Category Archives: Podcasting
Living Healthy (13) – Back Pain
Recorded January 21, 2006
A finger up my bum
I listened to my first Ricky Gervais podcast (Episode 7). I thought it was hysterical. But then I think anything said with a real British accent is hilarious. Nothing fancy going on here. Mr. Gervais and a couple of his mates (Karl Pilkington and Steven Merchant) chatting it up. Sounds like they’re only going to do 10 or 12 episodes in this first flight and (hopefully) do another batch later.
I was particularly delighted with their discussion of prostate examinations. It runs about a minute and is one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a long time. The perfect follow-up to last week’s Living Healthy Podcast.
Living Healthy (12) – Prostate Cancer
Dr. Domke had his doubts about PSA screening long before the test became the subject of the research and reports we’ve seen in recent years. Recorded on January 16, 2006.
We’re using some new recording equipment. I bought ($50) a little Behringer UB802 Eurorack UB802 Mixer and a Heil PR-20 mic. I gave Henry the new mic and you can really tell the difference. So I ordered another one. Only cost $100 bucks and they sound great. Still battling iTunes tag issues but Andy has promised to solve those for us. So, we’re almost where we need to be technically.
Living Healthy (11) – Depression
Approximately 1 in 5 people suffer from depression at some point in their life and it can often recur. When is it just “the blues” and when is it depression? There’s no blood test for depression. The majority of people suffering from depression are treated by their family physician. What is Beck Depression Inventory. Recorded January 7, 2006.
RadioWarren.com
Now we’re talking. Long-time radio guy Warren Krech has started posting some interviews at RadioWarren.com. I immediately spotted several that I’ll want to listen to. I assume these are interviews he did on local talker KLIK and the station has blessed this re-purposing of the interviews. Good move Mr. Manager. I don’t listen to radio at work so I’ve never heard these. Now I will. And it might prompt me to listen to KLIK to hear more. See what’s happening here?
I looked for, but didn’t see, the feed link. Warren is almost podcasting and will, I’m sure, get that final piece in place. I want to be able to subscribe so I won’t miss any interviews. Or whatever interesting, informative audio (or video?) he comes up with.
And by posting these to an RSS enabled blog, he can open up the comments so we listeners can get in on the conversation. If you lose your way, I’ve added Warren to the blog roll and slotted RadioWarren.com under Links.
Podcasting mostly a guy thing
The audience for podcasts is relatively small and mostly male, according to a new survey from Podtrac, a company that tracks audience figures for individual podcasts. Roughly a third of the thousand Web users surveyed said they have heard of the term “podcasting.” Among that group, just 32 percent have actually listened to a podcast. Of those who have listened to podcasts, 78 percent were men, according to the study. [MEDIAWEEK.COM]
Early days. And I take some comfort in these stats, since our company is far from where we need to be with this technology. [Thanks, Morris. Again.]
Living Healthy (10) – Physical Exam
Is an annual physical exam always a good idea? Maybe not. A young, healthy male might only need a physical every 1-5 years. Sexually active women, however, do need an annual pelvic exam. Family history an important factor in frequency of exams. For Dr. Domke, the talking part, the interview, is most important part of the exam.
Sound trucks and book clubs
Reply
It’s happening more frequently. One of our sales reps gets asked about podcasting. Technical considerations (RSS, enclosures, etc) aside… I struggle to explain the conceptual differences between a traditional broadcast and a podcast. After it’s all said and done it’s just audio and that makes it easy to confuse the two. But let’s try this:
Broadcasting is driving a sound truck around town (or a thousand sound trucks in a thosuand cities and towns) with music or talk blaring from the speakers. Some people are paying attention… some or not, but we know that everyone in town could hear us.
Podcasting is a book club that meets every Tuesday night in the basement of the Presbyterian Church. We put a note on the church bulletin board to let folks know and they stop by and join the discussion if the book is interesting. If they have a good time, they come back next week.
The guys in the trucks want (and need) to count everyone in town as a listener. But we know exactly how many people show up for each week’s book club meeting. So, can we “advertise” or “market” to the book club? Maybe.
BAD: “Can you hold that thought for just a minute, Ralph? I’ve asked one of the folks from Piggly Wiggly to say a few words about some of the items they have on special this week.”
BETTER: “I’d like to thank everyone for coming out tonight. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Piggly Wiggly for providing the coffee and donuts.”
We (broadcasters) are quite capable of producing quality podcasts. And we’ll figure out a way to sell some kind of sponsorship or ads. But learning to listen to and really engage our listeners will take some practice.
BASF gets it
Remember when your insurance agent would send you a calendar for Christmas? The tech-savey marketing folks at BASF sent a few of our reporters 4 gig iPod nanos.
You spend the entire year listening to the needs of your audience. So for all of your attentive support, we would like to present a holiday gift that will enable you to hear our heartfelt appreciation. (Don’t worry – this gift doesn’t involve us caroling on your doorstep.) Since BASF is a leader in crop protection technology, we thought it would be appropriate to give you the latest advance in audio technology: the iPod nano.
It’s important to know that this gift extends beyound its small dimensions. You will have already received an email from us with a recorded holiday greeting. Now go to www.AgMediaCentral.com to hear the second part of our message, which you can listen to online or download to your new iPod.
This link also includes a few questions that will help us to listen to your needs. When you visit this link, you’ll receive an additional gift with our appreciation: a prepaid iTunes Music Card worth $15.