Podcasts vs. Radio: the next chapter

Last week I spoke to Steve Mowbray from Radio Jackie, a commercial station based in south west London. This is the second part of that interview, in which Steve talks about the power of podcasts, and the symbiotic relationship they can have with radio.

In an earlier VisVox interview, Stuart Provan from Eagle Radio in Guildford explained where he saw the future for podcasting heading towards. Like Stuart, Steve agrees that radio stations should be embracing the potential that podcasts have to offer, instead of shying away from a technology that has the potential to elbow them out of the playing field. Steve and Stuart both believe that podcasts and radio can work together to complement each other and ultimately enhance the experience of the listener. The two have mutual strengths and weaknesses, but they also possess advantages that are exclusive to themselves. By combining the two services, far greater opportunities and advances can be achieved.

There may still be a way to go, however, before the two media can mutually benefit each other to the extent that Steve, along with I am sure many other radio outlets, envisage. A RAJAR survey conducted at the end of last year suggests that only 30% of people who listen to podcasts have subsequently tuned in to new radio programmes as a result. Conversely, 76% felt that their podcast habits bore no impact on the amount of live radio they listened to.

Is this because people are quite firmly entrenched in the radio programming they want to subscribe to? Which in turn would suggest audiences could be quite rigid in their choice of podcasts? If you listen to Radio Jackie regularly, and hear mention of a podcasting service you are far more likely to download that content than, say, another station’s. But what radio stations should be aiming for is to create a network that also transcends the boundaries of region and listener habits: tap into an area of interest, podcast about it and then direct content to further station outputs. As Steve mentions, in order for radio stations to progress they must identify where the appetite is and fill that gap in the market.

You can listen to the full interview with Steve Mowbray here:

How do you see the relationship between podcasts and radio evolving? Take our poll – Podcasts vs. Radio