Chapter 1. LaunchPad for Media and Culture 11e

Digital Update Activity: Podcasts—Where Are They Going and How do They Reflect Our Past?

Digital Update Activity: Podcasts—Where Are They Going and How do They Reflect Our Past?
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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

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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Digital Update Activity: Podcasts—Where Are They Going and How do They Reflect Our Past?

Start this activity with a brief class discussion:

  • What do you know about podcasts?
  • Who has a favorite podcast they listen to?
  • Where do you typically listen to them? (e.g., in a car, while exercising, while doing housework, etc.)

Digital Update Activity: Podcasts—Where Are They Going and How do They Reflect Our Past?

Take some time to visit some well-known podcast hubs, such as:

Digital Update Activity: Podcasts—Where Are They Going and How do They Reflect Our Past?

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.

Digital Update Activity: Podcasts—Where Are They Going and How do They Reflect Our Past?

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.

If you were to develop a new podcast, what would you focus on?
If you were to develop a new podcast, what would you focus on?

Digital Update Activity: Podcasts—Where Are They Going and How do They Reflect Our Past?

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.

Use the space below to answer the following question.

How is the era of podcasts like the Golden Age of Radio? How is it different?
How is the era of podcasts like the Golden Age of Radio? How is it different?

Digital Update Activity: Podcasts—Where Are They Going and How do They Reflect Our Past?

Analyze podcasts in relation to media economics.

Use the space below to answer the following questions.

1. How do podcasts make money?
How do podcasts make money?

2. What is the economic impact of podcasts on other media? In other words, people have only so much time to interact with media on any given day, so how are podcasts taking time away from other things, such as listening to broadcast radio or Spotify, watching television, or reading? How are radio stations generally benefiting from podcasting their programs? How might local radio be suffering with the rise of podcasting? What about syndicated radio?
What is the economic impact of podcasts on other media? In other words, people have only so much time to interact with media on any given day, so how are podcasts taking time away from other things, such as listening to broadcast radio or Spotify, watching television, or reading? How are radio stations generally benefiting from podcasting their programs? How might local radio be suffering with the rise of podcasting? What about syndicated radio?