The Stage

Rise of the Pod squad - podcasting

Published Friday 10 June 2005 at 16:00 by Roz Britton

Radio shows are increasingly becoming podcast - downloaded from the internet onto an MP3 player once off air - and the BBC is leading the way, making some of its most popular programmes available. Roz Britton looks at how the technology could lead to the globalisation of radio

A revolution is taking hold of our airwaves that will change the future of radio broadcasting for years to come. The name of that revolution is podcasting and your mobile phone may be its key.

The next time you travel on the train, take a good look at the person sitting next to you plugged into their MP3 player. There is every chance that the voice escaping from those white headphones is not that of U2’s Bono but of a radio DJ - they could be listening to a podcast.

Podcasting is a sophisticated way to listen to radio programmes. You download the show from the internet after it has been aired and listen to it on your iPod or other MP3 player. You can even tell a piece of software your favourite programmes and have them automatically downloaded to your computer once they are available.

Given the growth of MP3 technology - it is thought that 132 million people will own one of these personal jukeboxes by 2009 - the broadcast industry is sitting up and paying attention to this rising phenomenon, especially since music players are being installed in many new mobile phones.

Pioneering podcasting in the UK is the BBC, which in April undertook a mammoth trial of internet technology, making some of their most popular shows such as Radio 4’s Today and Radio Five Live’s Fighting Talk available in podcast format. The same trial saw the Beeb accidentally stream live television shows for free across the globe, a move that proved hugely popular.

Radio DJ Jono Coleman, a broadcaster with some 20 years experience, said: “The BBC getting involved makes the format more credible. Also, American radio is getting more into podcasting, particularly for Howard Stern and other cult shows. I think it will become more and more mainstream.”

Despite emerging from America as an underground trend, with individuals putting their homemade shows on the internet, broadcast’s big boys are starting to get in on the act. In addition to the BBC, Virgin Radio is also making shows available on podcast.

Coleman believes that the main changes instigated by the podcast will be the globalisation of radio as an industry. “I’ve got a radio show, which I record in London, that goes out to 100 radio stations in Australia,” he explained. “People like me are lucky - I’ve got an audience in Australia and New Zealand and I also have an audience in the UK. Someone like Michael Parkinson or Billy Connolly could easily do a radio show that could go to air in Australia, America or South Africa, wherever they are known.

“These days radio can be downloadable and international. When I do my show for Australia, I don’t talk about what day it is or what time it is.”

And in a decade that has seen youth stations like Radio 1 struggle against more mature channels, research shows that podcasting will signal the return to a younger demographic.

“Our research suggests particularly high usage among young people or audiences younger than the traditional demographics of our stations,” said controller of BBC Radio and Music Interactive, Simon Nelson. “However, downloading technologies are becoming so prevalent and user-friendly that everyone is getting involved, accessing everything from Melvyn Bragg-fronted history programmes to chatshow highlights.”

Just like the days of Radio Caroline - the instigator of the last great radio revolution - the secret of the podcast’s success is likely to lie in pop music, according to Coleman. “I think that people will be most likely to buy concerts on this format,” he said. “People will buy podcasts for the same reason that they buy DVDs of concerts. Podcasting will allow you to pick up on a legendary Joni Mitchell concert or a Pink Floyd concert.”

However, there is one hitch. In an industry where so many have a stake, the music companies are putting their foot down. They will not allow copyrighted music to appear on podcasts.

“I think that is going to change,” said Coleman. “It’s the same as when radio stations like Heart started simulcasting on the internet. Music companies said ‘hold on a second, we want to be paid for this.’ Then they realised there is no way of saying if you want to pay for the Jono Coleman show on the internet, you have to pay for all the music rights - it’s impossible.”

The BBC, which is offering a range of programmes from current affairs to sports, is reluctant to predict which shows will prove most popular prior to analysing their trial results.

Nelson explained: “It is difficult to anticipate the relative popularity of specific programmes and one of the aims of our forthcoming trial is to assess this demand. For now, we hope that in offering a wide range of speech content from across BBC radio, there will be something for everyone.”

With so much investment in the podcast, if you have not already come across the format, it is likely by the end of the year you will. But fear not, this new technology is unlikely to sound the death knell for your morning car journey tuned to your favourite show.

“There will never be a replacement for live radio - that’s where you get the latest weather report, that’s where you get the latest news. Podcasting is all about picking up things that you have missed,” said Coleman.

“Saying that, I think podcasts are here to stay and we should be celebrating the fact that we have more choice and a lot more opportunity in what people can listen to. Podcasting is just as much of a fad as saying colour television is a fad or the calculator or personal computers or mobile phones.”

• Read our How To Guide on Podcasting

• Haven’t got an mp3 player yet? Find one that’s suitable for you at Amazon or via the Apple Store