Radio Ink Magazine – August 12, 2019

AUGUST 12, 2019 RADIOINK•COM 29

Radio Ink: Why do you believe

podcasting is a hot space right now?

Elsie Escobar: Because it’s giving cre-

ators, whether from legacy media or

independent voices without conventional

access to media channels, an opportu-

nity to test things, innovate, and take

risks without having to adhere to the

way it’s always been done. Podcasting

offers not only opportunities to fail easy,

but surprising ways to hit it out of the

park.

The exciting thing about podcasting

is that it has a very short history. It has

barely hit its first decade of existence,

while radio began its commercial use in

1900. The relatively young medium gives
      everyone an opportunity to stake a big
      claim in its development and growth.
      The most important fundamental dif-
      ferentiator for podcasting is that its
      strength lies in not replicating existing
      outmoded media dynamics, but offering
      the freedom to scrap it all and try it in a
      new way.

Tina Nole: The perfect convergence of

three things: ubiquity because of tech-

nology; rich, engaging content; and the

millennial generation. 1) Technology

enables us to listen in our cars, then put

in our earbuds and walk to the office to

keep listening to the story, then pick up

the story on our smart speakers later

that day at home. 2) There are endless

numbers of addicting shows available,

and everyone is talking about them

(when they’re not actually listening to

them). 3) While every generation is lis-

tening to podcasts, podcasts are mostly

made for millennials. This generation

is always connected, they’re multitask-

ers, and they’re curious and ambitious.

Podcasts check all their boxes.

Mark Asquith: It’s clear that the last

decade has transformed our society into

one that values the on-demand lifestyle.

From food to travel, TV to movies, we’re

used to being able to get what we want

when we want it. Audio has lagged

behind in the eyes of the masses in this

regard, despite podcasting being around

for so much longer than the on-demand

services at the center of that movement.

I believe that podcasting is so hot now

because of the education that Netflix,

Uber, et al have delivered to the masses,

and because the general public is

becoming more attuned to that lifestyle

while also seeking more personal, con-

nected content that fits their routine.

Rob Greenlee: I think podcasting has

always been a hot digital media space,

but it was outshined early by social

media darlings Facebook, Twitter, and

YouTube. Big social media stole the

attention from podcasting early on. Now

those social media platforms are not as

cool or don’t have authentic, trustable

content anymore.

The erosion of trust has happened,

and I think people generally trust the

content coming out of the podcasting

market today; it is built on genuine con-

nections and content that still has the

ability to build trusted connections. The

podcasting space is getting more estab-

lished, with increasingly better-quality

content and growing audience. The

medium is much more reflective of the

age, gender, and diversity of the world

population. That enables the creation

of content and reach to all parts of the

globe.

Radio Ink: If podcasting were a nine-

inning game, where is radio in that

game right now?

Matt Cundill: It’s somewhere in the sec-

ond inning. Radio has not been through

the batting order yet. Companies that

own radio stations have strategies that

Podcasting is hot. Hundreds of millions
of dollars are being spent in podcasts
by advertisers, and the IAB projects
that figure will hit $1 billion by 2021.
Investors are throwing millions of dol-
lars into podcasting startups. Big brands
like Spotify are gobbling up podcasting
companies left and right, hoping to be
the number one player in the space and
the number one choice for consumers
who listen to podcasts. Everyone from
comedians to actors to politicians to
three friends in a garage is starting a
podcast.
Radio is trying to find its way when it
comes to podcasting. The biggest ques-
tions are: is it worth the time invested,
and is there money to be made? Some
companies have a podcasting strategy

and are doing quite well in the space.

Some are just now dipping their toes in

the water. Others are taking a wait-and-

see approach, keeping all eyes — and all

resources — focused on what pays the

bills, radio’s commercial inventory. The

advice that follows will help you no mat-

ter what category you fit into.

Our panel of experts have been pod-

casting longer than most broadcasters.

Some have been in the space from the

very beginning. They know what works

and what doesn’t work. They know

whether or not you can make money

podcasting. They know what radio is

doing well and what radio needs to

improve on. And they have great advice

if you are considering a launch into the

space.

Meet Our Podcasting Pundit Roundtable:

Mark Asquith, CEO & Co-Founder, Rebel

Base Media

Dave Beasing, CEO/Founder, Sound That

BRANDS

Matt Cundill, Owner, The Sound Off Media

Company

Elsie Escobar, Community Manager, Libsyn

Rob Greenlee, VP/Content & Partnerships,

Libsyn

Tina Nole, Founder, Larj Media

Shannon Hernandez, Air Talent,

KUPD-FM/Phoenix & Podcast Producer

Tom Webster, Sr. VP, Edison Research