I just can’t stop thinking about podcasting today.
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James
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James
I’m trying some podcast out that I have heard before, but didn’t care for right away. Keith and the Girl is one of them (sorry KATG fans, but it didn’t do it for me on first listen). And it’s OK. I’m not sure if I really like the content, or if I’m more impressed that they have this daily show that they do by themselves. I respect what they are making, and I think this is a show you have to give several listens to in order to get a feel for what they are doing. One or two shows aren’t enough to really get a feel for what it (especially if you don fall into their listener base (which is the wrong way of putting it, I know)).
Next up is Uh Yeah Dude. I’ll let you know what I think.
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James
I finished up a Tweetcast last night. It’s something I came up with (someone somewhere else may have come up with it first, but I have never heard of it, so I came up with it on my own). I polled my followers on twitter, and asked them who wanted to talk about hockey for five minutes. It was only the second time I had done it, but I doubled up from three to six respondents.
It’s almost like a reverse call in show. Everyone who wanted to do it was given a time slot, I called them (including our own Jay Kumar), and recorded our conversation for the podcast.
Six was almost a few too many people, and even though I try to limit the conversation to five minutes each, I think I may have to modify it to three or four guests with ten minutes each. That may be a little more manageable, while giving the conversation a little more room to breathe. Five minutes doesn’t seem like enough. And I really hate cutting people off.
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James
I just – JUST – got internet back here at the apartment in Alaska. In fact, it went out shortly before I finished the edit for the latest edition of my podcast. I had to go to a coffee shop the next day to upload the podcast, which was a major pain, and also a reminder that we are slaves to the whims of technology.
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James
The Investment of the Listener
I’ve been thinking a lot about what a podcast audience goes through to get to our shows. Really, it’s a major investment.
The obvious point of investment is the equipment they need to listen to a podcast. The typical misconception is that you need an iPod to listen to a podcast. Not even close to true. While you do need a computer, anything capable of playing a YouTube video can play back a podcast (yes, a broad generalization, but a good benchmark). You do need an MP3 player or something similar to listen on the go, but for home or office use, a computer is fine.
IPods aren’t cheap. MP3 players of any stature or capacity aren’t cheap. There are plenty of them out there, but most people are buying iPods. And unless you want to spend a lot of time managing the space on your MP3 player, you are going to need something with plenty of storage space.
Then they have to find our podcasts (while iTunes makes it easy to download a podcast, finding what you want is sometimes a challenge), then invest in the download time and hard drive space to store them, sync up whatever they may be taking our shows on the road with, and then listen to what we do (music, talk, sports, whatever).
And then they have to do it again.
Compare that to a radio. Radios are everywhere. They are cheap, they are generally easy to use, and they are easy to turn on and tune out. You can be a radio listener without ever actually listening (as in paying attention) to the radio. And there is no shortage of places a radio is playing. Cars, restaurants, stores, streets, they are everywhere.
But that investment cuts both ways. When people download my show, and come back for more the next time, those people invested in my show in a way that doesn’t happen often in radio (morning shows and political shows being strong exceptions). They are taking the time to download and listen, and they are storing my show on their device or hard drive, which may be an inconvenience down the road when they have to take the time and effort to manage their storage. The listener does all of this at their own expense, so they must care about what we are doing.
I feel like I have to at minimum consider and respect that investment. I should be there for my audience in a way that a radio station doesn’t have to be there for their audience. A radio station can throw whatever they want at the wall and see what sticks, or more to the point, who sticks around. They can broadcast what they think will work to serve their needs, and see who is still around. If there aren’t enough listeners to satisfy those needs, they can simply change what they are doing and move on. I don’t have that luxury. I want to be there in the periodic department, to be there every day for the audience that cares enough to download and listen to my show, but I can’t always come through on that measure, so I have to be there in the content department. I have to give them a good reason to up.
Sometimes that’s half the fun.
I know I’m going to have more to say on investments later, but I want to know what you think.
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ScottyWazz
I think it cuts both ways in that, while you have to be attuned to what your listeners want to hear, you can’t be a slave to their needs either. You’re going to have off-shows, you’re going to have a lot of people who don’t like what you’re doing. At the same time, for every person who hates what you do, you may have five or six that love it. Where’s the point where you have to decidedly change all you’ve invested yourself into throwing a program on the air week-in and week-out, just because 5% of your listeners are displeased with what you do??
I’ve been hacking the podcast route for eight years now and the success we’ve had with just a dry format of outline and then randomness and, I guess you could say, “everyday conversations” has worked aces for us and really seems to grasp the listeners in. We could be a basic show where we get the news, break it down at nausea, and then move to the next one– but the fun and allure of having that there could get stale after a while. Call it ADHD broadcasting, but I think with the right target listenership, you could pretty much make anything viable since you have their ear already.
This rambling could be completely off-topic to what you said, but I’ve been up far too long for conscious thoughts right now and rather than wait until I have a solid stream of thought, I do this. Huzzah.
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James
I think it’s on topic. Even if you do need a nap.
I think there is a difference between respecting their investment and pandering. I wouldn’t change my podcast for the audience, but I certainly would change it for me (if there are parts I don’t like, or things I want to try). It’s not a fine line for me at all. I like having people who listen to the show, and I appreciate their investment of time and money that allows them to listen to my show. And it’s such a different scenario than the radio listener, I think it warrants discussion.
Get some sleep. Welcome aboard, Scott.
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James
Your Room
Right now, my podcasting world is tucked into the corner of a kitchen in Anchorage, AK. Believe me when I say, it isn’t ideal. Aside from the slow internet (which I bang on about quite a bit), the corner is bordered by two windows. I’m basically facing one of the windows, and the other is to my left.
What that means for my podcast recording is, there is a lot of audio reflection. The sound of my voice travels past the mic, to the glass, then bounces back and around the room (you know, off the stove, to the refrigerator, all over), and finally back to the mic. These reflections are a pain in the butt. It helps that I use a dynamic mic (I’ll save that discussion for another day) that doesn’t have as wide a pickup pattern as a studio mic (condensers like what NPR uses), but it really isn’t enough. At least, not for me.
BSW, an online retailer of audio equipment for broadcast, studio and podcasting, has a post up on their blog about room acoustics for studios:
A typical radio studio, or home-office studio, may be only 8 x 10 feet with a 7 foot ceiling. Reflections come back to the mic’s position much quicker, with enough audio energy to be a niusance. This is part of the reason we speak so close to the mic… well, ego figures into it, but that’s another subject. Basically the equation is: more “me” equals less “room.”
I can tell you that when I designed a studio about 15 years ago, it was in a (roughly) 6′ X 12″ room, and I had to turn the console sideways to get the longer axis in a better position for reflections (not facing the recording room). I also had them slope the false ceiling upwards as much as possible to minimize reflections. None of it was ideal, but it was the space I had to work with.
None of it is ideal. We all have our constraints we have to deal with. Budget is one of them, and our “studio” space is another. In another week, I can get out of the kitchen. That will make me plenty happy, and we will see what the next room challenge is.
What are you guys dealing with? Is any of this a concern to you?
By way of disclosure, I have shopped at BSW before, and will again. I am not affiliated with them, do not take any money from them, and do not have any ads from them anywhere. I got a great deal on my main mic (free shockmount with the purchase of the mic, a $95 deal), and they have pretty good customer service. I’ve bought 5 mics and a few accessories from them, and been really happy. Get your audio equipment where you feel comfortable shopping, but I like these guys. Just saying.
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Koomdogg
Alas, my “studio” is simply the room our PC is in, which happens to be a pretty common area in my house. I have two small children, so there’s no room for a “man cave” or studio. I do all my podcast recording after the kids are asleep because where I record is at the bottom of the stairs from their bedroom. I tend to record with the window closed, because we’re near a busy street that can be loud at times. Someday I’ll have some more room to create my show in a optimal environment, but this is what works right now.
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James
Here’s a good list of links for people coming to grips with computer recording. It’s geared towards the musician more than the podcaster, but the information still holds up.
http://audio.tutsplus.com/articles/general/a-beginners-introduction-to-home-recording/
What areas of computer recording or audio are kicking your butt lately?
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James
It is really noisy here in Anchorage, AK. I feel lucky that I am only here for another week, since the apartment I am staying in (as well as most of downtown Anchorage) is directly in the flight path of the nearby regional airport.
In fact, my podcast partner Tom took a brief moment to reflect on what he was saying just as a prop plane flew overhead. It was a cringe worthy moment at the time, but when I came to it during the post-chat edit, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was just one of those uncontrollable things, and while it may add a little character to my podcast, it also makes it painfully obvious that I am not recording in a studio.
But hey, it’s a podcast, it doesn’t have to be recorded in a studio.
My question is this: When you listen to a podcast, do background noises bug you? I assume that like me, location recordings get a pass for most of their background, but if something is recorded in a “studio,” does it bother you?
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James
Support for this podcast comes from…
Luke Burbank, host of Too Beautiful To Live, is a hot topic for me right now. His radio show was recently removed from the airwaves, but it lives on for the moment as a podcast (I say at the moment because his relationship with the radio station seems to extend only to the end of his contract).
Luke posted this message to his twitter account (@lukeburbank) today:
http://twitpic.com/j46cx – Deeply embarrassing and kind gesture from my local coffee joint
What was the gesture?
http://www.podcastunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Burbank-1.jpg','popup','width=599,height=609,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=yes,left=0,top=0');return false">
Which is pretty awesome. But imagine, local support for a podcast that has national reach. He probably wouldn’t have gotten this kind of support had he not been on the radio previously with the show. Then again, he wouldn’t have gotten this support is he didn’t have a cool podcast, and been a really nice guy.Ever seen anything like that before?
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James
Reading
I’m still digging through this. It’s a little dry at times, so I have to put it down and come back. Most of it makes sense, and even seems obvious when you read it. But if it was so obvious, I wouldn’t need the book.
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James
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) has a post up today titled “5 apps for the radio lover” looking at streaming radio applications for the iPhone. But I didn’t expect to see this little diatribe in there:
Radio just isn’t the way it used to be. It’s not that “this ain’t your father’s radio.” This isn’t even the radio you knew five years ago. A loosening of media ownership rules (via the 1996 Telecommunications Act) has transformed what was once a local medium into more of a national one, one that put playing more “safe” mainstream material repeatedly in place of diverse content.
And that’s how the post starts. And having a link to the Telecom Act (which I have my opinions about, thank you very much) is an added bonus.
For the rest of the article, go here:
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/25/5-apps-for-the-radio-lover/
It’s not podcasting, but internet radio is an important factor to podcasters. I hope we can talk a bit about it here.
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James
I’ve already mentioned Jesse Thorn (http://maximumfun.org/ ) once before, and I will probably mention him a few more times. The reason is that Jesse is doing a lot of talking and thinking about the medium of podcasting. He’s been doing a lot of interviews about podcasting and radio lately. This one has some really good stuff. I can’t determine if it’s safe for work or not. Use your own discretion.
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James
I just added a user messaging system to the site. Much like a forum, users can communicate privately with each other. Click on “Your Profile” in the sidebar to the right, then on Messages on the lower left of the Profile page. Enjoy.
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James
I know that the “battle” between multimedia and text is often a losing one for the audio / video side, but it’s still there. The audience for independent text blogs vs. independent podcasts certainly favor the blogs. I have both, and get more visitors to my blog and more links to things I write than to my podcast episodes.
Reading it elsewhere is still a bit of a shock, or at least daunting. I want to grow my podcast audience, but will basically be battling myself as a blogger as well.
http://www.blogherald.com/2009/09/24/blogging-audiovideo-vs-text/
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Koomdogg
I’m guessing it’s partly because it requires less effort for someone to read a blog post than listen to a podcast. But the way I see it, if someone’s reading your blog, they’d probably be interested in your podcast. I direct people from one to the other. It’s all part of your media empire, right?
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avshockeypodcast
Koomdogg…I’m thinking that “less effort” thing is what keeps podcasts from catching on on a larger level. My wife and I have a greyhound that pretty much needs to be walked twice a day so there’s always time to listen to podcasts then. When it snows here in Denver and shoveling is required, that’s a great time to listen to a podcast or two. Most people drive though, and that’s a great time to listen to a podcast as well.
Podcasts are just another way to publish, that’s all. If the blog or podcast is a good one, people will make the time to listen or read it.
I love the idea of a media empire as well. I try to add to mine daily!
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James
You guys both have me thinking about “media empire,” something I’ve had on my mind a lot lately. It’s going top level soon.
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Koomdogg
Avshockeypodcast: I listen to podcasts all day long. In the car on the way to work, while running or working out, and at work in my office. Ideally, the best time to listen is not while I’m working, just because I can devote more attention to a show when I’m not working on a project. As for my media empire, I’ve got my podcast, my blog, my Twitter feed, my Flickr page and the biweekly running column I do for my local newspaper. It may not size up to Oprah’s, but I’m working on it.
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James
If you use Skype for recording phone calls or interviews (or like me, your podcasting partner is on the opposite coast), I can not recommend this tutorial strongly enough. It’s from the guys at The Conversations Network, and it gets into some of the more technical aspects of improving your Skype recordings. Don’t worry, it’s not too technical, and once you have used some of their techniques, you won’t have to do it again:
http://www.blogarithms.com/index.php/archives/2007/12/23/skype-for-interviews/
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James
I just finished listening to Tom Ridge on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and he was doing something I find that I do on my podcast. Gov. Ridge would rarely end a sentence without starting another one. He would finish a sentence, then start another one without stopping or pausing.
I tend to do this when I am talking to my main co-host, Tom. Part of the problem is that we are talking over Skype, and the pauses will seem a little exaggerated, but the other issue is that we each want to get what we want to say on the show, and interruptions mean we may have to leave out a point or two we wanted to get across. We don’t end out sentences well, and I don’t feel it serves my audience well.
Being in a face-to-face setting helps. There is something to be said about facial expressions and slight cues when doing a podcast.
Do you notice yourself doing the same thing?
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Koomdogg
Haven’t done a show using Skype yet, but I have done a bunch of shows face-to-face with special guests using my Zoom H2 recorder. Coming from a journalism background, I tend to let the other person speak more, but I interject a lot. I want to let the other person get their points across, but also want to jump in if I’ve got something of value to add. I have noticed that I use a lot of “y’know”‘s when I’m talking, so I’m trying to work on that.
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James
I heard one of those, and I was wondering what you were using to record with. The funny part for me was being able to tell when you guys were taking a sip of water.
“Y’know” always seems like a cue to me that a person has something to interject, but also wants the other person to comment on. I like it used sparingly, so I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape about it.
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Koomdogg
Ha! That was beer and Jack Daniels, respectively. But yeah, it picks up everything.
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James
Podcaster Juice!
I have an H2, and I’ve used it for interviews, but my favorite is to set it on a seat next to me at a hockey game and let it roll. I have gotten some great actualities like goals and celebrations, and even some background from it.
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James
Turns out Luke Burbank on Too Beautiful To Live ( http://tbtl.net/ ) is getting paid, most likely for the rest of his contract from his canceled radio show, but his longtime producer, Jen “Flash” Andrews isn’t getting paid. And they are still doing their show as a podcast five days a week.
Which leads me to ask, should they go the public radio route, and go with a donation model like The Sound of Young America ( http://maximumfun.org/ ).
What do you think. Is the public radio model really viable for podcasting?
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James
I create my podcast on a Mac, but if I were creating it on a PC, I would take a look at this software. I had never heard about it before today, but the front page looks interesting. Anyone use it yet?
And after reading what I just wrote, it looks like a spambot wrote it. Nice. Now I have to mispel something to show that I’m not a bot. Mission accomplished.
Koomdogg 1:22 pm on October 10, 2009 Permalink |
The Tweetcast concept is a great idea. Get the word out on Twitter, get a bunch of different viewpoints and voila! You’ve got a podcast. Awesome.