A Decade of Podcast Possibilities
Here’s what we’re looking forward to in the new decade at PRX.
This decade saw quite a few media trends to say the least. Remnants of the late aughts blogging frenzy pivoted to many, many forms of video, then to apps and social media, back to video, then to newsletters, eventually landing firmly on podcasts. The idea of a podcast dates back to 2003, but it wasn’t until ten years later when This American Life released Serial that podcasting began to seep into mainstream consciousness. As we close the decade, podcasts are having a full-circle moment with the attention of big tech.
It goes without saying that the people at PRX are podcast people. So much so that it’s baked into our office decor. So it’s also no surprise that we’ve been at the helm of many of podcasting’s big moments in the last decade — *cough* did I mention PRX distributes This American Life, the team that produced Serial? Okay, just checking. And in this new decade, we’re already looking to the next possibilities and challenges in the medium.
New Content
Even with so many podcasts out there, there are still many untold stories and underrepresented voices. In this new decade, PRX will continue to push forward new voices from different backgrounds, ages, and languages.
A few weeks ago, we announced TRAX, a podcasting network for young people geared to fill the gap between content made for small children and young adults. TRAX content will be age-appropriate, but meet kids where they are — aware of complex concepts and world events — in a way that’s digestible and entertaining to them. Next year we’re also celebrating ten years of global podcast broadcasting via PRX Remix, our 24/7 Sirius XM channel of curated podcasts from both independent creators and Radiotopia.
These milestones, in addition to new shows coming to both the PRX and Radiotopia networks, make 2020 an exciting content year at PRX.
New Tech
Technology is one of the main pillars of our organization. We work to make innovative technology for our producers and partners to feel efficient and empowering as audio creators. In this decade, we launched Metrics, an internal analytics dashboard, and Dovetail, a dynamic ad insertion system that pairs current advertising campaigns with any episode in a show’s catalog. For the upcoming decade, we’ve got a few more internal platforms in the works to help manage sponsorship, and we’re also keeping an eye on consumer-facing technologies.
We don’t intend to make podcasting the next pivot to video. But, just as video had its augmented and virtual reality moments, podcasting has the opportunity to move into new technological frontiers. The most palpable at the moment being smart speakers, and we’re already on it. For the past two months our flagship daily, global news program The World has been producing a daily flash briefing, The Number in the News. We see smart speakers as an opportunity to engage listeners who don’t even know what a podcast is.
Other tech we’ve got an eye on is from our good friends at RadioPublic, who have released an updated version of their embed player as part of RadioPublic PRO. This new player gives agency both to the producer and the audience by converting curious listeners to subscribers with easy email acquisition and personalized platform destinations.
New Concerns
Expansion in the digital age has also meant encroaching on people’s personal information, often in the name of advertising and monetization. Even with smart speakers being a new exciting frontier, it is a new platform with new rules and its own privacy concerns. How do podcasts fit into that narrative? What can we do to be to protect listener data?
As the podcast industry continues to grow, how do we keep things open and accessible, not just for indie creators, but for audiences as well?
We don’t have all the answers just yet. But as we look to new opportunities, we’re intentional about how we do things and continuing this conversation.
The tens took so many surprising turns for podcasting and the twenties will have even more. Who knows where this space will end up in the next ten years! All we know is that we’re game. We’ll be there to take the chances, discover new content and be present for the conversations that matter.
See you there!
