An Old Newspaper Article About One Of Your TNT Co-Hosts

I found this article online from the summer of 2005, right in the middle of my stint as "Mr. X" of the "Mr. X and Just Julie Show," which was a show I did with my wife. Enjoy!

Pod Power

Podcasting the latest technology to compete in the media world

By MARK McGUIRE, Staff writer

First published: Friday, June 3, 2005, Albany Times-Union

In his attic, or sometimes his back yard or even his car, Mark transforms himself into "Mr. X," who -- at least in theory -- is an
international radio personality.

With his wife, Julie, Mr. X is the brains behind "Late Night with Mr. X & Just Julie." (The show is found at http://www.podcastgalaxy.com) It's not your average radio program -- much of the conversation is just that, talk about domestic goings-on between a husband and wife. More importantly, it's a radio show that's not on the radio. You won't find it on anyone's schedule but the Mr. X' own.

"If I don't have something to talk about," Mr. X said, "then I'm not going to do a show."

Mr. X, a 33-year-old computer technician and father of three from Ballston Spa, is a podcaster. He's one of the pioneers in a nascent medium that's suddenly being looked at as a catalyst for changing existing media outlets.

Last week, NBC News unveiled plans to deliver hourly updates and some network and cable news programming via podcasts. Other outlets may soon follow -- if only to thwart the competition the technology poses to existing media.

"It's going to impact us some," local Clear Channel Vice President Dennis Lamme said. "It will make us do our jobs better. The same thing with satellite: The more competition you have, the better you have to be." Even if it ends up having little impact on how existing media outlets transmit information and entertainment, podcasting has become the latest tool for online empowerment: Suddenly, anyone with online access and a microphone can be become an worldwide entertainment personality.

But podcasting changes things on the other side of the equation, as well: Online media consumers have a newfound array of choices, and the old schedules can be chucked out the window.

"It's like the TiVo concept: You can listen to these things wherever and whenever you want," Mr. X said.

But first, here's podcasting for the uninitiated: The term refers to the technology through which digital files can be downloaded, sometimes automatically or by subscription, to your computer or portable device. One of the format's godfathers is Adam Curry, who might be best known as an early MTV VJ (1987-94). Curry, who had noodled with electronics since he was a kid, wrote a computer script that allowed for the distribution of these files.

Podcasting's success is a direct result of the ease with which programs can be produced and distributed. Programmers simply upload MP3 files of their shows to a Web site for download to computers or portable MP3 players -- the most popular of which is the iPod, hence podcasting.

And you thought that blogging was cutting-edge. "Blogging is getting to the point where it gets passe," Mr. X said.

Current podcasts are different from conventional broadcasts. Because of copyright issues, pop music doesn't yet play a prominent role. Many podcasts are just conversations or the musings of a single host, in which the general public can serve as invited eavesdroppers.

Other podcasts are much more targeted, with subjects ranging from NASCAR to religion to showcases for independent music.

A recent Mr. X podcast began with the theme from "Three's Company" ("Come and knock on our door ... "), then a discussion about Mr. X's inability to do anything right in a kitchen save load the dishwasher. The discussion moved on to Julie's music -- she is a singer in the band The Heaters -- and then back to domestic issues. "Slice of life" is how Mr. X' describes his show.

By using the Internet-based communications service Skype, Mr. X is able to alert listeners when he is actually doing a show. This allows them to e-mail or even call in.

"You don't screen anybody, you don't get 'Take twos,' he said. "There is a realness to it."

Despite the deafening buzz surrounding it, podcasting is in its infancy. "It's so young. It hasn't even been a year yet," said Mr. X, who's been interviewed by The New York Times and National Public Radio. It's worth noting that the online encyclopedia Wikipedia added "podcasting" as an entry only last October.

In mere months, podcasting has mushroomed; there are more than 5,000 shows, and several million listeners, but those are rough estimates. When anyone can launch a show about anything -- or not much -- at any time, keeping an exact head count is next to impossible. But consider these numbers from the recent report "Internet and Multimedia 2005: The On-Demand Media Consumer" by Arbitron/Edison Media Research: More than one in four 12- to 17-year-olds own an iPod or another type of MP3 player. That drops to roughly one in five for those ages 18-34, and one in 10 for those 35 and older. Mr. X said podcasting needs to tap into that potential market more than it needs new indie personalities.

"Stop making the shows," he said. "We need more listeners."

The media may not have a choice but to at least examine a technology that is yet another challenger for consumers' time. "A lot of people are very nervous right now, especially in the radio industry," Mr. X said. "It's getting chipped away at with something like this. Radio needs to jump on the bandwagon."

Radio already is. Syndicated personality Rush Limbaugh announced last month that his show would begin podcasting today. A San Francisco station owned by Infinity Broadcasting recently flipped to an "all-podcast" format, featuring various submitted podcast snippets and shows. Other radio stations and personalities are also examining or experimenting with the technology.

The Capital Region actually saw a 4 percent increase in radio listeners the past year (to 727,600), according to the ratings service Arbitron. But radio executives said they must keep an eye on a delivery system that can draw ears away from their mainstream product. "The smart people in radio will create (podcast) programming" as an extension of their brands, said Buzz Brindle, operations manager for WGNA (107.7 FM). "Any time there is an opportunity for people to have different entertainment sources, you should be aware, and somewhat concerned. But it is a little early in the development to knee-jerk." The station is still in wait-and-see mode. Steve Pierce, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor, is executive director of the New Media Alliance, a statewide advocacy group. He's an advocate of low-power FM radio and a member of the board of directors of the public broadcaster Pacifica Foundation. What he isn't is ready to embrace podcasting just yet.

Pierce said podcasting lacks immediacy, and doesn't address the concerns of people who can't afford equipment.

"No amount of podcasting would replace the excitement of radio," he said. "I'm not buying it. Every time a new technology comes along, people say, 'That's it. you don't need the old technology.' I have no interest in consuming media that way." A handful of newspapers are podcasting shows now on topics ranging from video games to general news to food. The Times Union plans to enter the fray in the coming months. "It will be a great way to reach a different kind of audience, an audience that we need to connect with more effectively," said Patti Hart, the Times Union's interactive media director.

WAMC Northeast Public Radio already streams some of its shows on the Internet -- you can listen to them, but not transfer them to an iPod -- and is looking at the mechanics of making some of those programs available as podcasts.

"It may actually end up meaning something," said WAMC President Alan Chartock, who said the station had convened "a high-priority team" to look at the technology.

Chartock said it doesn't matter to him whether WAMC is consumed via radio, or the Internet, or an iPod: "It's all about content. And we love having it out there. From our point of view, the more people who listen, the better."

Mark McGuire can be reached at 518-454-5467 or by e-mail at mmcguire@timesunion.com.

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