The World of Podcasting

The World of Podcasting: A Brief Overview

• Podcasting can be a business venture with a paid subscription model, advertising, or product delivery.
• Podcasting is seen as disruptive to traditional revenue models due to its often free content.
• Podcasting involves preparing and distributing audio files using RSS feeds to subscribed users' devices.
• Podcasters typically buy services from hosting companies like SoundCloud or Libsyn, who then distribute the files to streaming services like Apple and Spotify.
• As of December 2022, there are over 2.9 million podcasts and 152.6 million episodes.
• The term "podcast" is a portmanteau of "iPod" and "broadcast" and predates Apple's addition of podcasting features to the iPod and iTunes.
• The concept of attaching sound and video files in RSS feeds was proposed in 2000, and podcasting has since become a recognized medium for distributing audio content.
• The first application to make podcasting feasible was iPodderX, developed by August Trometer and Ray Slakinski.
• Apple's release of iTunes 4.9 in 2005 added formal support for podcasts, making access more convenient but also limiting the advancement of podcatchers by independent developers.
• As of early 2019, the podcasting industry generated little overall revenue, but the number of podcast listeners continues to grow steadily.
• In 2019, 90 million people in the U.S. had listened to a podcast in the last month, and as of 2020, 22% of the U.S. population listens to at least one podcast weekly.
• Podcasting is acclaimed for its low overhead for creators, requiring only a microphone, a computer or mobile device, and associated software.

National Public Radio (NPR) History and Operations

• National Public Radio (NPR) was established in 1970, replacing the National Educational Radio Network, and was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
• NPR's first broadcast was in 1971, covering United States Senate hearings on the Vietnam War.
• NPR faced financial difficulties in the 1980s, resulting in a deficit of nearly $7 million and a restructuring of its funding arrangement with local stations.
• In the 1990s, Delano Lewis and Kevin Klose served as NPR's CEO and president.
• In 2002, NPR established NPR West, a 25,000-square-foot production facility in Los Angeles, to expand its production capabilities and improve coverage of the western United States.
• In 2003, NPR received a $235 million donation from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, the largest monetary gift ever to a cultural institution.
• NPR's budget increased by over 50% to $153 million in 2004 due to the Kroc gift, with $34 million deposited in its endowment.
• In 2005, NPR entered podcasting, reaching 5 million downloads by November of that year and 94 million downloads for NPR-produced podcasts by 2015.
• Ken Stern became NPR's chief executive in 2006, succeeding Kevin Klose, and NPR reduced its workforce by 7% in 2008 due to a drop in corporate underwriting.
• NPR programming reached a record 27.5 million people weekly in fall 2008, and corporate sponsorship made up 26% of the NPR budget in 2009.
• In 2010, NPR accepted a $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Institute.
• NPR manages the Public Radio Satellite System, distributes its programs and content on various platforms, and carries programs from the BBC World Service.