The Podcast Review

The ABC is Australia’s national broadcaster (publicly funded) and Radio National is the flagship radio network; producing original, serious content that has wide applicability.  About half of the following programs are very Aussie-centric, but the other half can apply to almost any listener.  There’s plenty here to discover and explore -

360: radio documentaries (rss feed / itunes page)
All in the Mind: consciousness and mental malfunction (rss feed / itunes link)
Artworks: summary of the week’s high art news (rss feed / itunes link)

Australia Talks: daily talk back and call-in show (rss feed / itunes link)
Away!: aboriginal affairs (rss feed / itunes page)
Background Briefing: big ticket current affairs, weekly (rss feed / itunes page)

Big Ideas: lecture series from prominent people (rss feed / itunes page)
CounterPoint: counterviews to the current thinking (rss feed / itunes link)
Edpod: educational news and views (rss feed / itunes link)

Encounter: the clash of morality and modern life (rss feed / itunes page)
Health Report: medical science, weekly (rss feed / itunes link)
Hindsight: looking back at Australian history (rss feed / itunes link)

Late Night Live: lively political discussion (rss feed / itunes link)
Law Report: applied and practical legal matters (rss feed / itunes page)
Life Matters: daily interviews on lifestyle matters (rss feed / itunes link)

Music Show: weekly overview of the professional music scene (rss feed / itunes link)
Science Show: weekly magazine of interesting research from around the world (rss feed / itunes link)
Spirit of Things: earnest questioning of the spiritual path and modernity (rss feed / itunes page)

Verbatim: lengthy interviews with long-lived Aussies (rss feed / itunes link)

shows have a 4 week archive, before the mp3’s disappear into the ABC website.  This is a generous allowance, and strikes a fine balance between accessibility and having to maintain an extended bandwidth presence via the iTunes store.  Very fair.

many of these shows were my mainstays before I discovered the world of podcasting, and I have so many fond memories of a small transistor radio and headphones plugged into my mind.  Many ideas, many worlds opened up via these presenters and guests.  So much to be grateful for.  Hope you can find some joy here.

the ABC Program Site for Radio National

here are some great podcast lists:

• Podcast Bunker – The Big List
• 31 Podcasts That Keep Freelancers in the Loop
• Skip the Tuition: 100 Free Podcasts from the Best Colleges in the World

they are highly comprehensive in their field of expertise, and should guide you to some great finds.  On that note, I should say that Podcast Discovery is one of the last big hurdles in Podcasting going truly mainstream.  Apple has provided a stable platform in the guise of the iTunes Store for subscribing, updating, and transferring podcasts for listening.  In a way, the hard part is done.  What remains is the ’soft part’ – the art of podcasts.

by that, I mean how does one discover great new podcasts?  iTunes does it’s best with some podcast promotion and fancy graphics, but a 50×50 icon cover doesn’t do much for the discerning seeker.  Neither does a popularity list, which is by its very nature a devolving to the mean.

so new podcasts – how to find?  Personal recommendations are the best.  You trust your friends and contacts, and if they say something is good, it is, in 90% of cases, good.  But that is only such a small avenue.  I reached this barrier myself about 6 months ago.  After initially stumbling upon a core of great listening, I found my podcast range to be growing more restricted.  I knew when each show was coming out – the day, and almost the exact time.  It was a waiting game from podcast to podcast.   It had grown stale.  Don’t get me wrong – the content was as outstanding as ever – but no new voices were entering my sphere.  I felt trapped.

hence I started seeking.  Earnestly.  Through setting up google alerts and live twitter searches, I’m tapping into what the wider world is listening to.  Still takes a bit of filtering, but the range is greatly expanded again.  Podcast listening is awesome.  And fresh.  And new.  And exciting.

I”m buzzed.

two interesting articles have appeared in the last week that look at how far podcasting has come in terms of the common man:

• A Playlist of Our Times: how podcasts aid those in search of deep discussion
• My iPod Addiction: Podcasting

both are obsessed with their podcast playlists, and the number of podcasts they are carrying around with them at any one time.  Both marvel at the abundancy of quality, free, informative and entertaining audio that is out there; packaged in the neat form of a podcast.  Both marvel at the power that this means for the individual user to control their experience and learning; to pursue avenues of heady thought.  Both marvel.

one other commonality of both articles is that they are bound by the conventional playlists – the ‘big’ podcasts.  Maybe they deliberately chose these examples to find better resonance with their prospective readers, but I think not.  There is a timidity to their choices; almost an unwillingness to explore the outer reaches of podcast land.

That is one of the reasons why I started this Review site.  To help point you in the direction of the undiscovered ear.  There are so many great and glorious people working out there; some in a paid sense, others purely out of passion, that for them to not garner to continuing growing audience makes a mockery out of our claimed ‘meritocratic’ society.  It is an undeniable fact that the entrenched and the first comers stake out an unholy amount of mindshare.  For the truly little guy to rise up is more a matter of luck than genuine effort and persistence.  So I aim to shine my own light on those who do the ‘Greater Work’.

these podcasters and podcasts that I highlight I believe to have your best interests in mind.  They are here to empower you, enlighten you with information, and embolden you.  Through the simple act of listening and paying attention, and comprehending, you are strengthened.  Or at least that is my sincere intent.

so we look back, and see how far we have come.  We look forward … and only see hope and promise.  Such joys and wonders in the audio world.

some of my recent readings:

• 6 Steps to Professional Podcast Publishing: “The process of publishing a podcast is at least as complicated as producing the episodes to begin with. As with most things on the Web, you can take a do-it-yourself approach that affords ultimate control over all the details. Alternatively, you can choose a solution that glosses over the details so you don’t have to worry about them. Which approach you choose depends on your needs, your own technical expertise, and how much spare time you have. Remember: every hour you spend publishing your podcast is an hour you don’t have to spend producing another great episode of your show!”

• The 9 Worst Types of Podcasters: “It was said by Andy Warhol that “In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.” Now that we’re officially living in the future, this should be corrected to “Everyone will get fifteen podcasts.” The podcast, which allows one to essentially create their own audio or video show for free, with minimal set up is a wonderful for way for people to share their thoughts, interests and opinions on a multitude of subjects. Unfortunately, like everything else on the internet, 99% of people who make podcasts shouldn’t be making them. Here are the 9 horrible podcasters you’re likely to listen to before you actually manage to find one of the good ones.”

• HOW TO: Convert Your Blog Into a Podcast on iTunes for Free: “Bloggers can now add text-to-speech capabilities to their site with new tools such as Odiogo, allowing readers to actually listen to blog posts on the website, and even on iTunes (as well as iPods and iPhones) as a podcast. While this is a cool feature for readers, it could be a very valuable tool for the visually impaired. These tools also provide benefits to readers with learning disabilities like Dyslexia.”

• 10 Tips for Being a Great Guest on Radio or Podcasts: “Appearing as a guest on a radio or podcast show is a good way to position yourself or a company executive as an expert — and attract PR for your business. Perhaps you have thought about appearing on a radio or podcast show at some point.”

ever listen to a podcast, and think, if only they did this, or that, it would be perfect!  yes, I get that all the time, with listening to such a wide range of material and presenters.  For me, the following criteria would match the ‘ideal’ podcast -

1) regular release: goes without saying.  You need to create expectation.  Weekly shows are more than adequate, if done with a quality approach.  Only a few can manage to be daily (usually a paid gig) and 2 or 3 times a week is just weird.

2) half hour to an hour, in length.  Sweet spot probably at the 40-45 minute mark.  Anything under 30 minutes feels like a snack (but can be pulled off, if there is a poetic, dense approach) and shows that go for over an hour have to be absolutely magic.

3) itunes archive: if you put yourself out there, don’t lock out your listeners by only listing the latest 3 or 5 shows.  Put the whole archive up there.  I know there can be bandwidth killers when people hit the ‘Get All’ button, but honestly, don’t cripple yourself.  True fans will find your show, and listen to absolutely *EVERYTHING*.  Don’t deny them!  At the very least, list 10-15 shows, preferably 20.

4) get a quality rig: don’t skimp on audio quality.  Fork out for some decent equipment, get advice from those that have been podcasting for longer than you.  Would you want to post blurry photos of yourself online?  get the sound quality right.

that’s just a few of my thoughts

• Cool Podcasts
• Edgy Podcast Reviews
• The Podcast Place

it is my fervent belief that podcasting is a medium that has not yet seen the peak of its popularity.  While blogs, twitter, and facebook have become ubiquitous, the knowledge of podcasting remains a niche past-time.  But how rich are the potentials!

with just a gentle nudge in the right direction, a world of free audio opens up to you – it is a parallel universe existing on the web, yet just a click away with iTunes.

The joy of discovery can be triggered by a single recommendation.  Finding a single voice to latch onto – one then becomes a podcast convert.  If my take on things doesn’t vibe with you, try one of the above podcast review sites.  Their voices may ring more true than this lone clarion call.

everyone wants to get paid for their passion. After all, it is one’s time we are talking about here – the essence of life. We all need an income, and ideally it should come from our personal expertise. Alas, maybe only 20% of the population gets to fulfill their dreams in such a way; the rest of us work day jobs that we are proficient at, but that aren’t our first loves. So the 80/20 split plays itself out yet again – a rule that takes on axiomatic truth the more one looks for it.

Podcasting is such a passion. Many such people would never have made it in the world of radio, especially with the topics they discuss. They may seem esoteric, borderline, or just plain indulgent. These voices would never have been heard in a previous generation. But with digital tech, we are all now broadcasters unto the wider world. Such wonder.

Podcasting has been in existence in its currently recognisable form for about 5 years now.  Let’s say the beginning of 2005, when some company tried to trademark the term “podcast”.  These short five years have seem an explosion of rapid creativity – with various ‘forms’ going under the moniker of podcast.  Basically, a podcast is any audio segment that is posted on a regular basis.  It could be a university lecture, a real radio show, two guys talking, a music mixtape, an audiobook published in chapters, or whatever.  Basically, if its audio it can be turned into a podcast.

so how to monetize a podcast?  Here David Spark, media consultant, does a series of audio interviews with those that have succeeded in making a living from their podcast ventures.  There are various approaches, of which I will summarise a list here.  There have been 11 interviews thus far, and there is a blog post accompanying each.  I have no personal affiliation with any of the following material.

David Spark Interviews

Never Not Funny (Technique: “Partial show for free – full show paid”)
basically a try before you buy model.  The first 20 minutes of the podcast are free, you pay to hear the rest.  The guy offers a ’season pass’ model.

Pregtastic (Technique: “Get your own sponsors”)
a sponsor is more than an advertiser: they buy a piece of the business.  Here the podcast truly plugs the sponsor, talks about them, involves them.  They ‘own’ the show basically.

Elsie’s Yoga Class (Technique: “Sell an iPhone application along with your podcast”)
the classic upsell technique.  The podcast is free, the iphone app costs you $4.  Here the app gives you convenient graphic info on the yoga postures discussed.  Clever approach.

Mac OS Ken (Technique: “Give away five shows for free, make them pay for the sixth”)
a simple fan model.  If you are truly a fan of a podcast, you are unwilling to miss ANY show.  So you run 5 regular shows for free, then charge for a special, feature-packed sixth show.  Your listeners become believers.

Alaska HDTV (Technique: “Get your own sponsors”)
Chase the relevant companies yourself, and organise a mutually beneficial financial agreement.  Long term relationships are key.

Duct Tape Marketing (Technique: “Build your brand to sell your services”)
this guy used his podcast to interview famous people in marketing, and thus made inroads into the industry.  All about who you know.

ScreenCastsOnline (Technique: “Give away every other episode. Make them pay for the rest.”)
this is a weekly video tutorial for Mac users.  Every second show requires a paid membership to watch.  Prove your expertise, then charge for it.

Izzy Video (Technique: “Give away every other episode. Make them pay for the rest.”)
same as above.  The key here is to build up a back archive of highly valuable content.  If you want to access just ONE episode, you pay for a full 6 month membership.  It looks appealing because half the content is unavailable to the free user.

Personal Life Media (Technique: “Build your own media network of programming and sell advertising against it”)
one individual podcast may struggle to attract advertisers, but a band of podcasts can exert some clout.  The ad network sits as an umbrella branch, sharing revenue with federated member podcasts.  Interesting model.

Slate Gabfests (Technique: “Integrating sponsorship with the show’s editorial”)
this is where the line gets murky: when it’s hard to tell the show from the advertiser.  Special ’segments’ are always dubious when they are not clearly distinguished as such.

Premiumcast.com (Technique: “Build an audience and sell premium podcasts”)
these are basically ‘how-to’ guides; information that comes at a premium, and thus can be charged for.  You need to have a brand first before you go down this route.

some interesting approaches!