In a move to make radio and podcasts more interactive, iHeartRadio is launching a new feature called Talk Back which allows listeners to participate with their favorite shows directly from the iHeartRadio mobile app.
Techcrunch reports with a push of a button, listeners can offer feedback or respond to hosts’ questions by recording a 30-second voice message. What makes this offering unique is that the recordings aren’t just going to some inbox somewhere — Talk Back is integrated with the proprietary iHeartRadio CMS (content management system), so the voice recordings are available to use, live on air, within about 10 seconds after sending.
In the current version of the iHeartRadio app, there are a couple of ways to access the new Talk Back feature. Its red microphone button will appear on the full-screen player page for the show or podcast, and there’s a Talk Back button on the station’s profile or podcast’s profile page, too.
When you push the button, a countdown timer will appear to let you know the recording is about to start, then users can record their message. The 30-second limit is meant to keep the recordings concise, but there’s nothing to prevent users from sending multiple messages. However, if the system is abused, the host can block users on their end — though this may not be obvious to the user as the in-app feature would still appear to work.
On-air posts may prompt users to introduce themselves by name when leaving a recording, but there’s nothing in the feature that specifically requires you to identify yourself. That said, you’re not really anonymous — all iHeartRadio users would be identifiable on the backend by their user ID, which is associated with their email address and a general location. In some cases, the company may have a full name and cell phone number, as well, if the user had engaged with other features in the past — like contests — where this information is required.
In other words, it wouldn’t be a good idea to use the new tool for online bullying or harassment, TechCrunch advises.
According to iHeartMedia’s Chief Product Officer Chris Williams, Talk Back has been in active development since Q3 2021, which also happens to be when Spotify rolled out its own interactive podcast tools, including polls and Q&As, to those who use its Anchor podcast creation platform to publish and distribute their shows. But iHeartRadio’s tool isn’t limited to podcasts — in fact, it’s largely designed for on-air talent who want to make their radio programs more interactive, given the tool’s near real-time nature.
The feature will initially be made available to all 900-plus owned and operated broadcast stations across iHeartMedia now, and will roll out to interested iHeartRadio podcasters who opt-in sometime in early April.
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