NPR and Audible veteran Eric Nuzum, who has produced 130 podcasts, has created a book on podcasting basics, Make Noise (Workman, Dec.). Here he talks about what distinguishes the best podcasts.
What’s the difference between radio and podcasts, beyond the obvious difference of the “on demand” aspect?
The distinction vexed me for a long time, because of not being able to describe it, even though I could feel it. The most important difference is that most podcast listening happens on earphones or with earbuds—it’s a very personal experience. You can have a radio on in the car, the living room, or in a store or office—more than one person can listen to it. The classical roots of radio were group and family listening. Podcasting from its origin has really been meant to be singular, solitary listening, and I think that creates a level of intimacy that radio comes close to but doesn’t quite match. There’s also something—though I have nothing to base this on—but I think putting something against your body or inside your ear makes it different.
With more than 700,000 podcasts out in the world, what distinguishes the best?
The best podcasts have just a small handful of elements. The creators have a very clear idea of what they are trying to say. They’ve either experimented for years and they figured out what their voice is, or they’ve sat down, and before they started, they think it through.
What would you like readers to take away from your book?
If they really think that podcasting is something they’re interested in exploring, there’s just a little bit of work you can do up front that can really reduce the risk of failing. It doesn’t take a lot of money; it doesn’t take a lot of resources; it doesn’t take a huge following.
Today, 2:45–3:20 p.m. Eric Nuzum will talk with Leigh Haber about “Everything You Need to Know About Podcasting” in Room 1E11.
Today, 4–5 p.m. Nuzum will sign ARCs at the Workman booth (1307).
