By Dave Purdy, Publicist — Otter PR
Since the dawn of the radio era in the late 1920s, people have been transfixed by the stories being told over the radio waves. An easy and relatively affordable form of entertainment throughout the Great Depression, most households and millions of cars had radios by the end of the 1930s.
Although you may not think such an antiquated technology would still hold court in today’s tech-informed world, radio shows — and, more recently, podcasts — have maintained a hold on people’s sensibilities and imaginations. In 2023, radio is still reaching 87.2% of Americans. Podcasts, the direct descendant of the radio show, have people at rapt attention, with 41% of the population tuning in to at least one podcast a month.
The common thread is the human experience being shared through storytelling. Each day, radio and podcast hosts share a part of their world with the masses, showing that even within our world that is driven by advances in technology, the story still matters.
The purpose of storytelling
Each person that sits down in front of a microphone to begin a radio show or a podcast has a goal: to share information — a story. Stories bring facts to the surface and allow people to consider them and then make their own determinations.
For example, popular true crime podcasts are the “whodunits” of our day, drawing in listeners to each episode to hear more information about the crimes and make them a part of solving the mystery. Other shows give opinions and allow people to listen to something with which they commiserate while being informed.
Storytelling informs, educates, entertains, and can even change someone’s point of view.
Grab their attention
The most popular radio and podcast shows have something extra others don’t; their hosts are aware that people today have limited attention spans. Studies show that anyone looking to get the attention of a listener only has eight seconds with which to do so. Radio and podcast hosts are competing with thousands — if not millions — of others for the ear of the audience.
Luckily, there are a number of ways to grab this attention. Many show hosts use snappy music to draw people in. Well-known radio host Dave Ramsey, for instance, opens every show with “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty, and the infamous saxophone solo has now become synonymous with his show.
Podcast hosts need to relay information about who they are and what they’re about quickly. Many podcasts start the same with the host introducing themselves, the name of the podcast, and what they talk about, keeping it short, sweet, and to the point. Radio and podcast hosts alike have to help their listeners take in information and convince them to listen further.
A passionate delivery
Sometimes, popular radio and podcast hosts were famous before they decided to strike out on the radio or through their own podcast and that draws in an initial audience, but the hosts that stand the test of time all have one thing in common: passion. They are passionate about their topic and passionate storytellers.
“Modern Love,” a podcast featured on NPR, is a spinoff of the famous New York Times column of the same name. The storytelling behind this podcast leads listeners to be invested in each and every love story — just as the column did.
Similarly, news shows like “All Things Considered” are popular radio shows because of the hosts’ storytelling abilities. Topics that could seem dry or uninteresting on paper can suddenly be all anyone is talking about if the delivery is successful. Podcasts about science topics, money, relationships, or business can all be made wildly popular through effective storytelling.
Connection
In a world that is increasingly digital and connected more through social media than ever before, people are turning to podcasts and radio for the same reason they did in the 1930s — to be informed and to be connected to one another.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, experts had surmised that there would be a noted drop in the number of podcast and radio listeners. After all, people would not be commuting nearly as often, meaning they wouldn’t be listening to their favorite shows in their cars along the way. However, they were mistaken. From 2020 to 2021, digital audio listenership was up 8.3%.
Radio has endured technology innovations, wars, depressions and recessions, and now pandemics. Though a relatively new innovation, podcasts seem to be gearing up to be just as resilient in the face of societal pivots. It all comes back to the enduring power of the story.
People will always be on the hunt for information, entertainment, and a connection to others with similar interests. It is this drive for more input that keeps the human race flourishing, and allows us to all share in the human experience together.
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