Pod-Crashing Episode 50
I once had an Operations Manager that got very upset with the on-air terrestrial radio staff because they wouldn’t take advantage of the wide open space provided by the radio stations webpage. There it was! In plain public view! Do what you do! Create an army of followers with your point of view!
Outside of cutting and pasting the personality of the station website laid there nearly silent.
That’s how I was first introduced to Blogging. 2006. Man I hit it hard! Every subject known to man. I wanted to know where people were and how I could get into their circle of conversation. It still wasn’t enough room for what I wanted to say. I mean they were letting us bring things forward whatever it took to drive listeners and followers deeper into our site.
It gave us the ultimate permission to generate conversation beyond the image of the radio station. Why not invest a ton of creative energy into the sport of it?
A couple of years into it I got bored. I needed a new layer of where people were at. I know! Vlogging! Yeah ok for about five minutes.
Ok, what’s all this about? You know what gets old? People that think they have a voice or a reason to bring volume to their beliefs but refuse to build their own podcast and platform. If they governments got you all wrapped up in a larger than life conspiracy that resembles a national takeover don’t get pissed off at the podcasters that don’t want to give you time. Build your own layout and play the game!
I’ve never been a fan of radio listeners becoming a part of the on-air performance. I’m all about the one on one relationship. A listener pops up and can easily steer the entire day in different direction. All of that show prep just went out the door.
For many podcasters who aren’t hooked up to that instant connection to listeners, the voices they get to hear come after the episode. Usually through a text or email. God forbid you take it to Facebook because that’s where enemy lines have already gathered and their waiting for any type of response to pounce on a moment that’s pretty much long gone and forgotten.
First… I love listeners. Don’t get me wrong. Where the host gets off the path is when an unexpected twist is tossed into a machine that’s been locked on forward motion. I’ve really enjoyed doing these conversations and interviews with all walks of life that have been affected but not infected by the Coronavirus. One problem. The conspiracy tribes are loaded for bear and want to be heard.
Anyone watching news whether it’s globally or local, the headlines are doing their job. They’ve painted this picture of how the United States could easily fall into its darkest days ever. The Stock Market still can’t fully recover and the Unemployment rate is 6 million Americans without jobs. A 3000% increase.
My reasons for wanting to podcast are not linked to politics. I may talk with those making laws but it’s never at the level of trying to chop down their cherry tree. Here’s where I get worried. I know a lot of starter shows begging for any type of attention. The power of saying yes to any guest is more vibrant today than any other time.
We cannot turn the pandemic into Area 51 or a 9-11 planes being controlled by the government.
If this is what you believe create a podcast. Make your voice present. Do the work. Promote it. Put it out there and exercise your freedom of speech. A podcast to study is the most recent season of Slow Burn where we learn the whole east west Hip Hop battle was media generated. He said she said and a lot of it didn’t need to find its story being published.
Choosing how you podcast is part of the growing process. I’m absolutely inspired by the biggest names in the newspaper industry have located their new age paths of putting their investigative reporting to work for them in a podcast. Journalism today is reaching unheard of respect because they weren’t just another voice on a talk radio show or podcast. They made it their own.
Ronan Farrow is a brilliant talent to grow toward because he knew he had a story. The television network wouldn’t air it. He kept pushing the envelope which led to multiple connections he wouldn’t have had if someone didn’t say no.
Coronavirus is an uncomfortable place to hang an uneducated hat. Every new day is a place we can compare our notes to. What we knew four weeks ago is nothing to what’s unfolding today. The information and education continues to gain strength because the most brilliant minds on the planet have united like no other time in history. That’s not an opinion. That’s fact.
A Buddhist priest named Thich Nhat Hahn chose to visit the United States during the center of the Vietnam War. Protesters were angry that he wasn’t raising banners and shouting. His view was completely coming from a different shape of the situation. If he was in the states to bring attention to the war why not do it by exercising the peace living in your soul?
What’s the moral of the story? Be heard on a podcast or YouTube video. Use your words when blogging. Be you. But be aware. Are you trying to create a movement or win a popularity contest? At no time in man’s history on this planet has there been so many different ways to communicate. Why waste your time being just a listener when you can own the stage?
Podcasting is still an infant just as much as Twitter was a baby during the exchange of government change in Libya. Believe it or not Irish Limericks were once used to get the wartime conditions across country lines to outsiders. In Central America poetry was used in the 1980s to help tell the tales which invited new hope and supplies. Country music before it became. You ready. It was the local newspaper. They put the bad times in songs so people would remember the events.
There are a billion podcast books available today to learn new tricks of the trade. If you’ve got a conspiracy driven message that needs to reach out there and be heard make sure you don’t try to make a profit from the potential of generating a large audience. Do it for free. It’ll make you look like a better rebel. May the force be with you!