“Chamber Chatter” podcast aims to deliver area business information through a channel audiences increasingly prefer

Desire for mobile connectivity may have spawned the first inklings of practical multitasking when in-car radios were introduced in 1930. [1,2]

Today the idea of listening as means of consuming information while hands and eyes are elsewhere engaged is ubiquitous beyond vehicle passenger compartments. Various evolutions of the Walkman brought it to gyms, extended walks with the dog, and as necessary companion for any variety of project efforts around home and shop. MP3 players answered desire for customizing content. Convergence à la iPhone made all of the above real time. [3-6]

According to Apple …, more than 90 percent of all new cars sold in the United States come with iPod connectivity, right there and ready to go. [7]

This is important for marketers, which covers the gamut of Saline Area Chamber of Commerce member interests. [8]

In 2017, 90% of Americans ages 12 and older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week, according to Nielsen Media Research data published by the Radio Advertising Bureau, a figure that has changed little since 2009. [9]

That report went on to list “news/talk” as “among the most listened-to formats. Mainstream, that’s AM 760 WJR for Southeast Michigan. Closer to home here in Washtenaw County, AM 1290 WLBY and AM 1600 WAAM. [10-12]

And now: Podcasting.

For the purposes of this article, podcasts provide permission based audio content, updated and delivered on a regular basis, based on umbrella subject matter themes. This suggests an opportunity for any business looking to stake out its own alternative to traditional radio and reasonably priced technologies are available to produce quality recordings. On top of that, Edison Research currently characterizes podcasting as on of the “most talked about textors in audio today.” [13]

Podcasting continues to steadily grow, as 44% of Americans 12+ now say they have ever listened to a podcast, up from 40% from last year. Podcasting’s in-car gains continue as well: a year ago, 18% of podcast listeners described the car as the place they most often listened to podcasts; this year, that number is 22%.

With all that going for it, the challenge to any enterprise attempting to go it alone on this is building audience. Up until now, that has been the barrier to entry for local businesses. Enter the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce, which has committed to leveraging its established brand to create thematic content identity necessary to attracting and growing audience for its own podcast — which will launch this Friday. [14]

“Chamber Chatter” will debut featuring conversation with local radio personality (and perennial Saline Christmas Parade emcee) Lucy Ann Lance. In preparation for this, signature opening and closing blocks were professionally recorded about a month ago. Now, following format, Chamber Executive Director John Tripolsky will host this ten to twenty minute segment. [15]

“Like any new feed on the web, it will take some time before episodes start to appear regularly across all platforms,” he told Saline Journal when we sat down at his offices to discuss this last week. “Then we’ll settle into the same release day each week, and subscribers should have access to it a day or two after that.

Actually, it’ll be two days a week. One episode will be our own content, and the other will host the program from our Wednesday member appearance on The Lucy Ann Lance Show. We think that’ll make those episodes even easier to access, and they’ll always be there on our feed, from now on, to listen for the first time or again, a week, a month, a year from now. Whenever.

I think having two programs, two new updates each week, will help establish and build the channel.

Mr Tripolsky went on to emphasis that Chamber Chatter is not intended to boilerplate “business of the week” profiles. “I’m not saying we’ll ‘never’ do pieces that talk about histories, personnel, and specials. But our interest is in featuring businesses in a way that has them serve as the examples of where new ideas are coming from, how unique practices are being used and how they’ve worked out for them.”

Chamber Chatter eschews the dying hyperlocal approach. “Did you know that Guinness Book of World Records has someone who works with chambers to get their members’ stories out there on records that have been broken or could be broken? [16]

I know one of their guys that does that. Wouldn’t you like to hear what he has to say on Chamber Chatter?

As noted above, recording technology is no barrier to success here. In fact, John Tripolsky appreciates the irony that two hardwired microphones and a laptop have replaced thousands of dollars in dedicated equipment (and highly specialized training required to use it) which constituted mainstays of his earlier career work. “I can even do a lot of stuff on the fly with just one mic and my smartphone. Most people can’t tell the difference, even if they’re trying.” [17]

Rather, then, his development efforts in preparing to launch Chamber Chatter have focused on making the program regularly available and easily accessible to audiences. Starting with Anchor, the structure will roll out with nine options for listening. [18]

• Breaker [19]
• Castbox [20]
• Google Podcasts [21]
• iTunes [22]
• Overcast [23]
• Pocket Casts [24]
• RadioPublic [25]
• Stitcher [26]
• Spotify [27]

In terms of Saline Area Chamber of Commerce marketing initiatives, it would be a mistake to think of podcasting merely in terms of the latest in the evolution of that first commercial dashboard Motorola. Social media use declined significantly in 2018 and is expected to do so again this year. Importantly, that includes the once not-to-be-questioned blue chip routes of Facebook and Twitter. [28]

That suggests an opportunity for Chamber Chatter to deliver not just an alternative, but a measurable advantage.

References

1. “Technology: Myth of Multitasking” Jim Taylor PhD (March 30, 2011) Psychology Today.
2. “The History of Car Radios” Justin Berkowitz (October 25, 2010) Car and Driver.
3. “The History of the Walkman: 35 Years of Iconic Music Players” Car Franzen (July 1, 2014) The Verge.
4. “Evolution of the MP3 Player” Daniel Ionescu (October 29, 2009) PC World.
5. “An illustrated history of the iPod and its massive impact” Leander Kahney (October 23, 2016) Cult of Mac.
6. “The Wired Guilde to the iPhone” David Pierce and Lauren Goode (December 7, 2017) Wired.
7. “What’s the best way to play my iPod in the car?” John Fuller and Cherise Threewitt, How Stuff Works.
8. Saline Area Chamber of Commerce (home page).
9. “Audio and Podcasting Fact Sheet” (July 12, 2018) Pew Research Center.
10. News Talk 760 AM WJR (home page).
11. AM 1290 WLBY (home page).
12. WAAM Talk 1600 (home page).
13. “What is Podcasting?” (July 19, 2006) Pew Research Center.
14. “Day 2 On The Job, And Our New Saline Area Chamber Of Commerce Director Has Little Desire To Sit In The Big Chair” Dell Deaton (December 11, 2018) Saline Journal.
15. “Flashback 34 Years Downtown to Saline’s Christmas Parade in 1983” Dell Deaton (November 23, 2017) Saline Journal.
16. Guinness World Records (home page).
17. “Is a Microphone a ‘Mic’ or a ‘Mike’?” Arika Okrent (July 20, 2015) Mental Floss.
18. Anchor (home page).
19. Breaker (home page).
20. Castbox (home page).
21. Google Podcasts (home page).
22.  iTunes (home page).
23. Overcast (home page).
24. Pocket Casts (home page).
25. RadioPublic (home page).
26. Stitcher (home page).
27. Spotify (home page).
28. “‘Smart’ Automobile Interiors That You’ll Experience On Future Roadways Are Being Developed Today in Saline, Michigan” Dell Deaton (August 30, 2018) Saline Journal.