The following interview on the subject of podcasting was conducted with John Barth a while ago – November 7 actually (notice the I voted sticker on his sweater). Now that the holidays are a distant memory, and fickle winter weather is upon us, this seems like just the right time to share what I learned and perhaps encourage you to explore some podcasts yourself, if you aren’t tuned into this wildly popular medium already. My introduction was via PRX’s This American Life’s Serial podcast, which I devoured.
John Barth, who lives in the CWE with his partner Melody Walker, is the Chief Content Officer of PRX Public Radio Exchange, which is the largest distributor of public radio programing in the world reaching millions of people a year. So tapping my friend for behind-the-scenes information was a no-brainer, and this post conveys once again the breadth of interesting people who live among us in the CWE.
PRX, a not-for-profit formed 12 years ago, is based in Cambridge, MA and has a staff of just 19. PRX’s role is to “connect audio producers with their most engaged, supportive audiences” by providing exciting content. On the broadcast side PRX helped create and now distributes public radio shows such as This American Life, Moth Radio Hour, On Being with Krista Tippett, Christopher Kimball’s new cooking show Milk Street Radio, and Sound Opinions, a rock & roll music and talk show from WBEZ Chicago. PRX’s podcasts include a network called Radiotopia and “free-range” podcasts, which Barth manages (more on these later).
My questions are highlighted in bold. Barth’s responses are italicized.
What’s a typical week for you? I can work anywhere but if I am in town I work from home or the CWE’s TechArtista (where we conducted the interview), but I typically travel one or two weeks a month to various destinations including PRX headquarters or to New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco or Chicago. There I meet with podcasters who pitch ideas hoping to attract the attention of PRX for funding. Free-range podcasts we have picked up include Esquire Classics with David Brancaccio (listen to this one about William Styron and his breakdown) and Megan Tan’s Millennial, a podcaster who produces stories about what it’s like to be 20-something. Barth describes Tan as “a non-stop buzzing bee.” (I have enjoyed listening to this one myself).
Who are podcasters – People who want to have their own voice in radio. Podcasting is low cost, you can make them anywhere, frankly, all it takes is a recording device and you’re on your way. To get an idea of how many podcasts there are look on iTunes and you’ll find at least 350,000. Because there are so many podcasters out there it’s a very competitive field.
People send Barth audio and he and his team have to decide whether they want to put money into the project. His job is to encourage podcasters, aka producers (the person behind the mike or who designed the show), because very few that have talent get it right – right out of the box. It takes a while to get really good at it, and Barth’s job is to make sure the producers feel supported.
Barth has friends who are professional journalists (true crime writers and a couple in real life) who started creating Crime Writers On… at night in their basement. It has attracted a huge following including the cast from Law & Order.
What is the podcast demographic? The demographic skews younger than the public radio audience. Most listeners are in the 20 to 40 age range. That’s because so many producers fall into that age group.
When do you listen to podcasts? Barth showed me his phone which has hundreds of podcasts to choose from. I’ll listen to 2 or 3 podcasts on Sunday morning when I’m making coffee for instance, and then I have lots of time to catch up as I travel around the country.
What is the funniest podcast? The Bugle out of Britain, it’s outrageous…and x-rated.
The most exciting? Listen to Reveal. No one has ever done this type of reporting before on public radio. The podcasts, produced by reporters based outside Emeryville CA, come out of the Center for Investigative Reporting. The reporters break a new story each week.
The most moving? Moth Radio Hour as it features great stories that have resilience.
What do you see as the future of podcasting? It’s poised for more growth because as technology gets more convenient, growth in the field will be easier. I think of this time in podcasting similar to the early days of the VCR.
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After we completed the interview Barth stopped in to visit with Kevin Harvell who runs STL Tech Media, a podcast recording studio located in TechArtista Co-Working Environment, 4818 Washington Ave. If you are looking for professional guidance to help launch your own podcast contact Harvell here.
And finally, here are few more of John Barth’s favorite podcasts.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did putting it together.
To John Barth: Thanks so much for your time, I think I can speak for everyone who reads this and say we love getting the inside scoop on podcasting immensely. Now all we need is more time to tune in.
Great article Nicki–Arthur