Part 1: Exploring a Podcast

1. Description: What is the name of the Podcast?

The podcast I have chosen to dissect is “Office Ladies”.

2. Genre & audience: In detail describe the category for this podcast, the topics
covered, and who the intended audience for the podcast is. 

Apple podcasts lists this show under “Comedy”, and the intended audience is
fans of the NBC hit-comedy, The Office. Each week they rewatch an episode
of The Office, breaking it down and giving behind the scenes stories that only
two people who were there, can tell you.

3. Show frequency and history: provide an overview of the podcast, how long
has it been airing and what is the frequency model of the episodes.

Office Ladies began October 15, 2019 and have produced an episode weekly
since then. They began by breaking down the first episode of The Office and
have followed in chronological order since then.

4. Hosts Biographies: provide an overview of who the host(s) of the show are
and discuss their professional and or technical background.

The hosts are Angela Kinsey (who played Angela Martin) and Jenna Fischer
(who played Pam Halpert). The two met when they were cast in the show and
became real-life best friends. Years after the show concluded, they were
picked up by the Earwolf comedy postcasting network to do the show.

5. Topics & episodes: discuss the range of topics and depth of coverage, also
discuss the format of the show itself, what is the average runtime of the
shows, does the show follow a reoccurring format or is each show unique?
Discuss how you see this format working with the audience in terms of its
strengths and weaknesses.

Each episode’s topic is breaking down an episode of The Office. The runtime
varies from 1 hr 30 min to 2 hrs. The format follows a reoccurring format,
which I think is a strength of the podcast because listeners learn what to
expect and can easily follow the podcast because it is essentially broken
down into different segments. Following a schedule makes the podcast seem
more polished as well.

6. Revenue model: provide an overview of the show's financial revenue model. 

How is the show produced? Does the show rely on advertising, or patron
models? Investigate how the podcast is supported from a financial aspect and
report your findings.
 The show is produced by Earwolf, a network who uses Midroll ads featuring
over 800 brand that buy podcast advertisements. Midroll states that 61% of
listeners make a purchase from podcast ads. They also have a line of merch
through the company Podswag selling everything from branded staplers and
rulers to tea mugs and popsockets. This all produces revenue for the podcast
to continue.

7. Future outlook: Discuss your thoughts on how you see the continued
operation and or success of the podcast  you are following. What future
opportunities or challenges lay ahead?

This show is successful because The Office was successful. They have a
built-in audience. The NBC show had 9 seasons and we have just gotten into
season 2 of the podcast, so the longevity is no problem. Some challenges I
foresee are The Office being taken off of Netflix. This is something rumored to
be happening in 2021. People may forget about the show because they aren’t
able to access it anymore, so they may not continue to listen to the Office
Ladies podcast.

8. Closing remarks: Provide any closing remarks on the podcast that you feel is
relevant to the overall podcast analysis.

I want to reiterate that I think the success of the show is due to having a built-
in audience. I feel that it would be harder to get something started from the
ground up, but I also don’t think Angela and Jenna are coasting by on the
coattails of the show. They bring a unique perspective and appreciate the
listeners’ input, which also helps them be successful.