Posts Tagged → timcast IRL
The last bit about podcasting, honestly, I promise
Different readers provide comments here differently. Some send an email, which is fine, when the comment is substantive and or constructive criticism. I like those. This blog’s spam filters are set pretty tight, so to comment here, a reader has to really, really want to say something. I do not filter for content, unless it is egregiously vile, or dumb. People can disagree with my views, I am fine with that. And I can be persuaded about some issues.
So we got an emailed comment about this podcast business from a reader, in a distant state, who has himself had a couple podcasts. He (“AB”) points out that podcasting can be done with just as much disregard for the business end of it, as this blog has. Podcasting is a simple outlet for many people, just as basic writing here on this simple blog is important for me. His email is below.
And I would add that plenty of financially successful podcasts, now big money makers, many with celebrity authors, started out this way. Like some frustrated observer in a distant city, unable to get through to City Hall about some pedestrian issue, who then launches beautiful broadsides and tirades about the official inadequacies in City Hall. Which then harvests some inside information from disgruntled workers inside City Hall, and then becomes the second and then ongoing subject of subsequent podcasts. With ever growing public attention. And public pressure on City Hall.
This mythical podcaster then finds her- or himself suddenly providing an alternative voice for the other citizens suffering at the hands of City Hall’s corrupt or incompetent or lazy bureaucrats. This “voice” does an end run around the local mainstream media, which is like 98% of establishment media and, therefore, incurious, narrative focused, partisan, and on the side of established power, not with the citizens.
And the rest becomes history, as it is said: Plenty of now famous podcasters got their start in a garage, or in their car, or in a local park, ranting about real issues that the mainstream media outlets refused to touch. They found their voice, found or grew their issues, found and grew their message and audience, and voila, they quit their day job and have a podcast show. Making money from “clicks” on the internet and the rest of that related business churn. Rebel News comes to mind.
The biggest challenge seems to be what to do when it is not an election year, or Donald Trump is not on the ballot, or the news cycle is not on fire. Then the podcaster’s skill is really tested. In the past week I have tried listening to a couple different TimCast IRL, with Tim Pool off the air and on vacation and his gang running the show, and it is unbearable to me. It is like listening to a group of high school boys talk about Big Ideas. Just stupid. Sorry, Tim, sorry guys.
AB: “A few thoughts about your podcast post. I have had a podcast for the past several years and I had one with my wife in the mid 2000s. If you are going ahead and making that your major focus and where you are making it, as Sherlock Holmes once said, your bread and cheese, then you do have to concern yourself with clicks, downloads, sponsors. etc. At that point you also start getting into the audience capture problem where you just perform or take a point of view because that’s what your audience expects.