PODCASTING THE NEWS
The New Oxford American Dictionary declared “podcast” the Word of
the Year in 2005. Skeptics thought it might be a passing fad. However,
in the years since then, podcasting has become one of the essential
new media tools for journalists in every field from newspaper to
magazine to broadcasting.
The word podcast is a combination of the words iPod and broadcast.
An audio podcast is an audio file that is automatically downloaded to
your MP3 device every time you plug it into your computer. A video
podcast (sometimes called a “vidcast”) works much the same way.
Often, podcasts include interviews with interesting people, reviews of
performances or news analysis. Many newspapers and magazines use
podcasts as a way to give viewers extra material or to transport them
to the scene of a story. For other journalists, the podcast isn’t just a
supplement to the story; it is the story.
Most podcasts work on a free subscription basis, and this is part
of their appeal. Unlike listening to music that you already know,
the podcast content is always new. Typically, when you sign up on
a Web site to download one podcast, you have the option of allow-
ing each newly posted podcast to be automatically downloaded to
your MP3 device. Like blogs, podcasts use RSS feed, or Really Simple
Syndication technology. These feeds send users new content when-
ever their favorite Web sites are updated. You can still listen to pod-
casts on your computer, but podcasts are designed to be mobile and
accompany you while you do something else.Elements of a Podcast
Before you write your own podcast, listen to a wide variety of pod-
casts to get ideas about the length, the writing style and the tone you
want. A podcast shouldn’t simply be the audio version of your print
story. Consider how you want to retell the story, and what sounds
might make it come alive.
Once you’ve thought of all the elements you want to include in
a podcast, it’s time to think about sound elements. Do you need to
record an interview with someone? Do you need to record a sound
effect (for example, the sound at an awards ceremony or the sounds
you hear at a carnival)? These sounds are all easily recorded on an
inexpensive hand-held recorder, but they do require some planning.
If you are writing a story and a podcast about safety issues at the
carnival, remember to take your recorder along when you go to the
carnival. Always check your recording before you leave an interview
to make sure you actually have recorded the interview successfully.
Most likely, you’ll collect a lot more sound material than you have
time to use in the podcast. Three minutes is roughly the maximum472 MIXED MEDIA
podcast
a broadcast to an MP3 player
vidcast
a video podcast
RSS feed
technology that sends users
new content each time a Web
site is updated