Podcasting Taking Over Radio - Essay Example

Podcasting taking over radio Podcasts is a new phenomenon in today’s world and as people are seeking new ways to be creative and communicative it is gaining more of attention among people. A decade ago, radio was a favourite among people but as technology progressed age old media is fading away. Podcast is not distant from radio but it is a system which allows any person with a computer to create a radio programme and distribute it without any cost through internet .Podcasting is a great way to remove global barriers to reception and it also influence the growth of internet communication process. Here, the audiences are producers and technology takes new form to reach people and re – invent talent. However, the problem with podcast is that it can negatively impact radio broadcasting. The access to technology and ease of production and distributing makes podcasting a strong rival for radio. ( Thesis). Podcasting is a digital medium through which people can broadcast in the form of video or audio. It is an evolution of media as a result of the success of the ipod and can be listened to with the aim of portable media players. It is a new trend in communication world and youngsters are more inclined to podcasting being creative and inspirational. Podcasting is an advantageous phenomenon but it cannot be considered to be as good as age old radio broadcasting. According to ( Starak) “The word “podcasting” is a portmanteau combining the words “broadcasting” and “iPod.” In case you have had your head in the sand recently or don’t keep up with popular technology an iPod is a portable music player produced by Apple Computers”. The concern here is whether podcast will overtake radio and the answer is well yes . Podcasting is a fast spreading entertainment and communication process and it is contagious. People especially young ones are highly addicted by internet and multimedia. For them, experimenting with technology and internet is thrilling experience .So many people who like to broadcast themselves make use of podcasting as radio is less preferred by youth and middle – aged people. In these times, people communicate and get entertained with the help of internet .Internet allows downloading of many kinds of information and entertainment facilities which leave radio a less efficient media. As per (Watson )“Although podcasting first found popularity within the techie set, it has since caught on with the general public. Log on to one of several podcast sites on the Web, and you can download content ranging from music to philosophy to sports” Podcasting is suggested as an advantageous medium and it obviously has the capacity to overtake radio. People who are creative are eagerly interested in bringing out their own radio programmes and with the help of technology and internet access they do not have to think twice. Everyone do know that young population no more listen to radio and with the advent of internet and podcasting radio has vanished from their life. When podcasted programmes are available even people who were following radio can switch to the former. This means in coming years there is high chance that podcast can take over radio. Podcasting is instant and can be made with less time, cost and energy. So what can be more attracting that these facts hence podcast becomes a prominent rival for radio. Podcast is not like radio which takes time to create programs and other entertainment sources. So when podcast can make interesting programs in less time, people will definitely opt for which comes first. It is not wrong to say that people today are restless, curious and impatient. So, podcast is the right choice for them where they do not have to wait for days to hear something currently in vogue or demand. For example, if a person want to a make a programme on a disaster event like earthquake , he can do it in hours and make it available to people . The accessibility and technological advantage of the podcasting medium is a huge attraction for people. Even though, one would not get the same qualitative entertainment like radio from podcasting , it is highly preferred due to immediate access to information and entertainment. Since internet revolution, people prefer to get informed and entertained every minute and as fast as they can. They prefer podcast over radio because it is accessible anywhere whether office, club or mall and they can access the programs at their comfort. As per (Wolf ) “There are nearly 250,000 unique podcasts in existence and nearly 100 million people in the US alone have, at some point, heard a podcast”. Podcast also can be technically innovative as some people can perform extra- ordinary things with technology which makes it a rival for radio. Podcast is the new face of radio and people does like technologically advanced creations as they are portable. Radio is an entertainment medium which is more accessible at home, work or in car but this is not the case with podcasts. Every person with a computer and internet access can download the preferred podcasted program and can use it as and when they like it. Also the new generation want to explore technology and with the help of podcasting, they can make new videos and audio clips and circulate among friends and the world with ease and less expertise. Since they are convenient and easy to consume they have a high chance to get popular than radio. They are also communicated directly to people and one need to no wait for advertisement to finish to listen to a programme. As per (Berry 157 ) “Like a lot of radio, Podcasts are consumed alone and, like radio, they tend to be linear in their nature in that the content is heard as though it were live but with theadded convenience of being able to pause or rewind if desired”.A person also can listen to the same program again and again if they want which is not always possible with radio. Also when people use podcasting they can eliminate a huge amount of cost and hence programs are deliverable at less price and with more quality. This is the best part of technology that is ease up on cost, time and energy. Along with these benefits, the accessibility factor also makes it a best preferred entertainment choice over radio. Why podcasting would not take over radio? We can give only few points to back up this statement. Probably it could be the professional quality of the programs and the credibility of its information. But people have many other choices over radio to get entertained and gather information, so radio does not seems to have a good future for these reasons alone. Radio was the best option for entertainment decades ago but not anymore with television, internet and other social media emerging. Now, Facebook, You Tube and twitter have changed the way people think and express their ideas and thoughts. So in many ways radio cannot contain all the elements needed for a technologically driven society due to its less interactive ability with people, lack of portability and creativeness. In conclusion, radio may be taken over by podcasting in near future but will be in a partial manner and in a gradual process. After a decade, radio may be transformed in to something of a mixture of podcasting and radio service. Radio has been around for centuries and people definitely would want a transformed version of it to make things look innovative and efficient. Technology is progressing and people are creative and innovative and all these makes podcasting a better entertainment and mass communication medium in near future. Work Cited Berry, Richard. "Will the iPod Kill the Radio Star?" Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 12.2 (2006): 144-62. Print. Starak, Yaro. "What is a Podcast?." http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com. Enterpreneurs, 2014. Web. 22 June 2014. . Watson, Stephanie. "How Podcasting Works." http://computer.howstuffworks.com/. How Stuff Works, 2013. Web. 22 June 2014. . Wolf, Michael. "Funnymen and iPhones: Why the Podcast is Finally Coming Into its Own." http://www.forbes.com. Forbes, 2013. Web. 22 June 2014.. Read More