Matts Today in History: The Vasa Sinks, August 10, 1628
is the latest installment in the very good and long-running PodCast called “Matt’s Today in History”. I really appreciate the effort going into the production of it, and the perserverance of Matt in keeping it up for more than two years.
This particular issue was interesting in two regards.
First, I suggested the topic.
Second, it featured what at least seemed like real paid advertising at the start. This is thanks to PodShow, the “media network” used to distribute this podcast. The deal behind PodShow is quite simple fo the podcaster: you get bandwitdh for free, in return for the possibility of there being advertising inserted into the audio.
The reasoning behind PodShow is nicely explained in a podcast from the Stanford Technology Ventures Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders series. Here, Ron Bloom and Ray Lane of PodShow describe the way PodShow got started and just what it is. Basically, they are building a new media company, to compete with radio and television. It is not just a nice place to find podcasts. Recommended listen for anyone interested in just how podcasting can be monetized. They describe how their staff constantly monitors the various shows that they carry, and find those popular and targeted enough to carry some paid advertising. Other shows carry intros and pointers to various other PodShow shows, to drive audience to more popular properties.
Thus, the conclusion must be that Matt’s Today in History has reached some threshold of audience that makes it valuable enough to carry advertising. Great job, and a sure sign of popularity of the podcast.