On the dramatic day The Wall came down—November 9, 1989— I got a call from my boss at ABC News Radio. “Get on tonight’s flight to Berlin.” For a young network news reporter, it was a dream assignment. Over the next two weeks, armed with a portable cassette recorder, notepad and microphone, I covered many … Continue reading What Happens When the World Changes in a Single Day
“Beyond $1 Billion” podcast panel at 2019 Advertising Week. Not so long ago podcasting was barely noticed by the powers that be at Advertising Week, the annual mega-conference in New York for advertising and marketing executives. Our medium was just a little outhouse in the backyard of a mighty media mansion that was dominated by … Continue reading Why the growth of podcasting is part of a much bigger trend: The microphoning of America.
Welcome to the presidential debate season. This evening, tomorrow, and then over 16 long months, several dozen proposed debates will occupy much of the news media’s fevered attention. Millions of us will tune in, but we may well be disappointed. Instead of informed, insightful coverage of complex issues and character of the candidates, the debates … Continue reading 2020 Democrats Debates Will Disappoint. Here’s Why Podcasts Are So Much Better.
Podcasting, by its very nature, is an optimistic endeavor. From venture capitalists and big media firms who’ve poured huge sums of money into risky podcast ventures, to small teams of independent producers, we are all making a big bet that our shows will reach their intended audience. The enthusiasm and passion that we express for … Continue reading Be Positive When You Send Texts, email, and Make Podcasts: That’s So Much Better Than Saying “No”.
I’m a bit old school. While podcasting occupies much of my time each day, a long-established habit of slowly leafing through the pages of newspapers continues to be a source pleasure. Print discoveries are made without digital nudges from algorithms. Among my favorite finds last week was in the “C-Suite Strategies” section of The Wall … Continue reading Listening Numbers Are Booming, But Even Spotify Doesn’t Know If It Will Make Money From Podcasts.
In an increasingly crowded field of Monday-to-Friday podcasts, “The Daily” from The New York Times is still the most popular news show, with about 1.75 million downloads per episode. According to one estimate, the number of daily podcasts has more than tripled in less than two years. The competition now includes news shows by NPR, … Continue reading Daily podcasts are booming. But here’s why some will fail…
I was kind of giddy last weekend after that SNL podcast skit. The one that made fun of our emerging industry. In the send up, a bearded and bespectacled Liev Shreiber (who played Michael Barbaro) said that podcasts “are like delicious little whispered documentaries.” Wow, SNL is making fun of us! We’re on the map. One more … Continue reading Let 550,000 flowers bloom. The stunning variety of podcasting is also its charm.
Finally it's happening. Advertisers and marketers are waking up to the great potential of podcasting. At this week's Advertising Week conference in New York, there's interest, even excitement, about audio-- both music and speech. Unlike previous years, when our industry was virtually ignored at this annual event, an entire morning of panel sessions has been … Continue reading Marketers are listening. At last, podcasting is a thing at Advertising Week.
Friction is the thing. It's not as easy, convenient or simple as it should be to discover podcasts, or find shows that fit your range of interests. Confusion and complexity are holding us back. The first barrier for wannabe podcast listeners is the prompt. iTunes and other platforms suggest that you "subscribe." But this is a … Continue reading The f-word podcasters think the most about is….
How to ask questions (2). The third in a series on podcasting. As soon as I published some thoughts on how podcasters can do even better interviews than they record already (my previous blog), I started getting friendly feedback. Some of it comes from close to home. Miranda Shafer, the senior producer of “How Do … Continue reading The beauty of asking dumb questions.
Here Hear! 