|
Illustration by Todor Kostov In the 1980s, almost two decades before the first podcast was published, television networks changed the music industry. “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles was the first music video to be aired on MTV in 1981. The ironic peculiarity, however, was that the man whose career was based on the premise that television would override radio triggered one of the most important advancements in radio. Adam Curry, long-time MTV video jockey, today better known as the “Podfather,” pioneered what media experts believe to be the technology that will revive radio.
The word “podcast” is composed of the words iPod and broadcasting, and means, simply put, an audio or video material you can subscribe to and download from the Internet. Although this concept is essentially rooted in web radio, podcasts are different in that they can be downloaded and listened to anytime, anywhere. The enhancement of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to audio formats made the whole process automatic as syndication software managed subscription and made updates directly available to any web-connected device.
Syndication, which was intended to be the primary advantage of podcasting, is also one of its major drawbacks. RSS feeds, although fairly simple to use, are slightly more complicated than turning on the radio. This is largely why people uncomfortable with using such platforms at first dismissed podcasts as aimed exclusively at a tech-savvy audience.
The history of podcasting is fairly short. It goes back to 2004, when Adam Curry finished iPodder, his software project considered to be the basis of modern podcasting software. However, it was not until 2005, when the Apple iTunes software first featured a podcasting option, that the medium gained momentum.
By the end of 2005, podcasts by major broadcasting companies such as ABC News, CNN, Comedy Central, MTV and the New York Times appeared in the iTunes directory. Even President George Bush’s weekly radio addresses were made available at the White House website. The popularity of podcasting exploded mostly because the requirements for putting up an audio broadcast are simple: a web-connected computer, a microphone, audio-editing software, and a concept.
Richard Giles, co-author of the book “Podcasting Pocket Guide,” talks about the diversity of podcasts and podcasters on his blog: “There are podcasts about music, technology, movies, business, words, camels, coffee, politics, and parenthood. The range of podcasters is just as diverse: professional DJs, truckers, lawyers, counsellors, journalists, camel herders, actors, and the girl next door. Anyone and everyone can create their own radio show about whatever the heck they please. It might mean that only their wife and mom listen, or perhaps 50,000 people tune in, but the beauty of the show is that it can be whatever they want.”
Most podcasters, parallel to their program, put up a blog in order to gain publicity for their shows. Consequently, you can find podcasts all over the web. Discovering a specific one of interest to you is a complicated endeavour. In response to this problem, podcasting directories started to appear and soon became an invaluable solution for the browsers.
As the result of the 2005 podcast hype, some people turned their hobby into profession. What followed were attempts to commercialize the effort. However, one difficulty podcasters have not yet overcome is the inability to measure their audience. Other than knowing the number of subscribers or individual downloads, it is practically impossible for them to find out how many have listened to the show and for how long.
Mark Glaser, journalist and media expert, writes: “The early nature of podcasting was that it was home-brewed radio, created by amateurs and boosted by enthusiasts. Placing advertisements all over a podcast would almost defeat the purpose, and people would simply fast-forward past them or stop listening if it became too commercialized.”
Today it looks like podcasting has largely exceeded the expectations of its creators, as other internet-based tools also have. Podcasting has long transcended its original purpose of adding a new dimension to radio. The new forms of podcasting are well on their way, and the stage is set for mobile and video podcasts, screencasts and webcasts.
|
ugg boots are designed for four seasons all the year round.
