Great move for a black newspaper
The Chicago Defender announced today that it is launching the Chicago Defender Inside Black America Podcast on Thursday, May 26. The Defender, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, becomes the first Black newspaper in the nation to take advantage of this new technology.
Every week, Chicago Defender staff writers and editors will interview newsmakers, book authors and other subjects, taking the content that used to be limited to the newspaper and putting it in audio form. The Chicago Defender will also develop podcasts in conjunction with its 100th anniversary, interviewing longtime staffers, former writers and editors, as well as others in Chicago and abroad who have been influenced by the nation’s most historic Black newspaper.
“The Chicago Defender is excited to stay on the cutting edge by launching our new podcast,” said Roland S. Martin, executive editor of the Chicago Defender. “Our goal is to make this paper the leading news and information source for African Americans in Chicago…more
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Hallelujah!! Finally I actually have something good to say about black media (can you believe it??)
Methinks Roland Martin had a whole lot to do with this. He is part of the new blood that black media so desperately needs today.
The podcast world is still in its infancy, so this is a prime time for anybody to get a piece of the action. I have been keeping tabs on the podcast world and I must say, not too many of us representin’. That has never phased me because I know stuff like this does take time. I have been tossing around the idea myself, but for now I am going to stick to writing.
The Chicago Defender is positioning itself very well. Like anything else, it is a start. Hopefully we will see many more of these from other sources in the community in the near future (like Black Enterprise, Ebony, Essence–imagine listening to an audio news magazine catered to blacks with no commercials as you drive to work or work out).
I will try to provide a link for this podcast when they post it.
May 25th, 2005 at 10:33 am
It’s an ability for time-shifted programming through your computer. It’s another avenue of communication that’s uncensored (for now) by big government and big media corporations. That’s what makes it so unique. The challenge that I see podcasting faces (especially since I’ve been doing it) is informing people beside the techs and bloggers about their existence.
May 25th, 2005 at 8:19 pm
OK … if I had a podcast, that would be unique because I am not in the broadcasting or journalism occupation.
But if I write a weekly column for a newspaper, what benefit do my readers get from becoming listeners?
This is the same issue with HuffingtonPost.com. Most of those clowns didn’t need a blog to tell us anything. They have avenues in mainstream media on which to flap their gums.
I’m not getting the newspaper - podcast angle. Also, I’m not sure how they’re going to pay for the downloading bandwidth without commercials. My commute is mostly by commuter train so reading to/from work is a given.
July 12th, 2005 at 5:10 pm
As for bandwidth, the cost is not what it used to be. We used a shared hoster - http://www.gearhost.com - and we pay for 500 MB with the $24.95 account. I host five websites on this one account. It costs me an additional $6 per month to bump that up to 1,500 MB. So the cost is relatively small.
As for the writer of the weekly column, yes, your readers benefit. You can take that column and put it in audio form for those folks who choose not to read the column. If they have the option to hear your column, then that’s what they want. For the person who talked about commuters, everyone doesn’t read. The audio book explosion is a sign that everyone doesn’t just want to read.
The podcasts also allows for more depth. For instance, we did a 1,500-word Q and A with Robin Stone, but it was a 30-minute interview! There was more depth there. We did the same with Michael Eric Dyson. You can listen to the whole piece rather than me “edit” the interview. Also, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. recently gave a speech that blasted the mayor of Chicago and others. But there were other elements he discussed. In the past, all you would hear from the speech is the snippet on radio or TV, but with the podcast, we recorded the whole speech and allowed you to listen to it. That way, you can judge for yourself what he said and not have to go through the filter of a reporter and editor. This technology allows us to drill deeper than we’ve ever been able to do.