Live, Local, Late-Breaking

This week, I've been at Podcast Movement 2017 in Anaheim, which means that I'm naturally going to talk about something podcasts can't do.

First, let's get this out of the way: I've started a podcast, it's called "The Evening Bulletin with Perry Michael Simon," it's a short-form -- very short -- feature in the vein of Talk Topics (weird or notable news with snarky comments and stupid jokes), and it's daily. It's an experiment, but, I hope, an amusing one. You can subscribe and I would appreciate that; it's on Apple Podcasts/iTunes (and leave reviews on iTunes!), Google Play Music, TuneIn, and Stitcher so far, with more to come, and here's the RSS feed and, if you just want to listen on the web, you can go here or here.

Okay, then. While I've been enjoying the energy and collegiality of Podcast Movement, noting the vastly increased numbers of radio people here, and excited about the growth of the medium and its possibilities as the future (and, in many ways, the present) of spoken-word audio entertainment and information, there's a big storm rolling into Texas and it's time for broadcast radio to do its thing. Time-shifting is a great option until something's happening RIGHT NOW and you need information a lot faster than someone can upload an updated bonus episode. Streaming will be at the mercy of the Internet staying accessible, podcasts are not useful when live information is necessary, but broadcast radio is, as the industry is fond of pointing out, critical when everything else goes down. As long as the transmitter and studio have generator power, and people have battery-operated or hand-cranked radios, radio is how people will get the critical information they need in an emergency.

That is, they'll get it if the stations provide it. I know that several of you folks in the path of Harvey are already geared up for non-stop coverage, and that's terrific. All stations should be ready, and not just by simulcasting TV coverage. When people need to know stuff right away, the new Taylor Swift song (Right Said Fred?) or debating whether Ezekiel Elliott should play in the third preseason game should take a back seat. When your home is in danger of floating into the Gulf of Mexico, the other stuff is not going to matter.

But you already know that. (And if you don't, talk to ABC's Howard Price; here's his website.) The thing that struck me while hearing about Hurricane Harvey and sitting in sessions about podcasting is that radio, which talks a great game about emergencies, is really missing a bet by not tripling down on that and increasing news content, LOCAL news content, everywhere. Instead of cutting back and then scrambling to staff up when disaster looms, radio should be stressing what other media can't do: the news, live and current, always available, mobile and not requiring any reading or staring at a screen, usable while you're doing something else. It goes back to finding your strategic advantage and exploiting it. You can reach people live wherever they are over the air or the cellular network to many devices and when the grid fails, you can still get your content out to people? Well, then, there's your strategic advantage: Bolster your news image and you'll be a practical utility for everyone, and podcasting can do less time-sensitive topics and analysis and entertainment, and everyone succeeds and makes money and joy reigns over the earth.

Or you could fire most or all of your news people, gamble that there'll never be an emergency, and hope that this on-demand, diverse, entertaining podcast thing never catches on. Or you could just use broadcast for stuff that works better live and podcasting to expand into niches and encourage new talent and creativity. I'm encouraged by the number of radio people who came to Podcast Movement with the latter idea. I hope that they don't abandon the idea that broadcast radio's role covering breaking news is worth restoring.

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When emergencies AREN'T bearing down on you, or if you're podcasting and that's not an issue, you'll find plenty of ideas for things to talk about at All Access News-Talk-Sports' Talk Topics. Find it all for free by clicking here and/or by following the Talk Topics Twitter feed at @talktopics with every story individually linked to the appropriate item. And there's the Podcasting section at AllAccess.com/podcasts.

And make sure you're subscribed to Today's Talk, the daily email newsletter with the top news stories in News, Talk, and Sports radio and podcasting, plus my PerryVision! video commentaries. You can check off the appropriate boxes in your All Access account profile's Format Preferences and Email Preferences sections if you're not already getting it.

Listen to my daily podcast, "The Evening Bulletin with Perry Michael Simon," which is NOT about radio but is amusing and, most importantly, short. You'll find it on Apple Podcasts/iTunes (please leave reviews on iTunes!), Google Play Music, TuneIn, and Stitcher so far, with more to come, and here's the RSS feed and, if you just want to listen on the web, you can go here or here. (Yes, I just repeated the plug from above. There aren't too many ways to say it, are there?)

You can follow my personal Twitter account at @pmsimon, and my Instagram account (same handle, @pmsimon) as well. And you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pmsimon, and at pmsimon.com.

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I'll probably talk about Podcast Movement next week, when I've had time to think some more; it was great to see so many of you there, and I hope I'll be seeing even more of you at next year's gathering in Philadelphia, either at the event itself or across the street eating my way through Reading Terminal Market. I also hope to see some of you at the NAB and RAB's Radio Show in Austin the week after next, but I'll save the barbecue jokes for another time.

Perry Michael Simon
Vice President/Editor, News-Talk-Sports and Podcast
AllAccess.com
psimon@allaccess.com
www.facebook.com/pmsimon
Twitter @pmsimon
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YouTube @pmsimon