Assoc. Editor
C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 5 0 , Nº 2
The Rise of Podcasts Ruchi K. Sahota, DDS, CDE
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e listened to news radio on the way to school every day. Traffic and weather on the eight-minute marks. Sports on the 15s and 45s. Stock market updates were sprinkled in with local and national news. My family, composed of immigrants raising children in the ’80s and ’90s, mainly played Indian music in the house — perhaps this was in an effort to maintain exposure to culture and the Indian roots. Needless to say, my house did not know what the Billboard music chart’s top 50 list included. I learned about Van Halen on a trip to Yosemite with my friend’s family. The latest country music or hip-hop music played as my fifth through eighth grade basketball teams ran onto the court. I came to appreciate Britney Spears in high school when I got my own car — and control over the radio station. The primary building blocks that my mother laid down with the news radio are deep in my consciousness. News radio provided material that felt focused and personalized. Traffic news was necessary to determine what route to take. Weather news was necessary to determine what to wear. Sports news was necessary to fuel the excitement for upcoming games. Over the years, the newscasters and their voices were not just familiar but felt like family. The jingles of each of the commercials were embedded in our cerebrums. During the months of shelter-in-place in the pandemic, listening to the news became less and less desirable. But there was still a desire for that information stimulation. It started with a podcast that featured analysis on a favorite reality show; it started with an opportunity to escape.
125 million people will likely listen to a podcast each month by next year. This quantifies about a 25% increase since before the pandemic.
Slowly one podcast led to a subscription to the series and then devouring many episodes. Many episodes led to a discovery of a world of topics, galaxies of contributors and a whole new universe of information stimulation. I was hooked. 125 million people will likely listen to a podcast each month by next year. This quantifies about a 25% increase since before the pandemic.1 The popularity of podcasts has exploded. For some, podcasts provide knowledge. For others, podcasts provide distraction. And sometimes — podcasts provide balance in the contribution of education and entertainment. According to a podcast production company, “49% of monthly U.S. podcast listeners are aged between 12–34, 40% between 35 and 54 years old, and 22% are aged over 55. Monthly podcast listeners also tend to work a full-time job.” Listeners of all generations are seeking connections to these new voices. The podcast experience is unique. The host or roundtable of hosts unabashedly speak into the microphones to their audience. They tell their stories as if the episode was an audible diary entry. Connection comes easy. Honesty and full disclosure are expected. The knowledgebased podcasts provide interviews with Diane Sawyer-like questions and a journalistic approach. The interviews are
probing yet conversational — lending to not only the idea of an informal connection to the audience, but also an aim to allow for the comprehensive digestion of ideas and answers given. Listening, most often, takes place at home or in the car. These are personal and focused times and environments. These scenarios lend to the feeling of a personal relationship being forged between listener and podcaster. Important information is disseminated. Hard questions are asked. Editing of the podcasts allows for clear, hopefully succinct answers. Imagine if CDA had a podcast back in early 2020. Imagine if we could have had a one-on-one conversation with Dr. Jay Kumar, our state’s dental director, during the beginning of the pandemic. We could have probed him about information he had from the CDC. What if we listened to the information that we instead had to read repeatedly on a variety of webpages? Would an audible FAQ have been beneficial during that time? What protocols did the state want to pass down to CDA member-dentists about the role their practices could play during that time? What was being communicated to the individual counties from the state? What was being coordinated at that time? Where could CDA dentists go to acquire emergency personal protective equipment FEBRUARY 2 0 2 2
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