Podcasting, the future of radio

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta, vmahmud@yahoo.com

Some people believe that video did kill the radio star. How often do you tune in your radio? In your car? When the power goes out, using a battery powered unit? How often do you stop what you're doing to listen to a special program, as you would for a TV show?

As our lives become more hectic with an increasing number of entertainment options at our disposal, radio has fallen by the wayside. Very seldom can you listen to music in the office, and if you miss a scheduled talk show, there are no repeats. So is radio dead?

Not really. Thanks to digital music players such as the Apple iPod or Creative Zen, people can download music and other content to be played where they want it, when they want it. And with the advances in the digital distribution network comes a generation of people offering their own content for the world's enjoyment in the form of a podcast.

Podcasts are taking the world by storm, especially since Apple Computers incorporated podcast subscriptions on its latest version of iTunes, a music player software available for both the Mac and PC.

These "portable-on-demand" broadcasts can consist of professionally recorded newscasts by the BBC or an amateur DJ's music made with a home computer. You can download them for free and play them on your computer, car CD or digital music player.

For example, consider Spacemusic (www.spacemusic.nl), a podcast that plays an eclectic mix of ambient and electronic music. Created by TC in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, spacemusic provides evidence of how a regular person can produce a professional and deeply fascinating radio show.

Despite his busy day job, TC manages to create a one-hour weekly show that plays a variety of music in a relaxing andstyle.

In addition, there are the "sound scene tours", where TC walks along the beach, buys Chinese food or cooks nasi goreng special with sambal terasi, all blended in with the appropriate background music. When Pope John Paul II passed away, beginning with a TV announcer in the background, TC played some moving music to celebrate the late pontiff's life.

Ultimately, spacemusic is a unique program that is not heard anywhere else.

"The Spacemusic podcast is about many artists and good (space)music," wrote TC in an e-mail. It's a modern way to get your information on demand. You decide when or where you listen to your `radio' and not the other way around. That's the real power of podcasting!"

For talk radio, a quick look on Apple's iTunes Music Store podcast list would see a number of tech talk shows doing extremely well. One of them is the MacCast (www.maccast.com), a podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Produced by Adam Christianson, the MacCast is essentially a Mac Users Group meeting, but delivered verbally.

Anyone can do a show

"Podcasting is here to stay," says Christianson from San Diego.`big boys' are already getting in on the act, so the world of podcasting may change a bit, but there is plenty of room for everyone. Mainstream media is going to try and adapt the technology to meet their needs, but what makes podcasting so powerful is that anyone can produce a show."

A few radio stations such as NPR in the U.S. and the BBC in the U.K. are also beginning to use podcasts. Compelling programs such as From our own correspondent (www.bbc.co.uk/fromourowncorrespondent) and Living On Earth (www.loe.org) can be heard in the comfort of your home, car or office. It may be not a commercial venture, but the information from both these quality programs are reaching a larger audience.

But considering the bandwidth needed and the size of the audio files (which can reach up to 30 megabytes or more), will podcasting take off in Indonesia?

With the advent of mobile cameraphones with built-in music players, and the roll out of 3G services soon, radio stations and individuals would be able to produce content for a cellular phone market of over 30 million.

And if the content is compelling enough, you could charge a subscription for it. But for some podcasters, making money is not a priority.

"So far this has been a hobby for me," declares Christianson. "I have not decided to pursue any commercial opportunities yet, (as) for now I just don't see any benefit for the show."

"Hobby? Commercial Venture? Well, I guess its a nice mixture of both," says TC.

Former MTV VJ Adam "Podfather" Curry believes that podcasting allows people to take back the media, which makes sense. TV and radio was before in the hands of corporations or a few powerful tycoons. Now, with digital technology, anyone can be the next radio DJ or Larry King. And with the Internet, their content can be distributed quickly, making anyone at a home computer and a microphone the next multimedia mogul.