The Next Generation Shows Up to Reinvent Radio and Podcasts
When I started teaching “The Business of Podcasting” course at NYU, I polled the students regarding their media consumption habits. While audio was important, radio didn’t do well. This finding mirrors many published reports regarding a shortfall of younger demos consuming radio and falling time-spent listening.
Recently, I had the opposite experience with students when I was invited to speak about podcasting to college and high school students at the Intercollegiate Broadcast System (IBS) 2024 conference in New York.
This event might seem like a curious anomaly in today’s digital landscape. At a time when linear radio is frequently brushed aside in favor of streaming services and podcasts, particularly among younger audiences, it was encouraging and refreshing to see the enthusiasm and dedication displayed by 700 students representing college radio and high school stations from across the country. Most paid their own way to dive deep into the world of radio.
Breathing New Life into Radio
The IBS conference was a beacon of hope for the future of broadcasting. It painted a picture of passion, dedication, and hunger. Still, it begs the question: What drives these young devotees to invest their time, energy, and resources into a medium that many think is fading? I believe the answer lies in the untapped potential they see in radio—a chance to reinvent and rejuvenate a platform many have dismissed as stale and old-fashioned.
Unlike the on-demand nature of podcasts and streaming services, live radio has the potential excitement of real-time content, a characteristic that, if leveraged creatively, can offer new forms of engagement and interaction. Immediacy may play an important role.
The industry needs fresh perspectives to break free from creaky, outdated formulas (“Two for Tuesday” dates back to around 1979) and engage audiences in meaningful, contemporary ways that resonate with today’s digital audiences.
Clearly, podcasts play a critical role to this group as evidenced by the number of students who attended my session about podcasting.
The attendees of the IBS conference are at the forefront of the challenge of change and reinvention. As someone who stands at the intersection of podcasting, radio, and education, witnessing the energy and ambition of these young broadcasters was both uplifting and enlightening. As I told the session attendees, we are counting on them to reinvent radio and push podcasting forward.
At Podcast Movement, we have assembled a terrific group for Wednesday’s (3/27) “View From The Top” including Dan Granger/Oxford Road, Sarah Van Mosel/SXM, Jenna Weiss-Berman/Audacy-Pinneapple, Drew Marcus,/Guggenheim Securities. The changing ad market, company valuations, podcast economics, AI, what hits look like and much more, on our agenda.
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