Abstract

Technology has revolutionized all aspects of human life and the educational field is no exception. This research proposes the use of mobile learning (m-learning) as a tool for development of communication skills in virtual discussion boards. It took place inside the virtual classrooms of the Virtual University of Tecnológico de Monterrey with 80 20-to-22-year-old undergraduates. Podcasts of the assigned readings were made. The control group performed the activity in the traditional way, while the sample group used the podcasts to perform the activity. The findings show that mobile learning doesn´t provide significant changes in the student's skills. However, it can be an alternative for the development of critical analysis in undergraduate students.

Abstract

Podcasting has created an own narrative that provokes a rupture of the traditional radio´s language due to the transmedia configuration of its contents and its multiplatform strategies. By analyzing the most relevant Spanish podcasts and through in-depth interviews, this investigation presents a cartography of the diverse platforms and the different contents that pod­casters use so as to expand their stories beyond the sound language. Our results demonstrate that podcasting offers its messages in a wide range of platforms, digital and analog, that functionally complement each other. This involves producing materials in different media language. Moreover, podcasting presents a great variety of contents that, instead behaving in an isolated way, conform a logical and coherent grammar.

Abstract

We analyze the influence that participation in radio workshops (citizen empowerment –development of communicative and social abilities, self-esteem-, social visibility, understanding disability, and media literacy) has on individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. This study, which is based on structured questionnaires sent to tutors and participating subjects, presents a picture of the current workings of a radio workshop, confirms the exponential growth of radio projects in the last five years in light of the new technologies of information and communication, and reveals a new scenario of opportunities for accessing the radio medium through the Internet ecosystem (online radio and podcast hosting). The high degree of satisfaction shown by individuals with intellectual disabilities who collaborate in these workshops is revealed.

Abstract

Beyond the undoubted revival of the podcast, its presence in the offer of some Spanish radio stations deserves a detailed analysis. This study presents the analysis of this offer, as well as an approach to the challenges and questions behind the production of native podcasts, exclusively for web consumption. People ultimately responsible for radio programming has to deal with the traditional program schedule, in flow, and now has to add the management of a catalog of podcasts. The quantitative analysis is combined with the qualitative analysis through interviews with some of the top managers responsible for deciding how these two complementary radio offers should coexist. Results show that so far podcasts could be defined as a cultural product rather than a product of a cultural industry.

Abstract

After an initial period characterized by experimentation, amateurism, small audiences, technological difficulties, and scarce funding, podcasting is now fully consolidated. The aim of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of the Spanish podcast sphere: its structural, personal, thematic, formal, economic, and dissemination aspects. To this end, a content analysis of 21 variables was applied to the 206 programs that attained the highest popularity in the general rankings of Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iVoox during the first quarter of 2021. Along the structural dimension, the results reveal the preponderance of digital-native podcasts in comparison with previously broadcast podcasts, and of podcasts promoted by radio stations or those associated with networks over independent ones. Regarding the personnel involved, programs produced by professionals from the media or other cultural industries are more popular than those produced by amateurs, while those presented by men are more popular than those presented by women. Regarding their themes, content related to mystery and/or crime, history, entertainment, and emotional well-being predominates. In the formal sphere, the majority of programs are exclusively audio programs, produced weekly and in Spanish, with a limited presence of the other co-official languages in Spain. In terms of funding, the most common situation is production by media groups or podcast networks, followed by monetization on YouTube and offering additional services. Based on all this, the main conclusion of this study is that podcasting in Spain has abandoned the democratizing potential attributed to it by some theorists and researchers in its beginnings to become embedded in a largely commercial logic.    

Abstract

Podcasts have been offered as a new service by digital music providers for several years now. The shift from Really Simple Syndication (RSS) distribution to central distribution channels has increased the interest in podcasts in low-consumption markets. This study aimed to examine the reasons for the recent increased interest in podcasts in Turkey. To analyze the growth in the popularity of podcasts, a model based on the technology acceptance model and the uses and gratifications theory was used, and a questionnaire targeting the users who listened to podcasts through Spotify, the most popular music streaming service in Turkey, was administered. According to the data obtained, the majority of the participants had first heard about podcasts through Spotify once they announced that they were offering podcasts as part of their services. The perceived ease of use in listening to podcasts served as the major factor behind listening motivations, perceived usefulness of the services, and attitude toward use. Therefore, although the popularization of podcasts in new markets seems to be associated with their unique content, the decisive factor driving the popularization of podcasts is actually more related to the ability podcasts offer users, who are faced with so many stimuli, to access the preferred content anytime and anywhere in a clear and straightforward manner.

Abstract

This article examines the implementation of programmatic buying in the digital audio sector. The sustained growth present in the different markets helps the consolidation of this medium that brings enormous benefits to commercial communication. The main aim of this research is to understand the current situation of the programmatic audio advertising buying sector. In order to address the object of study, an exploratory approach has been carried out by applying a qualitative and quantitative methodology developed with professionals from the sector and supported by the collaboration of entities such as IAB and Programmatic Spain. The results show that there is a greater commitment by brands to invest in digital audio due to its flexibility and the ability to send segmented messages with greater effectiveness and consumer engagement. As a non-invasive medium, the inclusion of digital audio in media plans has a direct impact on listener’s attention. Data shows that there has been a significant increase in the consumption of streaming music, online radio, and podcasts. Nevertheless, investment is still focused on traditional radio and the results of the study show a reluctance to plan integrated campaigns. Moreover, the difficulty in measuring return on investment is a major deterrent to the investment attracted. Professionals interviewed say that the market provides transparency and quality guarantees, as opposed to other problems such as fraud in data measurement that have slowed down investment in the past.   

Abstract

The growing popularity of podcasting is an opportunity for the news industry to identify new ways of delivering journa-lism and to find solutions to the challenges of digital transformation. Podcasts are tools that help the media adapt to the digital sphere by giving prominence to audio to extend their journalistic influence in the sonosphere. Given its disruptive nature, and since it breaks with the traditional content choices available, the analysis of this article focuses on what is offered in the form of podcasts by digital native media brands in Spain. It looks at the extent to which they are committed to this audio content and the type of journalism-based productions they promote and publish. To do this, a qualitative and quantitative content analysis methodology was used. This included an interpretation of data recorded in the Digital media map 2021 (Mapa de medios digitales 2021), updated as part of the Diginativemedia project (2019-2021). An in-depth study of a corpus –or sample– of 29 titles or series of podcasts published by 7 native news brands is also provided. These brands were selected because they publish podcasts and because, according to the Digital news report Spain 2021, they have the largest weekly reach among Spanish internet users. The results of the research show that only 1 in 4 digital media brands that offer podcasts (925) are native (232), and that it is the specialist native media outlets that are most committed to podcasting (140). Native media brands view podcasts as part of their journalism-based products and services, whose presence is beginning to grow as an exploration of their informative and expressive potential. In addition, it is podcasts that tackle current affairs using conversational formats –both audio and video– through serialised, original productions for the media outlet’s website and to provide a range of platforms.

Abstract

The radio broadcasting industry is facing a process of profound digital transformation throughout which, over the last 20 years, the strategies to preserve the traditional business model have prevailed. The consolidation of platformization and datafication in the economic management of the media requires adaptation of the radio broadcasting sector’s structures, management models, and corporate culture. Through an exhaustive bibliographic review, nonparticipant observation, and in-depth interviews conducted with heads of the systems, sales and marketing, content, and digital and innovation departments of the three leading Spanish companies (Prisa Radio, Grupo COPE, and Atresmedia Radio) and the state public broadcaster (RNE), we seek to identify the functional areas of the radio broadcasting company in which big data (BD) has a greater potential for application, trying to establish the differences in its utilization in the analogue and digital business model. The results revealed that the degree of BD implementation in the Spanish radio broadcasting industry was significantly different between the private sector –which within the last 2 or 3 years has begun to introduce, very incipiently, big data management, applied primarily to the analysis of digital audiences, these users’ consumer behavior, and business management– and the public sector, which so far has not adopted these technologies on a systematic basis.

Abstract

The expansion of the daily news podcast format in the media industry has brought new narrative opportunities and shows the strength of the audio medium. For this reason, a qualitative analysis of the daily news podcast ecosystem has been performed from the strategy and business model perspectives through a comparative study of 14 cases (10 with media parent companies and 4 independent) in the Spanish-speaking segment using semi-structured interviews with the heads of the entities analyzed. The results reveal that daily news podcasts allow media outlets to improve their positioning by forming part of their audience’s routines, and create new revenue streams through sponsorships and brand agreements. Two editorial concepts have been identified: the in-depth analysis of a topic with support from the editorial department, and round-ups similar to radio news bulletins that cover the outlet’s informative key elements. The research also highlights audio initiatives by independent creators in specialized fields who shed light on the format’s potential for news narratives.