Tag: It’s All Media

Industry Views

Sabo Sez: It’s All Media

By TALKERS | by TALKERS
Sabo Sez:  It’s All Media
By Walter Sabo
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Host, The Other Side of Midnight
WABC, New York / Red Apple Audio Networks
img“It’s all media,” declared accomplished media executive Jack Griffin when confronted with brand new definitions of content and content distribution. Jack, for years, was president of Meredith Publishing, Time Inc., and The Tribune Company. I met Jack when he was publisher of PARADE magazine. Jack is pragmatic, won’t waste your time and spots BS faster than most humans. We were listening to discussions of the impact of online media versus traditional media, and his line was running out. Jack declared “It’s all media” and the meeting blessedly ended. The phrase haunts me and it is being proven true every second of every day.
Steve Goldstein, CEO of Podcast consultancy, AMPLIFI, published a white paper on the growing acceptance of podcasts in the dashboards of media buyers. The paper tackles the challenge industry committees have had defining a podcast! [link]

Answer: It defines a podcast as an on-demand, spoken-word show intelligible with your eyes closed – video and RSS are both allowed, neither required.
 
The definition of a podcast is simple, broad, and can be met by any podcaster! And every person and entity is making a podcast. Follow that through to what Griffin declared.
VOGUE magazine puts out podcasts constantly. By most definitions they are really good and brand appropriate. Pretty, gossipy, urgent and current. Much more entertaining than the magazine. The New York Times has more podcast viewers than newspaper readers.
The ever-prescient Michael Harrison was right on the money more than two decades ago when he coined the term “media station” to describe the multi-media platform potential of ANY then-traditional venue such as radio and TV stations, newspapers, magazines, books, and cinema.  The media station has since become a reality and the podcast is one of its main engines.
NPR leads the top 20 lists of podcasters, and they can sell advertising in their podcasts without violating their prime directive.
It’s all media
 
When brands evolve from their original product and mission to a podcast, their methodology for success changes but not their definition of success. Brands want revenue and profit. If a brand’s assets can generate the most profit through podcasts, then podcasts will become their business.
 Audience time with media is the target. Capturing their time. Not viewership, listenership, readership, attention: T I M E because it’s ALL MEDIA.
Ultimately a corporate entity’s starter business could be shuttered in order to grow its podcast.  Good to note that every single newspaper and magazine publisher has one fantasy: Get rid of the paper.  Your competition isn’t WXXX it is becoming the VOGUE podcast.
Walter Sabo has been a C-Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General, and many other leading media outlets. His company, HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers. His nightly show “The Other Side of Midnight” is heard on WABC, New York and the Red Apple Audio Network 1:00 am – 5:00 am. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.  He can be phoned at 646-678-1110.