What could your roommate, your neighbor or that guy who always falls asleep in class have in common? The power to be the next big thing in radio.
Too bad nobody is listening.
Podcasting — what was predicted to be the hottest new trend in portable music — has been slow to catch on at the university.
Podcasts are downloadable audio shows that can be played on computers or MP3 players. Many professional media outlets, along with the average Joe with a microphone, have been recording radio shows and allowing users to download them for play on the go.
Think NPR, PBS and ESPN and thousands of random broadcasts at your digital fingertips at any time.
“I’ve heard of [podcasting], and I know it involves radio show type things, but I don’t use it or care enough to look into it,” said junior journalism Kate Derr. “It was just an option on my iTunes update.”
“I’m a journalism major, so I’m interested in the news, and I’m a radio DJ; both those facts would make me the kind of person who would use it, and I haven’t,” she said.
Like Derr, many university students didn’t care when podcasts were added to the latest release of Apple’s iTunes software in June. What are they doing? Watching Laguna Beach, playing beer pong and being blissfully ignorant about the podcasting world.
Maybe podcasts are still too fresh to grab students’ attention. Maybe we’re fully satisfied kickin’ it old school with the radio. Whatever the reason, it seems the newest mainstream technological advance has failed to excite college students — one of most technologically compatible age groups.
iTunes features more than 6,000 free podcasts. The software is free, the podcasts are free, and most podcasting software is compatible with just about any MP3 player. Shows range from ABC News’ Nightline to MuggleCast, a Harry Potter broadcast filled with fun facts for overzealous fans.
But despite thousands of options, students are unimpressed and bored stiff.
“I really only listen to the real radio in the car,” said Doug Ticker, a sophomore government and politics major. “When I listen to the radio in the car, I do it because I’m sick of listening to my iPod or CD player.”
For some not-so-bizarre reason, students haven’t been spotted trekking across McKeldin Mall, earbuds and all, rocking out to CNN’s News Update or the Wall Street Journal Report. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that most of them weren’t excited about talk radio or late-night news to begin with.
Students typically crave the tingle of technology at their fingertips, but in this case it seems to be a technology many have never desired.
“To be honest, [podcasting] is not something that particularly excites me,” said Adam Levin, a sophomore letters and sciences major. “I’m not interested in walking around campus with my headphones in my ears listening to a news or radio program, especially when I have so many media outlets available to me as a college student.”
Students also complained that the selection heavily promoted by iTunes largely consists of established commercial names directed toward older crowds.
The explosion of the iPod proved that if students are begging for one thing, it’s music — portable, convenient music.
The podcast collection is enormously eclectic. Famous radio and TV shows may dominate iTunes advertising, but thousands of shows like The Rock and Roll Jew Show, which specializes in Israeli rock, and Coverville, a show devoted to cover songs, are prevalent.
A quick Google search brings virtually limitless possibilities. Podcast.net and music.podshow.com are just a few of the available podcast directories.
But music podcasts are even falling flat among the university’s avid music fans.
“I think students just enjoy the individuality and freedom that programs like iTunes and WinAmp afford them,” said Dan Greene, a freshman letters and sciences major. “It’s so easy to make your own mixes to suit your mood that enjoying other people’s music could be fun, but it’s just unnecessary.”
Yet the possibility of using podcasts to delve into upcoming or underground artists is undeniable.
These practically unknown musicians are probably the biggest draw for college students who are excited about expanding their musical repertoire or crave the title of bohemian-among-the-masses. Unfortunately, the iTunes directory is pretty useless at satisfying this craving.
In order to maintain some sense of legality, iTunes only offers “podsafe” music. This excludes a fair amount of up-and-comers or underground hipsters. But finding the lesser-heard gems is far from impossible, if you have the patience to search. And search. And search.
Looking for a great podcast is one of the most frustrating aspects of podcasting, discouraging many inexperienced users from even attempting to give the technology a chance. Users have thousands of shows to sift through before finding one with music they like and minimal talk and commercials.
On the upside, you’re eventually rewarded with shows like DJ President Ike’s Indelible Beats (at www.prezike.com/mix.htm), an underground hip-hop fusion creation.
Because most of the broadcasts are long (anticipate around 20 minutes or more), the songs are difficult, if not impossible, to separate without MP3-editing software. So, you get what you get, and you’re stuck with it all.
“With a podcast, it’s possible that you could download a music podcast and there could be plenty of songs you don’t care for,” Levin said. “So I don’t see much advantage to downloading music podcasts as opposed to simply downloading songs.”
The media gods also forgot an integral part of the college student persona — laziness.
“I like listening to my music and with podcasts, I had to search for a station that didn’t suck,” said junior elementary education major Cara Flanders.
“I’m very ADD when it comes to listening to stuff and I’ve found that talk shows just bore me unless they are funny, and I’m too lazy to search the podcasts for something edgy and funny,” she said.
As podcasting supposedly explodes elsewhere, the garage-band broadcasts, which hold the most interest for students, are quickly becoming overshadowed by larger media corporations. You can also expect to see dollar signs next to that little “Subscribe” icon in the near future.
Students have dropped hundreds of dollar on iPods, adapters and iTunes downloads, but they’re passing on podcasts, free or not.
Apparently the thought of listening to Ebert and Roeper on the treadmill isn’t as student-friendly as the media giants anticipated. Shocking.
Contact reporter Sara Murray at murraydbk@gmail.com.
