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Pod Radio

29 April 2005 3 Comments

You may have already seen this. Infinity Broadcasting, a division of media conglomerate Viacom, will use listener-created content exclusively in its KYOU Radio offering. This includes podcasts. This content will be broadcast on the San Francisco Infinity affiliate KYCY-AM and webcast at kyouradio.com.

"We’re always thrilled when we can incubate new programming ideas and bring them to life on our radio stations in ways we never before imagined," said [Infinity CEO Joel] Hollander.  "Whether it’s creating original formats or adapting new technology to our existing business, Infinity is leading the charge for unique listening experiences.  There is a profound shift underway in the way we use technology that allows everyone to have a voice.  KYOURADIO harnesses that power by serving our listeners with content developed by them for them and offering a platform to share it with the rest of the world."

It will be interesting to see how this fits into the growing world of podcasting and homegrown audio content.

I’ve already submitted The Roadhouse to KYOU Radio. The submission agreement on the site is pretty lengthy, giving Infinity the ability to edit and reorganize your content in any way they feel is appropriate to their use. It does, however, grant them a non-exclusive license on the content, so content creators can push this content to any number of other outlets even if and when it’s used by KYOU. That’s pretty cool.

Keep an eye here for details on whether The Roadhouse will be part of KYOU.

3 Comments »

  • Dave said:

    I wish you wouldn’t have done this, especially not so early on. Your show is too good to give away to these guys. I fear you have now helped to cut the legs out of podcasters getting value for their work. Why should anyone remunerate you when you’ve made it obvious that you’ll just give it to them?

    - 29 April 2005 at 10:38 am
  • Tony Steidler-Dennison said:

    I understand your position. I read your comments on Doc’s site and I think your concerns are legitimate.

    I think it’s a bit of an overstatement to say that I’ve “cut the legs out of podcasters getting value for their work.” This is an individual decision based on a personal notion of value.

    KYOU now has a single Roadhouse show – 008, to be exact – to consider. There’s certainly no long-term obligation on the part of either party to provide free content or to broadcast additional content on an ongoing basis. In fact, the license and indemnity, as I read it, applies only to the single upload to KYOU. You have to sign off each time you upload content. So there doesn’t seem to be a long-term “slave labor” obligation either explicit or implied.

    For me, the value proposition is pretty simple – a) be one of the first on the station, capitalizing on the huge exposure the station itself is getting and b) leverage that exposure into a larger audience for the podcast. Those, of course, lead to c) find a reasonable way, based on a growing listenership, to make even a small amount of ching ching from the ‘cast.

    So, it’s a one-off bigger-picture deal that has a bit more value to me than just cash. In the long term, the trade-off could be lucrative. I may provide only a single show (a few weeks old), I may provide more – it depends on how KYOU serves my needs, not the other way around. But the moment I sense that the value to the podcast has been outweighed by the benefit to KYOU or Infinity, I’ll simply quit providing content.

    - 29 April 2005 at 11:19 am
  • Anne-Marie Lake said:

    Hi Tony,

    I am considering the KYOU option for my podcast, but whenever I try to register with KYOU’s website I never get an e-mail saying “You Are Registered.”

    Have you heard anything about KYOU no longer accepting podcast submissions?

    - 7 May 2005 at 11:05 am