I don't know why but every so often, some one will try to promote
their product by saying it's going to replace something. That the old is
an obsolete tech and will go the way of the dinosaurs.
Podcasts
are like that. In many ways they've grown out of radio broadcasting.
And every once in a while someone will get on their high horse and claim
that radio will be killed by podcasting.
Ain't gonna happen!
Claims
like that really only show the lack of understanding of what a podcast
is and where it fits. It ignores the audience. And it ignores the
subject or topic of the broadcast. Now keep in mind I'm talking about
podcasting here. Not just making recordings of earlier broadcasts
available over the internet.
Modern radio is an entertainment
media. Its focus -- no matter the format -- is on keeping the audience
entertained. That's why it tends towards snappy, high energy DJ's and
announcers. That's why it focuses on controversial talk radio. It is
intended to keep people engaged on an emotional level. Not on an
intellectual level.
Podcasts on the other hand have become an
educational media. In fact, with only a few early hiccups they always
have been. People who are customers for podcasts are looking to fill
their time with something useful. That's why they go to the trouble of
downloading the podcast. Satellite radio, regular radio even web-radio
is much easier to listen to. It takes less effort. Why go to the effort
of downloading entertainment when "live" is much easier.
That's
also why music is the preferred format for radio. Whether it's rock,
pop, folk, classical or country. Or mixed. Most of the modern radio is
music. Yes, there is talk radio. Yes, there is sports broadcasting. Yes,
there is news. But the vast majority of the airwaves -- literal,
satellite or virtual -- is taken up with music.
But the preferred
format -- almost literally the exclusive format -- for podcasts is
education. It may be lecture, seminar, interview, or audio magazine. But
the content is almost always educational.
Podcasting and radio
serve two different markets. One focused on entertainment and music.
Mindless amusement if you prefer. The other is focused on improving the
mind and filling otherwise wasted time with something useful. Confusing
the two will result in a podcast that just doesn't satisfy its market. A
podcast that will ultimately fail.
