Archives for November 2018

Podcasts for your Thanksgiving Travel

By JAGinDetroit on November 20, 2018

Podcasts for Thanksgiving travel are a great way to pass the time during your trip. The podcast space has exploded this year. With thousands of topics, there truly is a podcast for everyone.

Travel forecasts predict 2018 to be one of the busiest travel holidays in recent memory. Combine that with bitter cold, and a long trip can be a less than pleasant experience. Most of us will face long delays sitting in traffic (or weather), or we will get to enjoy the “hurry up and wait” aspect of flying.

Before You Leave:

If you’re driving, most cars make it extremely easy to play podcasts. You can connect via Bluetooth, or an Auxiliary or USB cord. (The USB connection will also charge your phone – be sure to have a way to charge your phone if you’re on a long road trip). If you have an iPhone, some cars even support Apple CarPlay, allowing you to navigate your phone’s menu from the screen in your dashboard (please be careful not to be distracted while driving, of course). Also, if you’re concerned about data plans (especially if you have kids with you), download the shows at home over your Wi-Fi before you leave. Podcasts don’t use nearly as much data as video, but if you find yourself worried about your data consumption at the end of every month, every megabyte counts!

If you’re flying, you’ll of course want to download your shows and episodes before boarding. You may not be able to stream audio when your phone is in airplane mode. Sure, most flights have WiFi (for a fee), but those networks are often unreliable.

How Do I Listen?

New podcast listeners should know you need an app to listen to them. If you’re traveling with an iOs device (iPhone, iPad, etc), the Apple Podcasts app (formerly part of iTunes) is the easiest, most simple way to listen. The app is already on your phone. For Android users, Google Podcasts (already on your phone) has made great strides in recent months, but if you have any issues, you can use third party apps. Spotify is the most popular podcast app behind Apple, and you may already use it to listen to music. They’ve been improving their podcast functions. You can also try other apps like Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.

Show Suggestions:

Here are some podcasts for Thanksgiving travel that will make your trip feel much shorter. Follow the links, or simply search for them in your favorite podcast app.

Serial – this is considered the “gateway” podcast for many podcast listeners. It was created by the folks at NPR affiliate WBEZ-Chicago, and it’s now in its 4th season. Each season follows a true crime case, and it really takes a deep dive into the offense, the ensuing trial, and much more. Think of it as the “Law and Order” of podcasts. Serial has won virtually every broadcasting award out there.

The Daily – This New York Times offering is a must-listen for me every weekday morning as I walk my dog. Now, before you scream “Fake News,” know that The Daily tackles one big story every day. Yes, many times they delve into politics. However, as I write this, their last three episodes have been in-depth looks at the war in Yemen, El Chapo’s journey from Mexican drug kingpin to an NYC court, and an expose on what Facebook knew and tried to hide. Each day, host Michael Barabaro interviews a prominent Times reporter. These reporters are experts in their fields. Earlier this year, they did a special series called Caliphate, that was an outstanding glimpse into ISIS.

My Dad Wrote A Porno – now, this clearly will not be for everyone (especially if you are traveling with children), but this should disprove the podcast stereotypes that all shows are about news and politics and are delivered by a sloooow-speaking National Public Radio anchor. MDWAP is up to 2 million downloads per episode. It’s also the reason my neighbors think I’m crazy. I frequently listen in the afternoons while walking my dog. Sometimes I get funny looks when I walk down the street seemingly cackling with laughter for no reason.

Here’s the premise. An Englishman named Jamie is the host, and his dad has (very poorly) written an erotic novel. Each week, Jamie reads a chapter to his female friend Alice and his gay friend James. They dissect the writing, including author “Rocky Flintstone’s” lack of knowledge of anatomy and often poor word choice. I believe their English accents make their reactions even funnier. In fact, the show became so successful, it inspired “Rocky” to write several more books in the series. I’m just getting into Season 2, and I’m trying to proceed slowly. I want to have enough left for my drive from Michigan to New England over Christmas.

WTF Podcast with Marc Maron – one of the 800 pound gorillas in the field, Maron is a 20 year stand-up veteran. He routinely has A-list celebrity guests. He even did an episode with Barack Obama. This show is very well-regarded in the podcast community.

Cheap Plugs:

I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug a few shows that I’m directly or even tangentially involved with.

The Quizzo Cast: I’ve spent the last 18 months hosting bar trivia in and around Metro Detroit for local company Quizzo! Currently, I’m co-hosting a bi-weekly show in which we play trivia with guests and talk about events we are doing with the company.

Spiro Avenue: Mainly a long-form Detroit sports-talk podcast, I helped Justin Spiro re-launch last week with a spirited political discussion. We took two very good friends from opposite sides of the aisle and debated all things right, left, Trump, race, and more.

The D Brief: For a year, I worked with Seth Resler and Becky Scarcello on this show, which showcases the burgeoning Arts and Entertainment scene in and around Detroit. Worth a listen.

Bottom Line:

Podcasts for Thanksgiving travel will make your week much more enjoyable. There’s something for everyone. Open your favorite app and search for knitting, gaming, Constitutional Law, Friends, or whatever your heart desires. Audio is much more portable than video (especially if you’re driving), and there’s an intimacy and companionship to having a “friend” along for the ride.

iHeartRadio Podcast Awards Elicit Mixed Feelings For Podcasters

By JAGinDetroit on November 9, 2018

Last month, iHeartMedia, the parent company of iHeartRadio, announced their latest venture, the first iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.

This could be a great thing for the podcasting industry. iHeart has a massive reach in terms of their radio stations and streams. Podcasting has been around for 15 years, but it’s only recently caught fire. This megaphone could prove very beneficial.

There should be no debate about terrestrial radio’s interest in podcasting. The burning question is what iHeartMedia hopes to accomplish with their Podcast Awards. The company’s track record with big events gives me pause.

Former iHeart Ventures:

I worked for iHeart (and its former incarnation, ClearChannel) 3 times. The first iHeartRadio Music Festival was in 2011. I was working for the company in Detroit at the time. It seemed like a great idea – put an A-list group of artists together and send a hundreds of listeners to an amazing concert in Las Vegas. There was a ton of buzz. Despite some technical issues, the show was successful.

Years later, ClearChannel rebranded themselves as iHeartMedia. They were attempting to shed the negative connotations associated with the ClearChannel name. They also wanted to capitalize on the app and the festival. This may have even been a bit too successful. I was then with the new company in New Orleans. My anecdotal evidence suggested that when people heard the term “iHeart” – they thought of a Vegas concert first, and an app and radio company second.

The iHeartRadio Music Festival reached it’s 4th, 5th, and 6th years, and ticket sales dropped off. However, corporate continued their mandates. Local stations had to spend disproportionate amounts of airtime promoting the event. The company asked its employees to post about the show on social media. The show, though, had little social media buzz outside air personalities, artists, and festival attendees. Stories emerged of CEO Bob Pittman chumming around with U2 backstage. Rumors of a giant boondoggle for iHeart VIPs and big-ticket clients subsisted.

An even bigger fail was the iHeartRadio Music Awards, designed to compete with the Billboard Music Awards. Credit the company for trying to diversify its entertainment options, but nobody cared. iHeartRadio corporate pushed its stations to promote the event, leaving less room for compelling content. (For example, every plug I did for the show was a missed opportunity to talk about a Mardi Gras parade.) Program Directors like me groaned. We had to get creative to honor our corporate mandates without sacrificing the quality of our radio stations.

Conclusion:

Naturally, iHeartMedia set up the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards to benefit their parent company. They wouldn’t do it, otherwise. But questions remain for Mr. Pittman and his team.

Are you actually going to raise the profile of an up-and-coming medium, or only your own company?
Are you seeking a legitimate content creation and distribution partnership?
Will you once again ask your stations and personalities to endlessly promote another major iHeart event, at the expense of their own compelling content?
Will you have an honest awards process, or will you only promote shows you have (or hope to have) a vested interest in?

Bob Pittman is a brilliant guy who has helped run everything from MTV to AOL in their heydays. He inherited an impossible situation with ClearChannel and its massive debt load, and his leadership team have worked hard to transform the company. I have a number of friends that remain with the company. They are passionate, creative radio people.

Naturally, terrestrial radio has a much, much larger share of listening and revenue than the podcast industry. But in an on-demand world, they are trending down while podcasting is trending up. It’s my hope that an honest partnership between the two industries can help the long-term viability of both.

Seeking Personality and Content, Corporate Radio Buys In to Podcasting

By JAGinDetroit on November 8, 2018

Large corporate radio is buying in to podcasting. Some would argue it’s the podcaster equivalent of a band “selling out for a record deal.” Others would say it was inevitable. Here’s how we got here. It all started with this device:

Nielsen Portable People Meter PPM — Portable People Meter (image via Wikipedia)

History:

In large markets, the PPM device (above) replaced the old diary based ratings system. Previously, ratings relied on respondents’ memory (and human error). Now, the Arbitron (later Nielsen) ratings people could track actual listening, minute by minute.

The PPMs showed massive tune-out when DJ’s spoke too long or were not compelling.

Radio companies erroneously thought this data meant listeners hated all DJ’s.

The edict came down for on-air personalities to “shut up and play the music,” outside morning drive, news, talk, and sports.

This turned radio stations into jukeboxes, which was fine until services like Pandora and Spotify took hold.

Listeners started listening to their own curated playlists, rather than one put together by some radio programmer.

Radio lost the very thing that differentiated it from other music sources: its personality.

Podcasts began to fill that personality and creativity void, while radio remained dominated by nationally syndicated and prerecorded voices. Podcasters have a passion for specific content, and it shows. When I attended the Podcast Movement convention this summer, I was struck by the presence of all the major radio companies. iHeart was there; so were CBS/Entercom, Beasley, and others. It was obvious why they were there. They saw the personality and growth of podcasting, and they wanted in.

Radio Jumps on the Podcasting Train:

Dan Granger, a Detroiter and iHeartRadio expat like me, wrote an outstanding piece for The Drum, discussing the re-invention of radio. This new dawn comes on the heels of seismic change in the industry. Entercom purchased CBS Radio, making them the second-largest owner in the nation. The biggest, iHeartMedia (formerly ClearChannel), recently filed for bankruptcy protection under $20+ billion in debt. Here’s the part of Dan’s piece that jumped off my screen.

The radio giants did not go quietly into the night. Quite the contrary. In the last two weeks, I’ve spoken directly with executives at Entercom, Westwood One, and iHeart. They are now in an arms race for on-demand audio content, and do not care if it comes from existing radio talent, launching new podcast talent, or acquiring existing Podcast talent that has already achieved leadership on the charts. Westwood One has emerged from bankruptcy. Entercom is newly empowered as a major player with an appetite to scale into the future. Then there’s iHeart. The industry leader is chomping at the bit, soon to emerge from their Chapter 11 bankruptcy and bucking the gates, poised to go on a content tear. Meanwhile, Panoply shuts down its programming arm, in favor of focusing on their tech platform, while BuzzFeed and Audible both close down their podcast creation efforts.

Granger also shared this Podtrac chart of Top 10 publishers (updated since his piece). He also reminds us that iHeart (still in bankruptcy) just bought HowStuffWorks.

There should be no debate about terrestrial radio’s interest in podcasting. They hope to find great content and give it a bigger microphone (so to speak). The biggest piece of evidence is iHeart’s announcement of their iHeartRadio Podcasting Awards, which I’ll tackle in my next post.