37 PODCASTING Microphones
Podcasts are on the rise, with commercial revenues also booming. In response, audio companies are offering recording solutions that promise to make podcasting the number one choice for listeners everywhere
t is now just over 15 years since, in an article for The Guardian , British journalist Ben Hammersley used the term ‘podcasting’ for the first
24 – a finding that can only bring good cheer to producers of audio content. With strong increases across content types – from comedy to current affairs – there is plenty of reason for Ofcom director of market intelligence, Ian Macrae, to assert that podcasts are “broadening people’s listening habits”. He adds: “People are using podcasts to complement traditional radio, and we’re encouraged to see broadcasters embracing the medium and seeing it as an opportunity for growth.” Of course, the complementary nature of podcast listening can expose one of the sector’s enduring problems – the sometimes variable nature of production quality. This is unlikely to be an issue with the podcasts published by major broadcasters as either reiterations of linear broadcast material or auxiliary content that is not included in primary programming. But among podcasts made by smaller professional or semi-professional operations, it is more common to encounter inconsistent sound levels, abrupt edits or other gremlins that can affect even the casual listener’s enjoyment.
time, coining the portmanteau of ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast.’ In reality, though, it is only in the last five years that podcasting has boomed as a global media phenomenon, with the quantity and variety of podcasts beginning to grow at a rate that has become extremely challenging to track. A few statistics to provide some useful context: according to Apple at its WWDC in June 2018, there are now more than 550,000 podcasts, with some 28 million episodes available for download. Meanwhile, an idea of how fast listenership has grown is given by referring to a report by UK communications regulating body Ofcom, issued in September 2018 to mark the now annual International Podcast Day. In the UK. The report claims the number of weekly podcast listeners has doubled in the past five years – from 3.2 million to 5.9 million. The increase is across all age groups, but the steepest growth is now among young adults aged between 15 and
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