Podcast, Radio—You Choose
Category: radio
Tags: podcasts; Weird Al Yankovic; Nielsen research; Pew research; radio plays; Chris Baca; Jared Truby; Cat & Cloud; radio; weird mountain podcast network
Radio station by Fringer Cat at Unsplash
Radio, Podcasts: Choose One or Both. Podcasts cast their seeds. They sprout and root, bringing an ever-growing supply of new entertainment and information. But radio thrives on, and here are a few reasons for its tenacity.
Radio to podcaster: Are you there?
Podcaster: Yes. But why are you still here?
Radio: Because 100 million people listen to me daily. And that's just in the U.S.A. Top that, newbie.
America radiates radio-love
In America, 92 per cent of us tune in to radio weekly. That's about 272 million listeners. This, according to radio.co, beats the 87 per cent who watch TV every week and the measly 22 per cent who visit podcasts.
Researchers at supplygem.com reported that podcast length averages 40 minutes, with the 100 most popular ones running closer to 50 minutes. Granted, podcast listeners are increasing, but radio doesn't look as though it's ready to fade.
Radio is free and accessible
For one thing, most cars come with radios. And, radio is free. It's also easy to access through a variety of devices, including computers.
Nielsen’s (consumer research) dissects radio's attractiveness to a slew of demographics. All age groups, genders and ethnicities keep turning the dial.
Almost all Hispanic Americans, most African Americans, most women 25-54 and 93 per cent of teenagers 12-17 listen. Radio's huge assortment of stations covers almost every preference.
The $
Three years ago, as reported by pewresearch.org, average radio profit swooped downward by nearly a quarter, for stations that present news only. Pew Research Center analysis of MEDIA Access Pro & BIA Advisory Services data supplied the information.
Pew said, too, that three years ago there were 3,360 radio news employees in radio broadcasting, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. In 2004, 4,290 news employees worked in the industry.
In 2020, still according to Pew, radio's reporters, journalists, and news analysts made roughly $49,000. Editors made about $79,000.
Laura Shenton at radio.co discusses a big gap between live radio and podcasts: schedules and listeners' routines. Live radio means that people who tune in late forfeit part of the show. Ever notice how the announcer intermittently re-identifies the current broadcast?
Podcasts are more forgiving; you can rewind or postpone.
Audience type matters. Many radio stations target a mass audience by using an array of issues or presenters. Podcasts go for audience subsets. Try listening to Cat & Cloud at https://catandcloud.com/pages/podcast. Here Chris Baca and Jared Truby offer funny talk from two former award-winning baristas.
Stephanie von Hirschberg grew up in South Africa. "We didn't have TV. We loved sitting together and listening to the radio."
Stephanie von Hirschberg remembers listening to the radio in South Africa, by Connie Shakalis
"Today," said Gus Shakalis, you get on your iPhone what we used to get on the radio. Traffic, weather, news, and Top 40 songs."
Gus Shakalis listens to a podcast about Weird Al Yankovic while waiting for a movie to start, by Connie Shakalis. See weirdmountainpodcast.com/me-talking-weird-al-to-you
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic, an American musician loved for his comedy songs that laugh at pop culture, was a favorite. "Another One Rides the Bus" was Shakalis's most loved Weird Al parody.
Radio plays provide the best pictures
One of the most thrilling plays I ever experienced was driving home one black summer night. Somehow, in a different county, I had dialed in to a radio play. For me, a first. Those are what my grandparents listened to, I thought. Well, if they did, no wonder. It drew me into its warm gut. A starless sky and a bendy tree-shadowed road painted the set for me. As I drove—no traffic, thank goodness—I witnessed murder, madrigals, and madhouses.
I forget the play's title, but I remember my immersion in its lines and Foley effects (using everyday sounds to add mood and believability).
"I prefer radio to TV because the pictures are better."
—Alistair Cooke
References
https://radio.co/blog/radio-still-popular
https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/audio-and-podcasting/
https://radio.co/blog/differences-between-live-radio-and-podcasting
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