podCALGARY

I’ve stated that socially we may not all come to know Podcasting by its current definition but we will all feel its impact as a successful on demand content medium.  This medium has been served best (statistically) by Apple’s iTunes which is also the software component to the iPod portable media player. 

I favor the accessibility of this medium since it puts broadcaster and independent producers on an even playing field leaving the audience to choose who they want their content from.  And now I expect this medium is about to have another growth spurt beginning in the fall and leading up to the holiday season when Microsoft launches there rival to the iPod – a personal playback device with WiFi features called Zune.

This loosely detailed product announcement came on July 21^st – but I didn’t feel the world move.  Steve Jobs has already said that to stay current with iPod technology you need to buy one every year. Does that mean Apple can beat Microsoft?  No.  But more importantly, besides investors, who cares?

What’s fundamentally important is the flow and source of information.  If both of these devices continue to make it possible for an audience to subscribe to our content I’m all for them - especially if they can make it better.

While Apple and Microsoft are fighting for Wal-Mart shelf supremacy I hope that each of us will continue to grow and refine our independent productions that we can leverage the popularity of these doo-dads to share our messages with a growing audience.

A TV or radio with out a signal is just a box.  It what comes through them that makes them great.

Doug Nouwen
podCALGARY.org

From SiliconValley.com: “After months of rumors, Microsoft confirmed Friday (July 21-06) that it plans to create a handheld music player that will compete with Apple Computer’s popular iPod.

“Microsoft declined to describe the device, which will be sold under a brand of products called ‘Zune,’ but confirmed  that it plans to launch the first Zune device later this year…

“For months, reports have leaked out that Microsoft was working on its own music service and a device with wireless WiFi connectivity that would let someone purchase music without hooking it up to a computer, as must be done with an iPod.”
Read the entire article at SiliconValley.com

At podCALGARY we are deeply passionate about Podcasting but our enthusiasm is often met with doubt and skepticism about the validity of this medium. I [Doug Nouwen] don’t personally think that the masses will come to know “Podcasting” as intimately as we have but I do believe it will greatly impact the way we all consume our media.

Podcasting is shifting the need for content to be available at a certain time to being available on demand. This goes against the norms of conventional broadcast and makes it possible for the audience to dictate exactly what they want and when.

Quality content will always find an audience and where it is produced regularly you can expect that audience to grow. That is why this web space was created – to introduce the community to relevant content and help bridge the gap between the audience and producer.

This online and on demand delivery medium also serves as a level playing field that can be employed by independent producers and conventional broadcasters. The end result is a far more diverse selection of content for the audience.

Many “nay-sayers” of this medium quickly dismiss its value saying, “it’s something for the kids and their iPods.” People with this opinion are missing a key ingredient of this medium – relevance. Without relevance this medium is with out value to an individual.

To those that are just discovering this medium or don’t believe it has value I encourage you to consult the Calgary Podcast Directory to learn what’s being produced in your community. Alternately there is a comprehensive directory of Podcasts produced nationally at: Canadapodcasts.ca. Or, visit a porthole like the Yahoo! Podcasting Directory and challenge its search field with criteria you care deeply about.

When you engage podcasting you will soon discover what we have come to know about this medium: we can schedule our own TV and radio stations with the programs we care most about and enjoy them when it’s most convenient for us. We are in control.

Doug Nouwen
Founder, podCALGARY.org

“There’s a big shock coming,” according to BBC Director-General Mark Thompson. “The second wave of digital will be far more disruptive than the first and the foundations of traditional media will be swept away, taking us beyond broadcasting.”

Thompson outlines his views in a recent speech that suggests that the BBC needs to completely rethink itself around the Internet.

“On-demand changes everything. It means we need to rethink the way we conceive, commission, produce, package and distribute our content. This isn’t about new services, it’s about doing what we already do differently.

“The BBC should no longer think of itself as a broadcaster of TV and radio and some new media on the side. We should aim to deliver public service content to our audiences in whatever media and on whatever device makes sense for them, whether they are at home or on the move.”

“We can deliver much more public value when we think across all platforms and consider how audiences can find our best content, content that’s more relevant, more useful and more valuable to them.

“I see a unique creative opportunity. This new digital world is a better world for public service content than the old one.

“Better because great content will now be available forever. Better because finding it will no longer depend on being in front of the TV or radio at exactly the right moment. Better because, in areas like Knowledge Building, the new digital media will allow a far deeper, richer offer than the BBC has ever been able to deliver before.

“There has never been a better moment to be a public service programme maker - there has never been a better moment to be a public service viewer, listener or user.”

The full speech is available at the BBC site.

Source: videopodcastingnews.com