“LAUGH OUT LOUD” VIDEO: THE PODCAST AWARDS • MORE ABOUT ADS IN PODCASTS

“LAUGH OUT LOUD” VIDEO: THE PODCAST AWARDS • MORE ABOUT ADS IN PODCASTS

This video is satire of the first degree.  It is a promo tape for “The Poddy’s”—an award show for podcasters.  The segment appeared on Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV, Saturday 11/10/18. 

READER COMMENTS: MORE ABOUT COMMERCIALS IN PUBLIC MEDIA PODCASTS

Our post last week [link] about the slippery slope of ads in public radio podcasts drew a lot of readers and a wide variety of comments.

The importance of public radio’s reliance on paid advertising was underscored this week by new research showing that more than three-quarters of the Apple Top 100 podcasts contain ads. Magellan [link], a company that tracks and sells podcast advertising, conducted the study.

Magellan claims that within ten minutes of a podcast being published the company’s software downloads it and analyzes it's advertising content. Magellan offers this service to podcast advertisers who want to verify that commercials they bought are actually being played.

In addition to ad tracking, Magellan also provides audio samples of podcast commercials so customers can hear what they sound like. For instance, on the Magelin site, you can hear Ira Glass in a This American Life podcast selling Squarespace and Rocket Mortgage [link]. And, there is a pitch for Capital One credit cards in Fresh Air [link].

To hear how far ads in podcasts are going, check out this one from The Joe Rogan Experience. (Rogan is not associated with public media). The ad is a lengthy endorsement of a gambling website MyBookie [link], The company's motto is We Don’t F*ck Around. Could commercials like this be coming soon to public media podcasts? We hope not.

COMMENT ONE: OFFER LISTENERS A CHOICE

Michael Arnold, Wisconsin Public Radio Associate Director and Director of Content commented on our post via Facebook:

Michael Arnold

This is a thought provoking post, Ken. Many many years ago, there was a lot of angst in public radio about underwriting messages. The concern was high enough that it was explored in Audience '98. At that time, they didn't see any indication of "underwriting anxiety" despite the system concerns.

 Another issue involves free access to public media content. While a "Netflix of podcasts" is an exciting idea, it limits our access to people who can afford it.

A hybrid model might offer an environment where people can make a choice between the two. This would be similar to how You Tube is offering a "commercial free" feed to people who are willing to subscribe.

A model like that may allow public media orgs to collect data on subscribers or even offer a "commercial free" podcast experience to donors for a portfolio of podcasts (similar to the PBS Passport). As stations get more sophisticated CRM systems, this might be a good middle ground.

KEN SAYS: There are good reasons why Mike Arnold is one of the most respected programmers and strategists in the public radio system. His recommendation of a hybrid model makes sense. Plus a “commercial free” package of podcasts would be easy for stations to promote.

COMMENT TWO: PODCASTS ARE A “HORRIBLE INEFFICIENT USE OF MY TIME”

We received this comment from an anonymous reader who is a genuine "podcast avoider:"

I have zero interest in podcast listening because it's a horrible inefficient use of my time.

I can read something at least five, maybe ten times as quickly as I can listen to it. And a well-written piece of content can convey at least 80% of the meaning and emotion that any audio piece can. That's good enough.

Worse, by the standards of the media, I'm highly educated, highly informed about current events, and very well-read: the exact qualities podcasters (and advertisers) all say they want.

Obviously the plural of anecdote is not data, but I think podcasters like to overlook the inconvenient truth of the inherent inefficiency of the media.

COMMENT THREE: “WATCH THE INNUENDO”

Mark Weston Laskowski, Digital Marketing Services Writer at WGBH, commented on Facebook:

Can you draw a straight line between any of the revenue generated from these sponsors and a compromise of editorial integrity or independent editorial decisions?

Or is that only a looming theoretical potential? Serious question. Please shed light without flames.

KEN SAYS: Thank you for your comment, Mark. We will give your serious question a serious answer. We are not aware of any current situation where there is “pay for play” between a podcast sponsor and a podcast producer.

But, we feel that it is more than a “looming theoretical potential.” We believe public media podcasters and publishers exist in a fishbowl where many outside interests are waiting for us to make a mistake. Even perceptions of breaches in the editorial firewall are fodder for political opportunists.

Then there is the question of poor taste. Ira Glass sounds sort of okay pitching Rocket Mortgage, but where do you draw the line? Podcast sponsors and messages exist in a wide-open space with no rules or guidelines. We recommend that public media entities establish best practices and closely monitor the wording and tone of sponsor messages.

COMMENT FOUR: VALERIE GELLER SAYS PODCAST COMMERCIALS SAVE DONOR DOLLARS

It is always a pleasure to hear from Valerie Geller [link], a radio talent coach, consultant and author of the book Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age. Geller has improved the technique of thousands of broadcasters and public speakers.

Geller made this comment about our post on Facebook:

Valerie Geller

Ken, this is a great conversation topic. Here’s what we’ve seen come back in the research: When listeners become aware of high salaries of select public media executives, it becomes an issue, and they resent giving to support the huge salaries.

So companies and “commercial” sponsors become a way to pay good professionals. We need to offer people what they are worth and deserve.  [Let’s] not alienate the giving membership.

KEN SAYS: We hope Geller is not regenerating the right-wing talking point that executive salaries cause people to shun public radio. 

We have never seen any research that this notion is true, except from people who think NPR is a liberal propaganda plot.

Jessie Thorn

In her comment on Facebook, Geller recommends a recent Los Angeles Times article [link] about Jessie Thorn’s “podcast collective” Maximum Fun [link]. Thorn is well known in both the public radio and podcast world. In the Times article Thorn advises:

“When you are making content for the internet and podcast content, making something that has a powerful appeal to a small group of people is almost always better than a good appeal to a large group of people.”

Thorn (and Geller) are right when they recommend that podcasting is less about reaching a big number of listeners than it is about creating deep, personal relationships with listeners.