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The research questions:
Can a framework for defining the underlying characteristics of podcast content be established? Could these characteristics then be used to improve access to listeners to podcasts of interest?
See Abstract for the Genetic Code of Podcasting here.
Professor Beckstead situates her research towards the bottom of a proposed pyramid that looks like this:
The podcast characteristics that were measured in this study were:
| Authenticity | How authentic are the hosts and people on the podcast? (The decision was made to rate audio fiction podcasts, in which actors are playing characters, at “0” for the purposes of this study) |
| Celebrity | Are there celebrities on the podcast, as a host or a guest? |
| Evergreen vs Timeliness | Is the podcast timeless (evergreen) or is it connected to something immediate (e.g. current events, news of today, etc.)? |
| Narrative/ Storytelling | Does the podcast contain storytelling? Do the hosts or guests recount stories with a narrative, such as a personal experience, or a story about someone else? |
| Informativeness | Does the podcast contribute to a listener being ‘well-informed’, or gaining a greater understanding of a topic? |
| Humour | How much is humour a factor in this podcast? |
| Niche vs General Interest | Would this podcast appeal to a particular niche group (e.g. people who sew quilts), or is it more of a general interest podcast? |
| Production Quality | How good is the production, based on things like good mixing, no plosives, well-recorded material, no distortion or poor levels, no sloppy editing, etc. |
| Sound Design | How much does sound design play a part in this podcast (i.e. incorporating creative sound production to enhance the mood or narrative, using sound effects and/or music to paint pictures, illustrate ideas, set a tone, etc.) |
| Emotionality | Does it engender feelings in the listener, such as anger, happiness, sadness, worry, empathy, sympathy, etc.? Note that this is different than simply ‘enjoying’ or ‘liking’ the podcast (which may spark an emotion of satisfaction or something similar). We’re looking for something that is emotionally moving. |
Note that Intimacy was determined also to be a defining characteristic, although it was left out of the data collection process by accident. Therefore the selected podcasts were not rated on Intimacy.
Which podcasts were studied?
A mixture of some top-charting podcasts from Canada and the US, as well as critically acclaimed podcasts were chosen.
The list of podcasts studied:
| 1619 |
| 10/3: Canada Covered |
| 30 for 30: Bikram |
| And That’s Why We Drink |
| Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard |
| Articles of Interest |
| Attention Control |
| Bardstown |
| Bear Brook |
| Binge Mode: Harry Potter |
| Caliphate |
| Call Her Daddy |
| Canadian True Crime |
| Caught |
| Chelsea Handler: Life Will Be the Death of Me |
| Cocaine & Rhinestones |
| Crime Junkie |
| Diana: Case Solved |
| Dr. Death |
| ESPN 30 For 30 Podcasts |
| Everything is Alive |
| Fantasy Focus Football |
| Finding Cleo |
| Front Burner |
| Getting Curious w/Jonathan Van Ness |
| H3 Podcast |
| Hell and Gone |
| Hell and Gone |
| Hit Man |
| Home Cooked |
| In the Dark |
| Keep It |
| Last Podcast on the Left |
| Life Kit: All Guides |
| My Brother, My Brother And Me |
| My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark |
| Not Another D&D Podcast |
| NPR News Now |
| Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations |
| Over My Dead Body |
| Pardon My Take |
| Party Lines |
| Patient Zero |
| Punch Up the Jam |
| Repeats Removed |
| Reply All (2018) |
| Revisionist History |
| Room 20 |
| Serial Season 3 |
| Slow Burn Season 2 |
| Spittin Chiclets |
| Stuff You Should Know |
| TED Radio Hour |
| The Adventure Zone |
| The Atlantic’s Daily Idea |
| The Big Story |
| The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge |
| The Clearing |
| The Daily |
| The Dream |
| The Habitat |
| The Horror of Dolores Roach |
| The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal |
| The Joe Rogan Experience |
| The Journal |
| The Killing of Marilyn Monroe |
| The MFCEO Project |
| The Misfits Podcast |
| The Off Season |
| The Promise |
| The Wilderness |
| Tiny Meat Gang |
| Trump, Inc |
| Uncover |
| Up First |
| VIEWS with David Dobrik and Jason Nash |
| Why Won’t You Date Me? |
| WSJ Minute Briefing |
How were the podcasts rated?
Here is a copy of the data collection tool, used to rate specific podcasts on these characteristics. Students in the researcher’s class were assigned to rate specific podcasts from the list. More than one student rated each podcast, then compared their ratings and agreed upon a common rating.
Results
Radar Charts analysing commonalities within genres
Radar charts showing commonalities among podcasts of differing genres:
Note: Would you like to give feedback on or ask a question about this research? Be part of the Open Peer Review! Please visit the comments section at the bottom of this page to participate.
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