Without the need for expensive transmitters and studios, anyone can start a podcast.
Since listeners can enjoy podcasts anywhere,
podcasting is quickly replacing radio as the most cost-effective way to
transmit music and ideas.
For sample podcast, click on the play button:
Podcasting represents one of the biggest
technological breakthroughs for education and enrichment in years.
While broadcasting allowed news an information to reach audiences
without regular access to college campuses, limited frequency spectrum
and commercial interests prevented radio and television from achieving
their true potential. Riding on the wave of cheap equipment and
unlimited bandwidth, podcasts offer an inexpensive and effortless way
to connect with niche audiences.
Though the world wide web has allowed us to share
audio for over a decade, listeners had to actively seek out new
recordings or streams. Even fervent audience members had to jump
through hoops to take their favorite internet radio shows and other
recordings away from their computers.
Now, with MP3 players available for less than $50
and municipalities offering free broadband internet access at libraries
and through city-wide wireless networks, nearly everyone can enjoy a
stream of information, art, culture, and entertainment from their
favorite podcasts.
Commuters can listen to podcasts in their cars or on
mass transit systems. Students use podcasts of university lectures to
complement their own notes. Businesses can podcast key meetings and
conferences.
Without the frequent interruption of radio and
television broadcasts, podcasts offer audiences both quality and
variety. While broadcasters have to view success in terms of the number
of audience members reached, podcasters can set their own metrics. An
educational podcaster can create content for a limited, but
influential, audience too small for a conventional broadcaster to be
concerned with.
Instead of worrying about paying for expensive
transmitters and complying with copious government regulations,
podcasters only have to worry about creating compelling programming.
Hosting your own podcast can cost as little as five dollars per month.
Some podcasters even take advantage of free podcast hosting options,
such as OurMedia, the Internet Archive, amd YouTube.
Podcasters also benefit from the inherent archival
process built into this new medium. As new audience members subscribe
to podcast feeds, they can choose to enjoy previous episodes of a
podcast series. Wired Magazine editor Chris Anderson describes an
online phenomenon called “The Long Tail,” in which audience members use
search technology to discover items of interest long after traditional
media would have considered those items “stale.”