With many US and European newspapers releasing daily podcasts of news, entertainment, reviews and background pieces to stories, it strikes me as odd that publishers here are not playing in this space.
I see podcasting as extending the reach of the masthead (brand) and that has to be good for the publisher, good for supportive advertisers and good for retail businesses like mine which rely on newspaper brand loyalty to lure customers in.
Given the investment in MX in Sydney last month it’s clear that News is interested in reaching the commuter marketplace. Stand at a station and count the number of commuters getting off the train with earphones in. I did this last week in Melbourne and was surprised. I don’t know what they are listening to – certainly not shows from Australian newspapers.
I only see upside for publishers playing with podcasting.
I’d certainly play in the space in my retail business if there was a economically viable model for providing download facilities and if I had sufficient commuter traffic across the front of my shop.
Ignoring podcasting will not make it go away – especially with the new range of mobile devices about to be launched.