Howard Stern podcasts. I’m sure that I am not the first person who has thought of this idea, but I want to throw it out there and explain why this makes sense for Howard Stern, Adam Curry, and everyone in between. Here is why I think the king of all media, and the newest of all mediums, should meet in the middle and give each other a boost.
Pod Casting Needs A Hero
I know, Adam Curry is doing just fine. But come on…I think what little mass appeal he had, went out with Boyz II Men in 1995. Are you telling me that you didn’t say “Adam Curry? Adam Curry from MTV? That guy?” when you first heard that he was the man behind the pod casting revolution? Trust me, for now he is best suited to be the unsung hero in the background. Pod casting needs someone who can carry this torch and singlehandedly bring this medium to the masses, transforming it from geek toy into must have. Howard Stern is the self-proclaimed king of all media, and rightfully so. Movies, radio, tv, books, and most recently the web…he has the Midas touch when it comes to new media. Offering his uncensored show via pod cast for download on the web, would instantly bring the concept of pod casting to millions of iPods that now sit filled with Dave Mathews albums simply because their owners don’t know any better.
Stern Needs A Boost
Come this winter, when Howard Stern makes his much hyped move to the wild west that is satellite radio, he will be in a position that he has not been in for a long time. He will be losing listeners, and will be facing an uphill battle, the likes of which he has never faced. Uncensored and living it up on FCC free, paid radio, Stern will no doubt lose millions of listeners who decide that hearing his show for 20 minutes each morning on the way to work, just doesn’t justify the equipment costs and subscription fees that come with following Stern to his safe haven. One has to admire his willingness to move and take a chance on satellite, but you can’t help but wonder if he is overestimating the number of people that will choose to go with him. Adding Stern pod casts to the mix will allow potential listeners to still enjoy Stern’s show (for a fee… see below) without committing to the whole Sirius package. Despite what some say, content is still king, and in this new media world, people love getting this content a la carte.
Closing Argument
Most people listen to Stern during their morning commute, which leaves about 4/5 of each show, missed by his core audience simply due to time and place constraints. In my case, I am lucky to catch 8 minutes of the show between my front door and my office. If I get in the car during commercial time, forget it. I get none.
I would however, happily download Stern pod casts and listen to them at work, or at the gym, or anywhere else on my iPod…at my leisure. They already offer free streaming versions of their content if you are a subscriber, why not offer pod cast versions to subscribers as well, and allow non-subscribers to buy content a la carte as well? If Sirius were smart, they would offer the ability to download Stern pod casts (or any of their shows via pod cast for that matter) on a one day delay and charge a nominal fee of $0.50 to $1.00 per download. Under this setup, if the typical user downloaded 2/3 of the Stern shows in a given month, that is $14 per month, or $2 more per month than the standard Sirius subscription. I would be much more likely to do this than I would to purchase a Sirius subscription and applicable hardware.