Remember that podcasts are more conversational than traditional
news writing. It would sound funny to say, “John Doe, 32, of Smithville
said he voted for the measure.” With podcasts, it’s better to say, “John
Doe lives in Smithville and he says he supports the measure.” Use
your quotes to advance the story, and always read your script aloud.
If you stumble over a sentence while reading it, the listener will prob-
ably have trouble understanding the point of the sentence. While you
read the script, time yourself to find the length of your podcast. If it’s
more than three minutes, cut out unnecessary material to get to the
main idea more efficiently. Don’t forget to use a snappy, attention-
grabbing lead!
Writing a podcast is just as difficult as writing a good story, but luck-
ily, the mechanics of audio editing are pretty simple. There are several
free audio editing programs available on the Internet that can show
you how to load in your quotes, record your narration and mix in some
natural sound. For some excellent examples of student podcasts, go to
http://podcast.transom.org/.474 MIXED MEDIA
OutOutTTaakeke
Podcast Explosion
In 2006, about 27 million people had
listened to podcasts. By 2010, the
number of podcast users is expected
to reach 60 million. According to Marc
Freedman of the Diffusion Group, a
consumer technology research com-
pany, “It’s dramatic in terms of per-
centages, but you need to recognize
that we’re just at the beginning.”
The driving force behind the pod-
cast explosion is the growing popular-
ity of MP3 players like the iPod. By
2010, it is expected that 54.3 million
people will buy digital players. Plus,
the technology keeps improving. MP3
players are not only getting smaller,
but they have more memory than most
people can use. Many cell phones
also have MP3 players, as well as
Internet access so podcasts can bedirectly downloaded to the phone.
Despite the exponential growth,
traditional media like radio shouldn’t
worry too much. A study by the radio
ratings service Arbitron shows that
radio’s future isn’t bleak: “The prolifera-
tion of digital broadcast platforms such
as Internet radio, satellite radio, HD
and podcasting is a testament to the
popularity of radio programming.”
Many experts believed satellite
radio listeners and podcast users would
steal radio’s audience. But accord-
ing to the Arbitron study, “Seventy-
seven percent of Americans say they
expect to listen to AM/FM radio as
much as they do now despite increas-
ing advancements in technology.”
Television didn’t kill radio,
and it looks like podcasts and
satellite radio won’t either.