Podcasting Use Within Radio Industry Shows Demand
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There are two conclusions you can draw about podcasting from the above headline: 1) Podcasting is being used by the radio industry and getting response, or 2) the number of podcasts being used by those employed in radio is weak and indicates that podcasting's true potential to radio is also weak.
Yesterday I was invited by one local station's on-air promotion to go to its web site, where I could listen to a selection of morning show bits. This station has given great effort to loading dozens of audio files on its site; even explained the difference between "podcasting" and "downloading," which is a needed definition.
As I stared at their list of audio files, though, the question needing answered was "how many people are actually going to listen to these?"
According to a recent report by Jupiter Research, 8% of American adults listen to podcasts; 92% don't. Let's do a quick extrapolation of numbers to see if radio should be putting its energy into making audio from morning shows available online, or if the work required to do this is even worth the potential response.
The station mentioned above is a high ranker in Cleveland. I'm going to guess that it's pulling 60-80,000 AQH in morning drive, with a cume in the 320,000 range. Given that internet penetration is at nearly 70%, with broadband being used by 60% of the audience, we'll say that 609,000 persons in Cleveland's 1.4 million ADI are in a position to use a podcast, and that (approx.) 48,300 of them can be considered a P1 for this station. (These numbers are all nothing more than educated guesses meant to be used as an example; they are not good enough to base decisions on. You can do the math using your own station's numbers for that.)
One thing anyone in advertising knows is that getting just 1% of an audience to respond to a campaign is considered successful. So, the station's on-air promotion could be a "success" if 483 persons go to its web site and download (or listen) to these podcasts. But, is that enough?
Take another step with this. There are 31 downloadable "bits" outlined on the above-mentioned station's "podcast" page. To prepare these for listing (again, I'll take an educated guess), say each one took ten minutes. That translates into five hours and 10 minutes of cumulative work to post them. If all were equal, we'd have each podcasting bit listened to 15 times. Triple the number if it makes you feel better.
If you want another example of how effective the posting of podcasts is, look no farther than the use of podcasts within the radio industry, i.e., as a tool in disseminating information about the industry to persons like yourself. This is the real meaning behind the headline I chose for this article: "Podcasting Use Within Radio Industry Shows Demand."
Travel to each of radio's industry trade magazine web sites. See if you can find any of them using podcasts; or, if there's any indication that your peers are requesting them. The lack of these audio programs, used within an industry that creates audio programs, shows how unreceptive people are to them.
The brutal truth is that despite reports about podcast use exploding with teckies and first movers, there's not much call for it within the general population. Potential, we have plenty of. Practical is much more scarce.
I can't help but wonder that if radio was serious about improving its image, would not more time be spent on creating elements which are useful to a larger segment of its audience? Podcasting is not that big of a draw today, despite the hype it is receiving.
Instead of trying to paint an image of being "cool" by posting podcasts on a radio station web site, would it not be more effective to create items that "are cool" for posting? (I was impressed with one local merchant who sells school supplies and has a data base of county schools that gives parents a list of what each grade, in each school, is required to have when school opens. Huge undertaking? You bet. But it's also an extremely useful tool.)
Radio's essence is in serving its community. Having a web site offer something that is less than what 8% of a population uses lessens the impact radio can deliver.
Podcasts are fancy ways to not serve your audience.
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