Rationale: According to music blogger Gavin Whitner, recent studies conducted by companies like Nielsen and Edison currently show there are more than 700,000 active podcasts and more than 29 million podcast episodes. Podcasts have clearly grown to become our most popular form of new media. Podcasts such as Serial have been downloaded over 250 million times. After debuting in 2014, Season 1 of Serial has now been downloaded over 175 Million times according to Variety. The investigative work done in Serial lead to a potential new trial for its subject Adnan Syed and is an example of the power this form of new media has on our larger society. Process: Locate one podcast from the list below or of your choosing approved by the instructor. Note: Just as in traditional journalism, many podcasts deal with mature subject matter and often use language that may be offensive. Please let the instructor know if you prefer a podcast that does not potentially include any of this type of material. ***Research basic information about the podcast such as: Producer/Owner/Creator Subject matter Basic historical facts Interesting/important facts Societal influence from podcast/has it affected the subjects or hosts life in any way? Has the podcast been made into any other media? Listen to the first episode of your chosen podcast if its a series or one episode if it is a daily podcast. Assignment: Once you complete the above process you are now ready to complete the assignment. Compose a 3-5 – page double-spaced essay detailing the following: ***Introductory paragraph that details your findings from the above bulleted list. (Basic podcast info etc) Describe how your chosen podcast is set up. Detail the structure. (Narrative, Interview etc. with examples.) How do you see this podcast as an important part of the industry? Why? What did you like best about this podcast and Why? Provide examples. Discuss the effectiveness of the information being presented in this medium rather than in a traditional format such as radio, newspaper, website etc. Why is the podcast format more attractive/effective for some consumers? Provide examples. Can be positive or negative. Why do you think Podcasts have become so popular? How do you think Podcasts have changed/Influenced the field of journalism?
