The report released by Edison Research on the ratings of traditional radio and podcasting (in the United States) continues to elicit comments and reactions from experts in the field.

Among these, James Cridland, who calls himself "radio futurist" and is a consultant for radio companies and the theme lecturer, said on the feared possibility that podcasting could represent the gravestones of terrestrial radio broadcasts.

Cridland begins his analysis from a figure that seems comforting: the ratings of the Americans are still constituted for 58% by the radio (AM, FM, sat, platform, the latter, which in the USA actually coincides with Sirius XM) and only for 4% from podcasting.The same study by Edison enhances the growth of listening to Personal on Demand content, which would be duplicated in the last four years, but it is clear that the percentage is still unbalanced towards the radio.

According to Cridland, listeners of broadcasting and podcasting would follow very different patterns of behavior. Listening to the radio, in fact, would be a habit so ingrained to become automatic: turning it on is a gesture that we naturally do every time we get in the car, just like pressing the clutch at start; not to mention that still several Americans ( even if less and less, it must be said as a consequence of the disappearance of the FM stand-alone receivers ) have a radio-alarm clock on their bedside table.

Listening to the podcast, on the other hand, would be the result of a deliberate choice and, given that it is much more common than spoken content than music, the listener would dedicate his full attention to it. Cridland, moreover, differs from those who say that the diffusion of podcasts is facilitated by smart home speakers (recently disembarked in Italy), because listening would be preferred – says the expert – through headphones.

On the prevalence of the first of the two behaviors, the numbers speak clearly. But traditional radio can not be completely safe: Cridland moves the magnifying glass to another aspect of the report, which reveals how, among the people who listen to podcasts, a third one claims to have listened to at least one in the last 24 hours , while only 30% listened to the radio as well. In a nutshell, listening to podcasts could cannibalize the radio (assuming, of course, that both live under the same roof, assumed everything to prove).

According to the expert, however, the radios would not be so unprepared and would be implementing strategies both of content and based on advertising: the big players of the broadcast, in fact, would have started to place on the market in combination spaces in the broadcast and in the Personal Option Digital Casting (of which the term podcasting is acronym).

In terms of content, however, there are several broadcasters who produce podcasts " breaking up" their on-air transmissions (for example, UK’s Global which produces "best of podcast" of Radio X’s broadcast Chris Moyles Show), although this, according to Cridland, would lead to an underestimation of the potential of downloadable programs.

Ultimately, Cridland believes that the radio companies are still very far from perceiving the opportunity that podcasting makes for the radio market. The forecasts of the "futurologist" are those of non-broadcasting content, ie designed and structured for downloading only, because they are aimed precisely at "catching" that slice of consumers who are already orienting themselves for a listening behavior different from that of the listener. typical of the radio. (VD for NL)

Interest in podcasts has grown in recent years; according to Edison Research in fact 44% of people in the United States listened to a podcast at least once, while 26% did it at least once a month. But if podcasts could gain ground in cars or at home, they only did some limited raids in the workplace … at least so far. Nevertheless, some companies see new potential for audio streaming as a means of delivering on-demand content to staff , particularly for those with a large number of remote and mobile workers.

With this kind of interest in mind, the company video streaming provider uStudio has recently launched a podcast distribution platform that adds the necessary administrative controls, enterprise application integrations, security features and usage analysis provided by business managers and IT departments. (Similar solutions are also offered by podcast hosting providers like Podbean and Blubrry ).

UStudio’s CEO, Jen Grogono , said that companies get better and more effective communications with audio streaming and cited customers such as Fidelity Investments, Cintas and Salesforce, who implemented the uStudio platform for various purposes. These uses range from onboard personnel to up-to-date product information communicated to frontline sales people. "We see a growing need from companies that are trying to create content that they do not necessarily want to access the whole world," said Grogono.

For example, Salesforce has a suite of about six podcast broadcasts aimed at sales personnel, each with their own set of episodes. "They are really bringing podcasting to the next level," said Grogono. Technology in the workplace is often influenced by consumer trends, and Grogono said podcasting is no different than other typical workplace technologies.

"There are two trends at the base of the company demand at the moment: a turning point in the consumption of podcasts and audiobooks and a maturity in the creation of content combined with more accessible and mobile quality production tools" . Grogono said that access to analytics is essential for companies that decide to embrace podcasting.

An advantage that podcasts and other means of streaming keep on other types of documents is in fact the ability to collect data on the content to which the staff accesses. For example, the integration of data analysis related to the use of podcasts within a CRM system could show a correlation between access to podcasts and new sales representatives that generate revenue faster.

"You can also determine if, after watching or listening to one or two episodes of a podcast, salespeople are increasing their business or not, so as to understand the value of the content itself in ways we have never used in the past." There are other signs that show how the interest in using podcasts within organizations is increasing. According to Wayne Kurtzman of IDC, "corporate podcasts are in their early stages, but are slowly growing as a market".

"Companies have been slow to embrace this technology to date for a variety of reasons," said Jon Arnold , independent technology analyst and founder of J Arnold & Associates. "Although they can be useful for internal communications, the disadvantages are similar to those of corporate blogs. As with any communication platform, creating content that effectively involves the target audience, even if the public is a company’s workforce, is indeed a challenge ".

In the real world (and therefore not just enterprise or corporate) even the best podcasts can take a year to get a regular audience. "Remember that you are competing against all the other podcasts on the planet to get attention and visibility. Taking the time to make podcasts and create content targeted to the audience that adds value is still a determining factor in the success or failure of a podcast, " said Arnold.

An annual study conducted by the Gatehouse communication agency shows that only 18% of corporate respondents use podcasts, compared to 82% who use video tools instead. However, interest in podcasting remains rather high, with 57% of respondents (650 global communications executives) planning to increase investment in this area. Gatehouse CEO Simon Wright said the video largely eclipsed podcasts as a means of choice for office knowledge workers, but there is the potential to use podcasts as information providers to field workers, for example while they travel to reach their work destination.

"There is clearly a potential for this content," said Wright. "At the moment podcasting has not been exploited particularly well; organizations must find a solution to use it as a means of communicating information that people can learn when they are on the move. It has always been much easier to communicate with people sitting in front of their desks and it is always difficult to reach those people who are not connected. This is where podcasts will find their raison d’être: inform people on the move ".

Grogono also sees the potential of podcasts to workers who are often on the road. "Companies are launching private and secure podcasting channels so remote and field workers have access to content and information while on the go. As such, business leaders are learning that the efficiency and effectiveness of podcasts make audio a logical substitute for printing, such as traditional e-mail or PowerPoint documents analyzed on a PC. And the data produced by podcast audio streams is much more valuable than the print counterparts. "