The Podcasting Echo

Exactly what mark podcasting will make on the world is a chapter that is as yet unwritten, although it's clear that podcasting is here to stay. Still, despite the fact that podcasting is in its infancy, we don't need a crystal ball to see that the whirlwind surrounding it today will most likely stir up the sand in several established sandboxes. Let's take a look at what areas are being affected, directly or indirectly, by the rise of podcasting:

Conventional radio. Perhaps the one area that might be most affected by podcasting, traditional radio has a lot to lose. In today's world, most of the people who listen to radio do so in their cars. With an increasing number of cars coming with MP3 players or Apple iPod connections, the ability for a driver to listen to podcast material rather than advertisement-laden radio broadcasts is on the increase. The effects of this on radio are already apparent, with many radio programs offering podcast versions of their shows via station Web sites.

There are also products on the market that effectively turn any radio broadcast into a podcast. Griffin Technology's radio SHARK (www.griffintechnology.com), for example, will capture any AM or FM radio broadcast and automatically export an MP3 file to iTunes so that the program will be loaded directly onto your iPod the next time you connect it to your computer.

Satellite radio. With less to lose than conventional radio (because satellite radio doesn't include advertising), satellite radio is still in a flat position because its content is available only at set times. Podcasts are available at any time. It's clear that satellite radio providers have seen the podcasting revolution coming and that they are taking steps to embrace podcasting, rather than rallying the troops to fight it. Sirius Satellite Radio, in fact, hired Adam Curry to do a new show called "Adam Curry's PodShow" on its network (although Curry still creates his usual podcast, "The Daily Dose"). Sirius also has a special Web page, Sirius Podcast Central (Figure 1.6), featuring various Sirius shows that are available in podcast format.

Figure 1.6. Sirius Satellite Radio has a special Web page to go along with its podcast guru show, "Adam Curry's PodShow."

Internet radio. Internet radio is perhaps the safest of the radio media because software already exists that allows the user to time-shift Internet radio shows. The downside to Internet radio is that it is primarily intended to be listened to on a computer and, as such, doesn't have the mobility of a podcast.

Celebrity. In less than a year of official existence, the podcast has already created celebrity. Of course, Curry (former MTV veejay) is the face of iPodder and podcasting in general, but the hosts of the most popular podcasts are also beginning to achieve some measure of celebrityDawn Miceli and Drew Domkus of "The Dawn and Drew Show," for example. It's only a matter of time before a podcaster makes the jump from podcasting to mainstream popularity on television or in network radio. Indeed, Curry has already done that with his deal on Sirius Satellite Radio, but he was already a celebrity of sorts before getting into podcasting.

Television. In the early days, television didn't have a great deal to fear from podcasting, but those days are past. With the significant sales of video-based digital media players, and with Apple's inclusion of network television shows in the iTunes Music Store, television has been thrust into the podcasting realm whether it likes it or not. As of this writing, the video podcasting experiment has been a huge success, and Apple is constantly adding television content to its store for those with video iPods (or those who like to watch in iTunes on their home computers) to enjoy. Apple sells network television shows for $1.99 per episode and now offers a Season Pass option for an entire season of a show at a discounted rate. Talk-based shows like "The Charlie Rose Show" and "BBC News Hour" are available on commercial services like Audible.com (www.audible.com), but increasingly, television shows are being offered for those with the capability of watching them on portable media devices.

A Tiny Screen: Is It Worth It?

The video iPod (Figure 1.7) has a 2.5-inch screen. I own one of these, and the question I'm most frequently asked is "Can you even watch a show with a screen that small?" The answer is a qualified "Yes."This is not the way you want to watch television or movies on a regular basis, but when you find out that your flight is canceled, and there is going to be yet another 3-hour layover in a depressing airport somewhere, being able to pull out a video iPod (or other such device) and watch a few episodes of a favorite TV show is a welcome ability. Sure, the screen is small, but you get used to it very quickly, and you forget the size of the screen as the show pulls you in.

Figure 1.7. Video iPods offer users the ability to watch television shows right on their iPods for a nominal cost.

Advertising. The obvious problem for advertisers lies in placing advertising in a medium that prides itself on freedom: freedom of ideas, freedom from advertisers' pressure, freedom to say what they want. With podcasting's increasing fan base, you can be sure that corporations will want to find a way to advertise, but it's unclear whether the listeners will accept such a thing. Perhaps the most logical path will be for companies to sponsor the production of individual podcasts, thus attaching their names to successful podcasting endeavors.

Education. Although at one time, this concept was highly speculative, that speculation has become reality as university classes are increasingly digitally recorded and then made available on a Web site as podcast "notes." Students can download the audio of that class and listen to it while they're out drinking beer and eating pizza later that evening. The possibilities for education are huge, and as MP3 players and iPods become ubiquitous (in phones and PDAs, and as stand-alone players), the ability for education to take advantage of this information pathway is increased. As mentioned in Chapter 2, Duke University has embraced podcasting technology, so who knows what the future of education will be as it pertains to podcasting?

Book and magazine publishers. Perhaps at the forefront of podcasting (although some would argue that pay service isn't true podcasting), Audible.com went online in late 1997 and was at the forefront of digital audio content delivery. Audible made its name by selling audio-books for use on the computer, CD player, or MP3 player, but since its inception, it has been on the cutting edge, offering everything from comedy shows to daily newspapers (in audio format). No doubt the success of Audible.com has spurred more publishers to produce audio versions of their books, thus changing the publishing landscape.

The legal system. Any time there is talk of digital content of any kind, legal ramifications start to rear their ugly heads. Although independent podcasts are free to the world, it's only a matter of time before some conflict arises in this area. How and when are matters of opinion, but one has only to look at the music industry to see how ugly things can become. That said, let's try to be optimistic. Perhaps the spirit of podcasting will prevail, and the medium will thrive without copyright-infringement lawsuits to bog it down.

Commerce. As mentioned previously, Web sites like Audible.com and Apple's iTunes Music Store already sell what are essentially podcast versions of popular radio and television shows, as well as audio versions of periodicals. As podcasting continues to take off, one can imagine compact discs for sale with hundreds of podcasts in a sort of "Best of Podcasting 2006" compilation. No doubt we will see many changes in commerce and e-commerce as a result of podcasting's entrance into the marketplace.