I received an inquiry from a PhD candidate at International University of Catalonia, in Barcelona. The questions focused on the history of podcasting, what’s special about podcasting and what’s next for podcasting. He had 17 questions which I have listed below. I put together this podcast to share my take on the brief history of podcasting and rest of his questions.

If anyone has a different take on this leave us some comments or make your own podcast answering the 17 questions.

 

 Digital Podcast 44 [30:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (530)

1. How did podcasting come about?
2. Why do you think podcasting came to be in such a way and at such a time?
3. What were the pioneers motives behind the birth of podcasting?
4. What vacuum do you think podcasting covers on the web and in “traditional” media?
5. What makes podcasting so unique?
6. What does it contribute to the contemporary media landscape?
7. In comparison to other 2.0 instruments, what are its strong points?
8. Podcasting is radio or video also. Should we talk of vodcast or videopodcast?
9. Why does a podcaster make podcasts?
10. Is the voice itself important?
11. And the form itself, for example sound production?
12. What should a quality podcast be like?
13. Podcasting in other media. In relation to radio, what can it contribute?
14. What do you think about podcasts in the press?
15. Do you think podcasting has fulfilled the expectations it generated?
16. What fields take greater advantage of podcasting?
17. Have other fields been sufficiently explored?

Technorati Tags: podcast, podcasting, history of podcasting

In Digital Podcast 43, I take a quick tour through the history of media to examine how the economics of the industry are changing. I kept the video under the 10 minute YouTube limit and speed through some of the changes.

Fundamentally, we are entering a new era of media economics where supply is outstripping demand. We are on the verge of seeing what I believe will be hyper-deflation in impression based economics. There is simply too much supply and not enough demand. Consumers are increasingly unwilling to spend time watching ads to consume media. The alternatives for consumers are expanding every day and the media companies are struggling to keep up.

Media companies need to rethink their business models. They need to get beyond impression based business models and figure out community based business models that use media content as the centerpiece of social conversation. When the industry figures out the potential for communities to make make good money, I believe we will see the industry revive and go on to some remarkable things. Until then, look out. The hyper-deflation we are seeing in music will spread to video and if the industry does not adjust, it is in for a bad time.

Please let us know what you think.

 

 Digital Podcast 43: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (192)

Technorati Tags: media economics, podcast

We want to know what you think makes a podcast great. Tells us why you listen or watch your favorite podcasts. We’re using a social polling technology from Sodahead to give everyone a chance to say what they think makes a podcast great.

Poll Answers“

Technorati Tags: podcast, podcast poll, social polling, sodahead

As part of our Super Fan Series, we spoke with Stephen Smyth, General Manager & Senior Vice President, Americas Reuters Media about how Reuters is working to build it’s audience and strengthen its relationships with Super Fans. We discussed how they think about user segments and their needs. Stephen shared how they start with the target users experience and then build the content to fit the desired experience. He highlighted a number of the more interesting initiatives Reuters has underway at Reuters Labs. Reuters Labs is where technology, user experience, content and business model meet together as Reuters explores new ways to distribute its content in applications such as Face Search, YouWitness and Context Based Video Ads.

Reuters’ history of syndication is proving a valuable capability as Reuters manages highly distributed content across their own sites, partner sites and other third party sites. They have decided who they want to target specifically and use content creatively to drive audience.

 

 Digital Podcast 34 [39:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (414)

Stephen Smyth is responsible for Reuters Americas consumer business, driving revenue and audience for the online, mobile, interactive TV, digital signage and online syndication services. In addition, Stephen oversees global business development as well as local programming and production, traffic and ad operations in the Americas. Prior to his current role, Stephen led Reuters mobile, video, and digital signage business globally. He was responsible for maximizing revenues and brand value from the company’s presence on these platforms and oversaw relationships with key technology providers and distribution affiliates across the globe. In addition, he headed up Reuters Labs, a public showcase of the latest consumer product innovations from Reuters. Previously, Stephen was responsible for media strategy and business development for Reuters.

Technorati Tags: Reuters, Stephen Smyth, super fans, syndication, podcast

As part of our Super Fan podcast series, I spoke with Jeffrey Bridges, founder and executive producer of Pendant Productions. Pendant is an audio production group dedicated to making radio dramas like the old radio serials of the ’30s and ’40s, only modernized for today’s audiences. Pendant had 986,000 downloads of their shows in 2007 which just goes to show how popular the productions are.

Jeffrey started Pendant in 2004 to pursue his interest in fan fiction and fan generated radio dramas. Pendant is an all volunteer effort producing more than a dozen different shows, both takeoffs on existing properties and original properties produced by Pendant.

Pendant got its start with “Star Trek: Defiant” a text based story list that Jeffrey started way back in 1995. Jeffrey got interested in producing an audio version of the stories, and was able to find enough sound effects and audio mixing programs to make it possible. He went on to produce “Star Trek: Defiant” as an audio file. Not long after starting the first Defiant audio, Jeffrey was listening to some of the old Superman radio serials from the 1940s and had the inspiration to do Superman audio too, which led to the formation of Pendant Productions in 2004.

Jeffrey told me about Pendant’s history and how they make so many great radio shows. It is a fascinating story that shows just how much Super Fans can achieve and produce.

 

 Digital Podcast 32 [15:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (498)

Superman: Last Son of Krypton	Batman: The Ace of Detectives
Wonder Woman: Champion of Themyscira	Supergirl: Lost Daughter of Krypton
The Pendant Shakespeare	Star Trek: Defiant
Star Wars: Blue Harvest	Seminar
This Week in Pendant	Dixie Stenberg and Brassy Battalion
The Kingery	Once Upon a Time in Vegas
Imperium: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman Crossover	James Bond: To The End	Indiana Jones and the Well of Life
Indiana Jones and the Well of Life

Downloads are available in web-quality and CD quality. The CD quality downloads are available via BitTorrent.

Technorati Tags: super fans, podcast, pendant productions, Jeffrey Bridges, superman, batman, wonder woman, supergirl

Wizzard Media, a large podcasting network and a division of Wizzard Software, today announced the company recorded one billion podcast download requests in 2007, a milestone for Wizzard Media, its podcasting clients and the podcasting industry. Wizzard Media, comprised of podcast-hosting services Libsyn, Switchpod and Blast Podcast, received an average of 2.75 million requests for podcast episodes per day in 2007, a nearly 300% increase over the daily average in 2006.

The Company attributes this substantial increase in download requests to the growing popularity of these internet radio and television style shows with consumers. According to demographic survey data collected by Wizzard Media, nearly 40% of respondents are new podcast audience members and have been watching or listening to podcasts for less than one year.

And it’s not just listeners. Advertisers are increasing their use of podcasts as part of their advertising initiatives. According to a fall 2007 survey conducted by Advertiser Perceptions, 30% of advertisers and agency media executives polled have included podcasts as part of their advertising plans for the next six months, up 6% from their spring 2007 survey.

Go forth and Podcast

Technorati Tags: podcast, podcasting, podcasting growth, podcast growth, Wizzard Media