Steve Goldstein: What People Are Doing When They Aren’t Listening To Your Podcast

by Steve Goldstein

“The heat of the moment, can be the difference between a podcast listen and a show stuck in the purgatory of the podcast queue.” In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein talks about the importance of podcast drop timing. Case study: HBO chose to delay dropping John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight from Mondays to Thursdays. Will audiences “wait and see”? Pay to see? Or maybe neither. John Oliver wasn’t happy about it. Steve connects this to podcasting, and evokes “the purgatory of the podcast queue.” Continue Reading

Steve Goldstein: What People Are Doing When They Aren’t Listening To Your Podcast

by Steve Goldstein

“In my days as an executive in the radio business, our competitive focus was always on other radio stations and grabbing audience from them with researched music, smarter commercial placement, stronger talent, and visible marketing.” That’s how Steve leads us into this overview of the many media attractions which are taking audience and time-spent from podcasting. Choice abounds, and in the search for greater audience the advice here is to think broadly about where that time will come from. “The competition isn’t just another podcast; it is everything.” Continue Reading

James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: Spinoff stations grow overall reach

by James Cridland

In his latest guest column, James Cridland starts by looking at recent RAJAR statistics measuring UK radio listening. Interesting, he observes, that spinoff stations do not detract listening from their parent stations. Then he compares NPR’s Morning Edition U.S. radio program with the breakfast shows produced by BBC and Australia’s ABC. He is left “a bit cold.” Then he tried wake-up programming at LBC (a UK network) and RTE’s Radio Ireland. And much more. Continue Reading

Steve Goldstein: The Truth About Podcasting’s Measurement Makeover

by Steve Goldstein

Apple changed podcast measurement when it changed how downloads are counted. Numbers dropped, but integrity rose. “The podcast industry supported the move to uphold the integrity of the metrics advertisers see {…} cognizant that downloads would take a hit but chose long-term credibility over the vanity.” In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein tours through media categories including radio, digital advertising, email marketing, television, and print media. In all cases, measurement is a challenge. This is an illuminating read. Continue Reading

James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: Analysing morning news shows

by James Cridland

In his latest guest column, James Cridland reviews and analyzes the Today program at BBC Radio 4. The exercise was enjoyable enough to motivate him to do the same for Australia’s ABC morning show. Also, how to effectively promote radio listening on the air. Continue Reading

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James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: How successful have HD Radio’s additional channels been?

by James Cridland

In his latest guest column, James Cridland reviews and analyzes HD Radio, comparing it to the UK’s DAB digital radio solution. HD Radio does not fare well in the comparison, for reasons ranging from low usage to poor user experience. “Now that HD Radio is more than 21 years old, it might be interesting to know how much listening there is to these HD2/HD3 stations. And it turns out… not much.” And James analyzes why that is. A must read for anyone interested in what went wrong with HD Radio adoption in the U.S., and a cross-continental comparison. Continue Reading

Steve Goldstein: Five Strategies For Podcast Expansion In A Zero-Sum Audio World

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein observes that Americans listen to four hours of audio per day … and that metric has not changed for a decade. “Time spent is unmoving,” he says, “and so it begs the question: How can podcasting (or any audio sector) continue to grow listening in a seemingly static audio environment?” Steve details five recommendations. Continue Reading

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Steve Goldstein: The Ups And Downs Of Audio In 2023

by Steve Goldstein

In this epic review of podcasting in 2023, guest columnist Steve Goldstein takes us on a retrospective tour of business developments in the fast-moving, still-evolving industry. What is a podcast — that existential question starts things off. YouTube. Gimlet. The job scene. Amp. Brand safety. The audio market generally. Research notes. Success at the top. AI. Omnichannel distribution. SiriusXM. Wall Street. Public radio. And … the opportunity of 2024. A must read. Continue Reading

Steve Goldstein: Authenticity And AI In Podcasting

by Steve Goldstein

“Authenticity is Merriam-Webster’s 2023 word of the year,” Steve Goldstein informs us in his latest guest column. That word resonated in the podcasting field, used to represent a unique value to both listeners and advertisers — “both a cliche and a cornerstone,” Steve says. That brings podcasting up against AI, arguably pretty low on the authenticity scale. Things brings up a conundrum: Is AI a boon to podcasting or a threat? Steve holds forth. Continue Reading

James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: A Look Round Radio Formula (Mexico)

by James Cridland

In his latest piece, guest columnist James Cridland reports on a recent visit to Radio Formula, a national radio station in Mexico, owned by Grupo Formula. A new facility, opened in March of this year, offer gleaming photos. “It was astonishing how much the company had packed into what seemed to me like a quite small space.” James reports. He also reports on the latest RAJAR MIDAS report. Continue Reading

Steve Goldstein: Podcasting’s Multiplatform Imperative

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein shares insights from students in his Business of Podcasting course at NYU. Most notably, these students consume podcasts in many venues, from Tik Tok to Spotify to YouTube. The lesson for podcasters? Keep students in mind. “For most podcasters, relying on a single platform for distribution is no longer sufficient.” Continue Reading