged listeners who can sometimes be assembled around niche topics like astronomy or architecture.
Back in 2006, Graber notes, only 11 percent of survey respondents had ever listened to a podcast. Now it’s up to 30 percent. Remarkably, 39 million Americans have listened to a podcast in the past month, according to data Graber obtained from Edison Research.
“Digital audio can reach a niche audience with a sound that inspires community and a passionate fan base,” she observes. An audience of 50,000 or 60,000 probably wouldn’t be enough to keep the lights on at a major NPR radio show, but it’s often enough to sustain a podcast—especially if those listeners they’re willing to contribute financially, through Kickstarter or other fundraising mechanisms.
Graber, who contributes regularly to Scientific American’s 60-Second Science podcast, looks at the growth of other popular podcasts like Planet Money, 99% Invisible, and The Longest Shortest Time, and interviews public radio innovators such as Jake Shapiro, executive director of the Public Radio Exchange (Shapiro will be the guest of honor at a KSJ Thursday journalism dinner on November 13).
They tell her that the podcasting phenomenon is emerging in part from inside the public radio establishment, which hopes to disrupt itself to avoid being disrupted. “The question is, what’s our role going to be in whatever replaces the current media experience?” asks Eric Nuzum, NPR’s vice president for programming. “Our goal is to be wherever the listener wants to find us.”
Part of podcasting’s comeback, Graber argues, is about the technology: the ubiquity of smartphones and apps like Stitcher and Swell make it easier to find and listen to podcasts (though they’re still not as searchable and shareable as they ought to be). But to succeed, a podcast still has to connect with its tribe, and that’s about building an emotional link with listeners. “It’s the most intimate of mediums,” Planet Money co-creator Alex Blumberg tells Graber. “It’s even more intimate than radio. Often you’re consuming it through headphones. I feel like there’s a bond that’s created.”
Podcasts can also be vehicles for inoffensive, engaging advertising that produces a higher response rate than other ad forms, Graber observes. (If you’ve listened to the Mailchimp shout-outs on 99% Invisible, starring host Roman Mars’ adorable twin boys Mazlo Rocket Mars and Carver Atomic Mars, you know what she means.) So maybe ads, plus crowdfunding, plus philanthropy, plus a modicum of support from existing public radio networks, can help keep this important medium growing.
[Update 9/16/14] Cynthia sends word today that she has just launched a new monthly podcast called Gastropod in collaboration with Nicola Twilley, author of Edible Geography. It focuses on food through the lens of science and history, and it’s available on SoundCloud and Stitcher. Episode 1, The Golden Spoon, is about the history of cutlery. Did you know that the metal in your fork or spoon can affect the flavor of your food? Apparently, gold “silverware” is the tastiest.
For Further Reading:
Finding the Tribe, Nieman Storyboard, September 11, 2014.
Radio Is The New Netflix. Here’s Your Binge Listening Guide, Xconomy, May 9, 2014.
Is This Thing On? Why Radio Never Goes Viral, Digg, January 15, 2014.
