Introduction to Podcasting 1101

This sheet explains a bit about podcasts and how to do them well. It is not the podcast
assignment itself.
This is what a podcast sounds like. This is what a podcast looks like.
A podcast is a newscast, saved to the web. If youve ever heard Its 3 p.m. the news is next
youve heard a newscast. I use the terms newscast and podcast interchan!eably. "ou are !oin! to
write a 3 minute podcast, about a historical sub#ect from between $%,%%% &.'.( and $)%% '.(.
The trick is to find a sub#ect and a way of talkin! about it that an avera!e radio listener will find
interestin!.
&ecause I assume you*ve never done an assi!nment like this, I*ve created five parts. +ee the ,-.
calendar or ,ropbox for the due dates.
Part 1. The form. This form re/uires you define a sub#ect and find sources. It helps me steer
your away from off topic podcasts, like aliens, as well.
Part 2 The first draft. This will be a full, totally complete version of your podcast.
Part 3. A peer review. I*ll partner you with someone else from class, and you*ll be responsible
for reviewin! their podcast usin! a form I !ive you. This is desi!ned to help you improve your
writin! by workin! on process.
Part . The final written version. 0ost of your work will be in revisin! your first draft.
Part !. A recorded audio version. "ou*ll record your audio. If you don*t have a software of
preference, you can use Audacity, which is free, and easy to use. I*ll train y*all on how to do this.
If you can cut and copy in 0+ 1ord, your can record audio.
To start, you need to find a sub#ect that has !ood primary sources and that a !eneral audience
will find interestin!. "ou mi!ht find 2
th
century knittin! to be fascinatin!, but if you have neither
!ood sources nor an interestin! an!le for a !eneral listener, its no !ood.
3nce you have sub#ect and sources, fill in the form, posted in content.
The full assi!nment is also under content in our weeks section.
The list below includes I0435TA6T tips and re/uirements for the podcast. 4rint it and keep
with the podcast assi!nment itself.
6ews radio is listened to alone. 1rite as if speakin! to one person, not an audience.
This should be a conversation style. "ou*d never end a conversation with 7randma with
8In conclusion,8 neither would a newscast. 1rite like you speak to stran!er you met
while waitin! for the bus.
0ost folks overwhelmed their podcasts with numbers and details. .isteners retain very
little. .isteners can retain maybe two numbers and one date, that*s all.
Think of it this way9 your listener will remember one thin! from your podcast: what
should that be; +tick that up front and cut everythin! that doesn*t accomplish your !oal.
'itations are done with $. a biblio!raphy and two, in:text citations. If you /uote, write
the word <uote or indicate another way the words aren*t your own =say pause. . . then
resume>. "our biblio!raphy tells me where you !ot your information, your in:text
citations =for example, as we learn from this $?
th
century letter from @ to "> let you be
honest with your listener as to where your info comes from, and what words aren*t yours.
Aour sources are the minimum, #ust like in #ournalism. 0ore sources are better, most
non:internet sources are better. 63 7(6(5A. 1(&+IT(+ =.'30, .6(T>.
"our audience is apathetic or mildly interested =the overtly hostile will chan!e the
station>. 7ive them a hook, a reason to want to listen ri!ht up front.
5epeat information =As you heard in the first part of the newscast, now we*ll discuss.>
"our listener needs si!nposts to mark the path of your narrative.
1rite everythin! you*ll say, includin! forei!n words phonetically. Anythin! you won*t
say, for example =sound of bell>, put in parentheses. 3nly uses parentheses for directions
or non:read sound.
The format should be one sentence, one line. "es, this makes it lon! on paper. &ut it
allows you to look up when readin! on air, and find your spot a!ain /uickly. .ookin! at
a para!raph to find your spot results in dead air.
For more examples of podcasts, go to http://www.uh.edu/engines/keywords.htm . There are
hundreds of podcasts, all about the right length, to give you examples.