Podcasters Finding Ways to Stay Afloat

With podcasting entering the mainstream thanks to Apple's recent addition of podcast support into iTunes, groups that previously may have been ignored by the mainstream media are finding ways to reach their target audiences as well as touch new ones.

The whole idea of radio is being turned on its head much like TiVo did to television when it first became available several years ago - allowing the listener to hear what they want, when they want.

Apple sees the huge potential behind podcasting, and began earlier this year to investigate ways to incorporate the technology, which took its name from Appe's iPod digital music player, into its Music Store and onto its devices.

Two weeks ago, Apple took the lid of its newest version of iTunes, complete with podcast support. What resulted was an explosion in content from both traditional and non-traditional sources. In the words of one analyst, it "went from underground to mainstream overnight."

Users subscribed more than one million times to various podcasts in just two days.

However, the independent podcasters began to feel the squeeze from corporate broadcasters. Industry giants like ABC, Newsweek, Disney and CNN took center stage as their podcasts have seemed to garner more attention on the iTunes Music Store than those independent shows that had started the movement.

At least one podcaster thinks this approach is a bad one.

"Apple and the mainstream media are making a monumental mistake," says Richard Bluestein, who podcasts on YeastRadio.com under the pen name Madge Weinstein. Bluestein argues that people are not looking for repackaged traditional media when they look for podcasts in most cases, and Apple is promoting exactly that.

To combat the tide of corporate podcasting, broadcasters like Bluestein have pooled the efforts into sites like qPodder.org, which provides gay and lesbian podcasters a central location to show off their wares.

"qPodder is a virtual union for queer podcasters," Bluestein said. "It's a place to meet other podcasters, interact with fans, and learn the tricks of the trade. qPodder is here to get the queer podcaster producing and noticed."

qPodder has seen success since its public launch last week. Within days, more than 30 podcasters joined the group and several of them plug the site daily in their shows, which has helped it grow among podcasters as well as fans.

Other sites like qPodder exist for the same reasons; techpodcasts.com aggregates technology-related podcasts. However, these sites aren't just for those who fit into specific categories. And many podcasters have found that their listener base is more diverse than their target audience.

If independent podcasting is to survive, sites like qPodder and techpodcasts may be essential to ensuring that fact. But it has become apparent that in this new age of a nascent form of media, those independent podcasts may need to reach out beyond their target listener to stay afloat.