Why would I want to listen to a podcast?
Weird Al Yankovic once quipped that he releases a new album every three to five years, so every album is a comeback album.
Like Weird Al’s music, every time podcasting is discovered by another generation, it becomes new again.
The audio and video delivery process known as podcasting has been around since 2000. But it experienced its latest resurgence in 2014, when NPR began producing exclusive podcasts and promoting them along with its regular radio programming.
Podcasting is a delivery platform for audio and video content. If you listen to NPR on the weekend, you likely hear content that is developed primarily for a podcast audience.
Radiolab, Science Friday, TED Radio Hour, Planet Money, etc., are all shows that have more podcast listeners than radio listeners.
What makes podcasts special
The internet as a media distribution platform began with blogging.
Online services allowed anyone to set up an easy-to-edit website called a “blog,” short for “web log,” where a person could write personal commentary, local news articles, original literary content and more.
But blogs were more than websites — they contained code that allowed readers to subscribe and receive updates whenever new content was added.
This syndication process is referred to as RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, and it’s the fundamental delivery vehicle for podcasts.
Most people think of podcasts as topical radio-show-style programs that they listen to with their phone or computer’s media player.
But a podcast can be any audio or video file. What makes it a podcast is that it is distributed automatically via RSS syndication so that listeners can subscribe and hear the most current episodes.
Podcasts run the gamut
Like a blog, anyone can create a podcast. There are no official rules or regulatory agencies for podcasting.
Unlike radio shows, podcasts are typically developed for a small, targeted audience rather than a large, general audience. There are podcasts about woodworking, but there are also podcasts specifically about using a scroll saw.
Likewise, there are podcasts about dentistry, xeriscaping, taco trucks, salmon fishing and virtually any other hobby or lifestyle imaginable.
Podcasts are free to subscribe to. Some may offer premium subscriptions, but the purpose of a podcast is to distribute information or cover a topic that needs more exposure.
Producers of podcasts occasionally make money from advertisers, but most podcast creators do it out of love for the featured topic.
While video podcasts are gaining popularity, it’s unlikely they’ll ever be as popular as their audio counterparts. Video requires more time and energy to both create and consume.
Audio podcasts are popular among commuters and office workers who listen passively. Video podcasts can be more informative and offer a richer media experience, but if commuting, you might hit the car in front of you should the episode be too engaging.
The most common way to listen to podcasts is via an app, such as the “Podcast App” on your iPhone, “Google Podcasts” on your Android smartphone, Spotify, TuneIn and Stitcher.
Each of these free apps allows you to sample and subscribe to any of the thousands of podcasts available.
This article was originally published in the Beacon Senior News of Western Colorado. Reprinted with permission.
