Listen Up

As I mentioned in a previous post, I got together with a few friends and we started our own podcast and blog back in high school. In this post I'll focus on the podcast. We began talking about the idea of a podcast about 5 and a half years ago, and possible topics. After discussing some options, we decided to focus on games and technology. Today if you want to record a podcast it is incredibly easy since nearly every computer has a built in microphone and even camera. At that time, while it wasn't exactly difficult, it wasn't as easy as today. None of us had out own laptops, and we had to rely on external microphones which we plugged into a desktop computer (remember those?).

We had our equipment, a place to record, and plenty of Hi-C to give us energy, but the biggest issue we faced was hosting. Once we recorded the podcast, how did we get it out there? We had the title, logo, blog, and an originally arranged intro theme, but getting it onto iTunes was another matter. We asked other podcast hosts for information about how to get started, and where to upload each episode to. Our most helpful acquaintance was the then-fledgling creator of a blog/podcast called GoNintendo. At that time, GoNintendo was only a few months old, but had a very strong following. Fast forward to 2011 and it is now approaching its 300th podcast episode, and the blog receives a strong influx of traffic each day.

Once every 2 weeks we compiled an outline and recorded an episode either in Garage Band or with Audacity. After recording we edited in some background music, edited mistakes or pauses, and compressed it to a manageable size. Based on the tips from those we spoke with, the most tech-savvy member of our group (not me) would spend time uploading the podcast to MediaFire, and then made it available on iTunes. After writing a brief description of the episode, it was available for the world (or at least a few hundred) people to download, listen to, and enjoy.


We often spoke about news, upcoming events, and gave reviews of games and products. It was more about the process, and having fun than anything else, and as I said in my last post about the corresponding blog, it never really got too serious. It was a way for us to tinker around with fun editing software, learn about iTunes and hosting, and talk about something we had a lot of interest in. Along the way we interacted with listeners, as well as other podcasts, and we even made "guest appearances" in a podcast hosted by some teens living in Britain.


The best thing about podcasts is that they are free, easily accessible, and can offer a range of opinions from people who share your same interests. As someone who loves talk radio, I enjoy listening to podcasts, and think that they are a great source of entertainment. The news isn't the important thing when listening to a podcast, but instead the discussion, the personalities, and just being something fun to listen to. I get my news from plenty of other sources, but I love hearing certain personalities that I've grown close to talk about it.

Talk Radio: Bringing New Media to Old Media

I listen to 1050 ESPN radio a lot--for at least a couple of hours each day. I prefer listening to ESPN radio over watching shows like SportsCenter because there's more in-depth discussion, you get to know the hosts more, and of course, because of the people that call in and comment. Listeners are given the opportunity to call in and offer their take on the discussion topic, and either make a fool of themselves or make a good point. The downside to calling in is that you often have to wait for an hour+ and calling from the car is discouraged.

ESPN streams all of the shows on the 1050 website so that anyone in front of a computer can tune in. In case you miss a show you really want to hear, they are all made available as podcasts to download. For a while now, shows have also welcomed emails from listeners. Anyone can easily shoot an email to the host so the message can be read on air, in place of phone calls. More recently, hosts have started to use Twitter as a way of communicating with listeners.

In my first blog post I mentioned the game "Late Night Hash Tags" on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and how great it is to contribute to and participate in network television. 1050's use of Twitter is even better than this because of the sheer number of people that get to participate in each show. Ryan Ruocco and Robin Lundberg probably feature the most extensive use of Twitter in their show, frequently citing stories originating on athlete's Twitter accounts, telling listeners to tweet about certain topics, and even having debates over who is the best "tweeter." Brandon Tierney of The McDonald and Tierney Show has a presence on Twitter and also reads tweets from listeners. Mac and Tierney read "Trending Topics," which is an outline of the topics they will cover, such as Carmelo Anthony coming to the Knicks.

There are segments when show hosts do not accept any calls and instead only talk about different topics. They introduce the story, give their argument, and why it is good or bad. Listeners can't call in at these times, but can still send messages through email, Twitter, or even Facebook group pages. Hosts frequently read their incoming messages as they speak on the air, and respond to comments as they work into their discussion. New media allows listeners to constantly keep in tough with the host, and contribute to the show.

I really like the use of Twitter in so many of the 1050 radio shows, and how it encourages listeners to participate. Radio used to be primarily an old medium. You could listen to it, enjoy it, and then turn it off. Calling in was one way to contribute to talk radio, and still is. Now through, Twitter shows us how an old medium can be made new.