Award Winning Podcasts

This is the first of a three part interview with Andy Duckworth, a multi-media producer at the Guardian.

He produces the award winning podcast Science Weekly. So we asked, what are the raw components of great online audio?

He thinks it’s very important to make them accessible and understandable. He also reckons different quirky themes, variety and brevity are key. When making Science Weekly he says they use features and interviews to break up the sound of being in a studio. They’ll often go out and about for a feature, which he thinks gives a welcome pause in the programme. His final message was keep people wanting more by not going on for too long.

Science Weekly has been running for almost five years and in that time, he says, it’s been very important to understand the wants and likes of their listeners to build up an audience. People are passionate about what they’re listening to. They make an effort to download and hear the show, so it’s important to get them involved without forgetting what you’re trying to communicate. To get feedback they use social media, including blog comments, twitter and facebook, as well as email.

But there are limitations to podcasting.

He explains that the Guardian abandoned their daily news podcast because stories change so quickly. Rather, he thinks, podcasts lend themselves more to features and weekly shows where you’re not trying to give the latest news. This, he says, is why the Guardian hasn’t covered the crisis in Japan in podcast form. Things are moving too fast, and podcasts get out of date in next to no time. Instead, they’re better suited to more reflective and contemplative content, which is why a lot of the Guardians commentators are getting involved.

Why not find out how radio organisations and businesses are using podcasts too by looking at our ‘Take it from the Experts’ page? You can get a flavour of what other media organisations are up to in the world of online audio, and find links to other posts we’ve done.

To hear more from Andy Duckworth listen here: