Podcast is Go

In the latest issue of The New York Review of Books, Bill McKibben wrote about something you don't see a lot of writing dedicated to: radio. Before television and the Internet, the radio was all there was and much of the magazine and newspaper criticism/review was directed toward the medium. Lately, radio has become a forgotten about media to criticize. We have innumerable websites and magazine dedicated solely to television and movies, but it's tough to find a constant critical radio magazine.

"Radio may be the least discussed, debated, understood" medium today says McKibben. But while it might be criticized the least, it certainly isn't struggling. The conservative talking head Rush Limbaugh brings in 14.25 million listeners each week. National Public Radio's news shows All Things Considered and Morning Edition draw in a rival 13 million each week. While these numbers might pale in comparison to television audiences, it's still quite a lot of people.

McKibben's question is in the subtext of the article, but is nonetheless clear: if so many people are listening to radio, how come nobody is talking or writing about it?

More obviously, the article is a praise of public radio's dramatic increase in listenership and financial support since its birth in America in the 1970s. While it has certainly changed since that time, its relevancy is greater than ever. More listeners and more contributors make for a sign that this generation loves not only to watch, but to listen.

"This is the perfect moment to be a young radiohead," says McKibben. "It's like 1960s and 1970s cinema, with auteurs rewriting the rules."
And now podcasts, which are drawing from the well of iTunes customers who love free crap and to sport their cool white earpieces while ordering food at the nearby 7-Eleven, have a listenership well into the millions. Most podcasts are free and there are currently somewhere about 200,000 podcasts available on iTunes. With all of these numbers from public radio and talk shows and podcasts, it's easy to see that this generation listens to the radio not for music, but for talk.

So all of that boredom to say that we're starting a podcast. The Willamette Students Podcast will be yet another way to connect with the students and world we live in. It will be another avenue for truth, humor, and information.

When I walk through the halls of West Linn High School, about one in five students have little white headphones stuck in one ear or both. They show up to my youth group the same way. Their iPhones and iPods now connect directly to the iTunes store and getting a podcast will be easier than ever.

The Willamette Students Podcast will be an attempt to dial in (pun both intended and included) to the ear of today's high school student.

Beyond this, I'm somewhat of a radio/podcast junkie. I just love the radio, despite whatever has happened over the last century. I grew up on public radio and AM talk-shows. There are things that can be done on radio that simply cannot be done on television and I love that.

What will it look like? Not sure. The only I know is that each episode will be different and funny. Each one will not be like the one before it. We'll bring in guests to the studio or we'll take the gear into the city and talk to people. We'll get ambitious with it and see what happens. What you can be sure of, is that each week will be about 20-25 minutes of excellent material that's relevant to the student in the Willamette area. But let's be honest, that looks like a lot of different things.

To listen in to our first episode, simply search "Willamette Students" in the iTunes store search bar, or click here.

Long live radio!