I have thought about distributing this through the podcast, but as people expect an audio file, not a PDF, I decided it was better to post this PDF here and allow anyone to download it … for a short time at least

It is available on Kindle and as a paperback

The book is for young, trainee, or student journalists not specialising in broadcast media. It is an introduction to “making content”, podcasting and broadcasting whether you want to understand production on a professional level or simply because you want to create podcasts for fun or add something useful to your CV.

It is a result of experience teaching radio production to journalism BA students in Dublin. Most, but not all these pages are the module and support notes. The book is part of the “Podcasting For …” project which includes podcasts and the podcastingfor.com blog.

You can download the PDF from here:

Podcasting_for_Journalism_Student_free

Contents include:

• Deciding on your purpose
• The Production Team
• Roles of the editor, producer, assistant producer, presenters, reporters, researchers
• Turning the Prospects into the Running Order
• Essential Skills: writing, reading and “marking up” a script, interviewing, planning the interview, doing an interview,
• Programme structure,
• Recording in and out of the studio, equipment (studio, microphones, recorders), using a smartphone, using a digital recorder.
• How to edit using a computer and audio editing software,
• Programme making including structure, show notes, advertising, sponsors and other non-production credits
• Podcast platforms, blog and social media, making the mp3 audio file, setting up your podcast host, registering with iTunes, Stitcher and TuneIn.
• Digital Promotions, using Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Using more traditional methods of promoting.
• Managing the online community Drawing up the guidelines
• Copyright. Staying within the law.

Journalists, newspapers, magazines, television programmes, any supplier of news, opinion or information can use podcasting to increase their reach, promote their main publication, bring additionality to their subscribers. People who were once “ink only” journalists are producing radio – to various levels of professionalism. They range from the pathetically poor (failing to understand simple production processes like audio quality or engaging audiences) to podcasts that are high quality technically and editorially.

Many have turned to audio podcasting as a strategic way to bring distinctiveness to their brand. Producing a podcast episode should be an enjoyable experience, and the listener must be able to enjoy listening. It’s not about you as the producer and presenter, it’s about the listener.

Demarcations of the past are becoming meaningless. Magazines produce audio podcasts, newspapers make video, radio stations produce websites and so it goes. A journalism student beginning work in a newspaper or magazine, might well get opportunities to produce stories for the publication’s podcast. Better still, a talented journalist might be offered the opportunity start a brand-new podcast.

This book, and its predecessor “Podcasting for Communities”, answers the question “How?”. Find out more than you ever thought you needed to know right here.

You don’t need to be a part of an organisation to produce a podcast; any single person or team can produce stories cheaply and easily and bring those stories to their audience.

This is not meant to be a book you begin to read at page 1 and work your way through. It is intended to be reference for when you want to understand aspect or learn more about radio production and podcasting.

We can all be podcasters now because the tools to produce a podcast have never been so cheap (some, free!). The access to distributing our radio programmes on the internet has never been easier. Even the process to get our podcasts listed on iTunes is simpler than ever before. Although there is a lot more competition. There are more tools available to us and they are easier to understand