The ever long debate of whether you should do something online or do it through standardized broadcasting media, like TV or radio, is always a big deal in the industry. People often mistake online streaming of media with regular broadcasting. It is not the same, definitely not the same. Streaming is basically cutting up data, compressing it and sending it through the internet to another device which then decompresses the data and decodes it, so that you can see it, almost in real time (there is such a thing as delay, due to the speed of electrons and the distance, compressing and decompressing). Standard media, or rather, broadcast media, uses radio waves to transfer its data which is a lot different to that of the internet, for once, it is not digital. So, what are the differences between podcasts and radio shows? Are they the same? They are similar, but they have their differences, and to answer whether one is better than another, right off the bat, they both have their pros and cons.
Radio Talk Shows
These talk shows have been around since the radio has been there. There was little to no music back in the day, because there weren’t as many recordings. Radios were used to transmit everything, from news to music and talk shows, of course. Talk shows were one of the only ways of learning something new, besides books, most of which were outdated at the time. It was the fastest way of getting to know somebody or a certain subject.
Today, however, radios are perceived a bit differently. Radios are no longer the big deal they used to be prior to globally available television, not to mention streaming, which is a competitor to both. Yet, radio talk shows still exist and there are countless radio stations in a single city, let alone huge metropoli like New York or Tokyo. And these are all standard radio stations, not streamed ones. If you are worried about starting a talk show on a regular radio, you needn’t; radios will be here for a long time.
Podcasts – Streaming is a Part of the Future
People often want to exaggerate and say that a certain thing is the future, and while it most likely will be a part of that future, it won’t be the only thing of its kind. This is why podcasts, streamed through the internet, using various hosting platforms, are a large part of today’s world. They are just a part of it, given the number of active radio stations on the planet.
Unlike radios, which require a little bit more effort if you want to start your talk show, anybody can start a podcast, which is one of the reasons why they are so effective.
Whether podcast or talk show, if you prefer it, it is good for you. Of the two, neither is better. Both will be with us for a long time and both have been a part of our history.
