Podcasts began as an outgrowth of the Apple iPod, as a tool
to bring original programming to the once hugely popular MP3 device. But it was
cumbersome to get the shows. Most were housed at the iTunes Music Store and you
had to download the show to your computer, plug in your iPod, then transfer it.
According to Ralking Tech’s Jefferosn Graham at
USAToday, the
rise in smartphones and the ability to access podcasts without wires has
changed that, and greatly expanded the audience. Additionally, new apps to
listen to podcasts directly beyond iTunes — including TuneIn Radio, SoundCloud,
Stitcher and iHeartRadio — "gave podcasts an entirely new audience,"
says Allen Weiner, an analyst with Gartner.
Many new cars have Bluetooth connections, which play audio
from a smartphone directly through car speakers without having to be plugged
in.
That podcasts had the potential to chip away at traditional
radio listening was clearly noticed at Clear Channel, the nation's largest
radio broadcaster. In July, it added podcasts to its iHeartRadio service.
Podcasting is still a "small portion of overall
listening, but we need to invest in it," says Brian Lakamp, Clear
Channel's president of digital. "We need to be wherever consumers
are."
As part of the new initiative, Clear Channel struck a deal
with start-up Spreaker to let consumers record their own podcasts from home and
submit them to iHeart alongside professionally produced shows from ABC News,
National Public Radio and Ryan Seacrest.
Start-up BlogTalkRadio has a similar feature, offering free
Web tools to let anyone record a show, using their telephones as microphones,
and a Web platform to bring on guests and callers.
BlogTalk CEO Alan Levy says he's attracting 40 million
listeners monthly — but not all at his site. He shares his stuff out to iTunes,
TuneIn Radio and other platforms — many listeners come from Facebook and
Twitter.
