The Powerful Promoter – Matt Bacak

I found this Investor’s Business Daily article

the other day and jumped for joy, actually printed

it off and went over my friend, Mike Stewart, The

Internet Audio Guy’s house. It’s proof,you can start

or create your own radio show at preaty much no

cost yo you. Just…

Add ‘Podcasts’ To Your Tech Terms Playlist

Doug Tsuruoka

Just as you can download music to an iPod, some folks are doing the same with a new form of talk radio.

Jock Gill, a former media adviser to President Clinton (news – web sites), says this new digital culture craze is called podcasting.

It’s sort of an audio blog.

Podcasts are homemade “radio” shows that listeners subscribe to online. We’re not talking Rush Limbaugh or Howard Stern here. Most podcasts have never been broadcast on commercial radio.

They’re put together by regular folks who want to air their views or interests by making digital audio files. They post them on Web sites for others to download.

Those who make podcasts might be ex-rock stars, amateur comedians or political satirists.

The subjects could be music, art, politics, sports — really anything, just as blogs are personal Web sites where people can write about anything.

Podcasting takes its name from Apple Computer’s (NasdaqNM:AAPL – News) iPod, the leading MP3 digital music player. Podcasts, though, can be played on any MP3 player.

Gill, whose Boston media consulting practice specializes in politics-related communication, says podcasts’ diversity and freedom of expression make them cutting edge in delivering news and opinion outside mainstream media.

Podcasts rely on software that lets users download audio files to PCs from Web sites, then move onto MP3 players.

Of course, normal talk radio shows also can be podcast.

Some radio stations, in fact, already are posting their talk shows on Web sites to reach podcast audiences.

Gill recently spoke with IBD about podcasts.

IBD: What exactly is a podcast?

Gill: It’s an audio production made in someone’s PC with some supporting software. Anyone can do it. It moves the location of production from the radio studio to the PC. The fact that it’s made on a computer doesn’t really mean it’s home brew or homemade. Its sophistication depends on the experience or creativity of the originator. Some podcasts are awful. Some are extremely well done.

IBD: Can you give some examples?

Gill: Sure. Adam Curry, a well-known commentator for MTV in the late ’80s, does his own podcasts. He’s credited as the originator of the first podcast. Tens of thousands of people download his casts.

IBD: Why do people produce podcasts?

Gill: Because the ability of individuals to express themselves was taken away many years ago with the rise of modern broadcast media. Media could only be broadcast one way, by a big company with lots of money.

Podcasts restore to people the voice they had at the time of the American Revolution. Back then, people communicated by passing out little pamphlets and handbills. They stood on soapboxes on the village green to give speeches. People used to go to taverns and read single-sheet newspapers out loud and conducted rather rich face-to-face political discussions.

IBD: What are the implications of individuals getting their “voice” back through podcasts?

Gill: Now the citizen can be both a producer and distributor of (media) content.

IBD: How much do podcasts cost to make?

Gill: Very little. All you need is some inexpensive software, a PC and maybe a broadband connection that costs $40 a month.

IBD: What’s another attraction of podcasts?

Gill: They’re advertising free, unlike regular talk radio shows. They may not stay that way. But for the moment, there aren’t any ads.

IBD: Why are mainstream radio stations making their talk shows available on podcasts?

Gill: They’re trying to get in on the act because they realize how popular podcasts are becoming. But podcasting doesn’t really fit their business model yet because it’s ad free.

IBD: How many podcasts are available over the Net?

Gill: It’s gone from a few hundred a little more than four months ago to more than 2,000. That’s a pretty terrific growth rate.

IBD: Do podcasts have business or investment implications?

Gill: From an investor or business point of view, podcasts are shifting the locus of production and distribution. We all remain consumers. But thanks to innovations like podcasts and TiVo (news – web sites), we have many more choices of what to consume and when and where we consume it. Our choices aren’t limited to where the old tech is parked.

IBD: How do we know that podcasts and blogs aren’t just passing fads?

Gill: We know there will be turnover with things like podcasts and blogs. Some will be ephemeral and some will be long lasting.

The significant difference now is that citizens are starting to discover their voices and their creativity. They are coming to sit at a table where only big media companies sat before.