Podcasts have jumped in popularity in recent years. They derive their name from iPods, since these were the first devices that made podcast downloading and listening possible. Now with the ubiquity of smartphones, podcasts have become a media phenomenon, resurrecting all sorts of creative storytelling and sound engineering and underscoring why people have always loved to listen and create worlds with sound.
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Start this activity with a brief class discussion:
Take some time to visit some well-known podcast hubs, such as:
Sample notable podcasts, such as Serial (https://serialpodcast.org/) and S-Town (https://stownpodcast.org). If there’s time, listen to one of these programs as a class for five minutes and discuss why these particular podcasts have gained critical praise and a wide following.
Check the variety of podcast programming available. Some podcasts originated as radio programs that were then repurposed as podcasts; others were developed as podcast-only programming. Like blogs, podcasts today fall under every category imaginable.
Use the space below to answer the following question.
Consider podcasts in relation to the Golden Age of Radio. Some podcasts involve amazing storytelling or interesting interviews; others are highly produced stories drawn out over numerous episodes.
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Analyze podcasts in relation to media economics.
Use the space below to answer the following questions.