Make it funny
April 25, 2008
If you want to have a really successful podcast in the UK it seems you need to stick to a number of key rules - at least if the top 25 chart on iTunes is anything to go by.
Monkey News Animation
March 20, 2008
Finding BBC Podcasts
January 29, 2008
The number of BBC Podcasts seem to be increasing all the time - the number is now well over 100 from across Aunties radio output.
You’ve got everything from Chris Moyles on Radio 1 and Mark Kermode on 5 Live to The Archers on Radio 4 and Digital Planet on the World Service.
The Archers
October 24, 2007
I have a fond childhood memory where I’m sitting in my grandparents living room on a Sunday - watching television sitting in front of my grandads chair while he pokes the TV with a big stick to change the channel - his remote control.
Then the clock would turn and he would dissapear into the kitchen and the radio would sound “Dum di dum di dum di dum dum di dum di dum dum” and the Archers would start.
A while later he would come out of the kitchen with something really nice to eat, kick me out of his chair and change the channel with his big stick.
I’ve never liked The Archers, I tried listening to it but it always bored me silly. Silly in much the same way that I can’t stand Coronation Street or Eastenders.
I’ve never lived in the country and I’ve never much liked the country either - I suffer from Hayfever and am allergic to animal hair - so listening to a programme full of people speaking with stereotypical farmer type accents talking about things that either don’t concern me or I can’t be arsed with.
So when I saw the Archers podcast in the top five on iTunes podcast list - I was struck with two emotions - fondess for the memory of my grandad on one hand and complete indiference for the dull nonsense that the programme actually is.
So I downloaded it - listened to the theme tune and skipped to the next song in my podcast.
But I still want to say thanks for the Archers as a podcast and I love the fact that such a stalwart of ‘old BBC’ is in the top five podcasts on iTunes - just goes to show Podcasting really is the fourth media.
Old Time Radio
October 14, 2007
I was having a discussion with my boss the other day and he was telling me about Old Time Radio or radio shows that have entered the public domain, mainly due to American Radio Networks not registering copyright in the 1950s/60s.
When I got back from the pub I decided to have a look and see if I could actually find any for download online - I found a couple of really good sites with a massive collection of OTR shows - and some brilliant SciFi.
These shows are from the heyday of American Radio - in the bit before television took over and a big radio drama could attract many millions of listeners for each show.
There are also several well known British shows available through the OTR networks as well - this is a brilliant way to take a step back in time, enjoy some brilliantly produced audio productions and learn a little about our media heritage at the same time.
When you add the OTD sites to the British Library and its goal of adding out of print books, newspaper articles and pamphlets to their website for people to read, Google and their book scanning goals and the BBC Archive and you’ve got a great set of resources for 1) going back in time and looking at media history, 2) getting some fab free content and 3) researching modern history.
The OTR and BBC Archive stuff are also brilliant ways to hear the evolution of the English language and accents over the last half century or so.
The OTR stuff is primarily up as mp3s as well so you could probably produce some pretty good podcasts using the content - won’t cost anything either.
Check out:
OTR.com
OTR.net
BBC Archive
British Library
I am cult
October 3, 2007
OK boys and girls this is more of an announcement than a regular post - I won’t be screaming opinions about the latest piece of media news to grace the airways - or at least blogoways - no it’s about a new podcast I’m getting ready to launch - very soon.
As you can probably guess from the graphic on the right the podcast is called ‘I am cult’ and is the audio version of Up Your Ego - can you guess the theme?
Basically it’s another look at new media this week but with a massive emphasis on me - well a fictional me - well a semi-fictional me.
I am Cult is a semi-scripted podcast - it will have new media news, interviews with well known new media people and scripted inserts from the news room of fictional A-list multi-author blog - as well as inserts from the diary of Mr A Blogger - the creator of all things blog.
To make this work though I need your help - I need multiple voices - people up for recording parts (reading a script), contributing news (sending me an mp3 of you wittering away) and talking about themselves and promoting their blog/podcast.
I’m hoping to get I am Cult up and running by the end of November - with the first episode going out on Friday 7 December and every Friday after that.
So if you’re up for getting involved and joining the Cult of Me then send an e-mail to ryan@upyourego.com with I am Cult in the subject bar.
Beeb go pod happy
September 28, 2007
I’ve just been reading on the BBC Radio 4 site that the News Quiz with Sandi Toksvig, Alan Coren, Jeremy Hardy and Andy Hamilton is going to be published as a podcast - this can only be a good thing.
I love what the BBC is doing for podcasting and the fact that they’ve accepted and embraced it as the ‘completely’ new medium it actually is and not just seen it as an extension of the web.
In fact the BBC Podcast page is a great example of a podcast directory and the BBC Podcast section of iTunes is one of the best on the platform.
I know many see me as a BBC Evangelist and I am, I’m not ashamed of the fact - I’ve always been a big BBC fan but this is one area where the corporation really does deserve praise.
OK so some have issues and raise complaints about the podcasts - a lot of those complaints came about after the last series of The Now Show wasn’t made available as a podcast but the reasons were explained and there wasn’t much that could be done.
Others complain about the fact shows disappear or aren’t updated anymore - often Americans that don’t realise that once a series has finished there are no new shows TO update but that when the new series begins they will start to appear again.
That is one of the real downsides of ‘radio’ and it’s series based concept being applied to podcasting and its always on concept.
Maybe the solution is to remove listings for shows from iTunes and the BBC directory or for iTunes to have a ‘This show is currently off the air but should return in May’ statement - maybe something that removes the list of available downloads.
120 and counting
There are now 30 podcasts from BBC Radio 4 alone - some are full shows, some are parts of shows - some comedies, some news - others long and a few short - but they’re all pretty good and worth the time it takes to get them on your iPod.
In total there are 120 podcasts from the BBC so far with many more likely to join that number in the not to distant future - expect to see podcasts of other regular comedies on Radio 4 as well as dramas when the BBC gets the rights and more news/feature content from across the BBC Radio network.
To break it down further there are currently six podcasts from BBC Radio 1 which include two from Chris Moyles, one from Scott Miles, entertainment news, documentary and a new music podcast from Huw Stephens which is very good.
Radio 2 also offers six podcasts including Chris Evans Jonathan Ross, Russell Brand, Steve Wright, Wogan and Matthew Wright.
Radio 3 only has the one - Arts and Ideas a pick of short features and portraits from across BBC Radio 3.
We’ve already been into the numbers on BBC Radio 4 - 30 in total so far. These include everything from the Best of Today to Broadcasting House on the political side and Beyond Belief on the religious.
Other personal favourites are Start the Week (when it’s on air), Thinking Allowed and File on 4.
Five Live is giving us 17 podcasts - mainly sport and news stuff but also includes the best film reviewer on the planet - Mark Kermode as well as the brilliant Pods and Blogs.
The digital networks have less with one from 1Xtra - Home Grown Mix, two from 6music - including Music Week and Russell Howard, two from BBC 7 - Cbeebies best bits and Heroes and just one from The Asian Network - Love Bollywood.
There are 25 very good podcasts from the World Service - my favourite being Digital Planet and World Have Your Say.
Then there are nations and regions - a part of the BBC output often overlooked nationally but still producing some amazing stuff.
Seven podcasts from BBC Radio Scotland, six from Radio Ulster, seven from BBC Radio Wales and so far five from English Regions.
There are also four podcasts that pull in content from across the BBC Radio network including NewsPod, World of Business, UK Black and World Football.
Oh and this post did start life as praise for Radio 4 but turned in to a full blown BBC Podcast Praise fest.
Charts
Oh and as of this moment in time BBC Podcasts count for 12 of the top 25 Podcasts on iTunes - ok so when you publish 120 podcasts and they’re all from shows broadcast nationwide it’s easier to get in the top 25 but still impressive.
From what I can work out there isn’t a single podcast in the top 25 on iTunes that isn’t produced by a major production company - with the exception possibly of the Best of You Tube by Plankton.
The rest are by magazines, newspapers, television channels or celebrities.
Code
This isn’t the most elegant code in the world and I know it uses horrible tables - I’ll produce a better version when I’ve got time - but here is the code I created to generate the little BBC Podcasts box on the sidebar.
It basically has a drop down of catagories (like the one on the iTunes podcast directory) and opens iTunes on the relevant BBC section.
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