There’s been plenty written on Barrett Media recently about the push towards video and the developing strategy for radio stations and shows around video. They’re all columns worth your time, as it’s just another data point to consider when understanding the shift in media consumption as we get set to head into 2025.
YouTube remains the second-largest search engine in the world after Google. So, it’s not just a place to watch goofy viral videos. It’s a place where people can search for information or entertainment related to topics you might talk about on your show.
As Barrett Media wrote this week: “Podcasts continue to increase in popularity, and along with it, YouTube sees an uptick in listeners, besting Spotify and Apple Podcasts as the biggest platforms. According to new data from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, 34% of weekly podcast listeners point to YouTube as their primary listening platform. That figure represents an increase from 2023 when 28% of similar respondents identified it as their primary source of listening. Elsewhere, 17% of respondents said Spotify was their preferred listening platform, with 11% claiming Apple Podcasts was their top platform.”
Now many podcasts can be found on YouTube as simply an audio file with either limited, or no real video component. That’s Step 1.
But Step 2 is developing your show to have at least a semblance of a video component. That could be live streaming. It could be long-form interviews or monologues sliced up for easily consumable content. It could also mean a short-form video that plays as a YouTube short, Instagram, or Facebook reel. In a perfect world, it’s all of the above.
But no matter what, this is a critical part of our future that we all need to focus on sooner rather than later. It is a priority for us at KCMO Talk Radio, as it has been for many News/Talk and Sports Talk brands as of late.
But just as important is how hosts and producers can ensure they maximize their talents and prospects for the future based on industry trends.
One of the questions I keep hearing industry-wide is, “Who’s going to edit/produce on the video side?”
Every person working in radio would be wise to learn how to video edit and cut, just like we all learned how to use Adobe Audition, or any of its competitors, to cut audio (I never worked in a reel-to-reel world). But in an industry that needs to evolve rapidly, we can either learn the skill sets necessary to move the business forward or die on the vine and then go to social media to complain about the industry.
Then, there’s the graphics work that should not be overlooked. As Barrett Media’s piece also added, “Additionally, for podcast discovery on YouTube, 53% of those surveyed between the ages of 18-34 say they have chosen a podcast based on the thumbnail image.”
Thumbnail images can make or break anything on YouTube. It’s another skill set that will never let you down in the digital age we are living through.
These are challenging times, and while learning these new skills doesn’t guarantee job security, they’re valuable skills that are in high demand and translate to almost any other industry in today’s workforce. Marketing companies, ad agencies, and other traditional and emerging media outlets are all looking for people who possess this skill. There’s literally no downside.
So, start learning, and start now, whether it’s Adobe Premier, VidCut, Instagram’s Video Editor, Canva, Photoshop or anything else of its ilk. Even an hour a week. And by the spring, you’ll be a completely different content creator. And for the better.
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Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the morning show host and program director for KCMO in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. Pete was also the sports and news director for Omni Media Group at K-1O1/Z-92 in Woodward, Oklahoma. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on Twitter @PeteMundo.
