A Year in Podcasting
2017 didn’t quite go to plan with regard to my personal podcast output. Brian and I decided to stop producing the Burton & Scrooge Podcast and return to creating material under the Contains Moderate Peril brand. This was a good idea in so far as consolidation, but it was ill timed as both of us were somewhat fatigued with podcasting per se. Ultimately Brian decided to take a break and pursue some projects of his own. I decided to push on with podcasting in my usual idiom and I was pleased with the three new shows that were produced. Sean, Brax, Jaedia and Wolfy were extremely obliging and great guests, but ultimately my schedule just couldn’t sustain a regular show. Hence, I re-released some “classic” shows to fill the gaps in the run up to Christmas. As a result of all these changes and the delays, the overall numbers for the show have been disappointing. Although statistics are not the only reason why I podcast, they are important as I was hoping to grow the audience this year. That has patently not happened although it is nice to know there’s a loyal core group of listeners. Therefore, I now have to think long and hard about my podcasting plans for 2018.
Although I’ve enjoyed many of the topics that have been regularly discussed on the Contains Moderate Peril podcast, I find myself tiring of the failings of the game industry and the iniquities of many of its fans. However, my passion for movies and the cinema per se is still strong and it’s a subject I would like to pursue at some depth. Sadly, I have yet to find someone who would like to co-host such a show, so the alternative is to produce a solo podcast. This requires writing a detailed script for each episode, which is time consuming and complex. Such a format would then have to be a monthly undertaking to allow the time to produce it. After some experimentation and due consideration, I don’t think I can accommodate such a project in conjunction with my regular blogging and the book I’ve decided to complete. I suspect that I may have to take a sabbatical from podcasting in 2018, which is frustrating to say the least.
Thankfully, many of my friends and colleagues have not been stymied by their production schedules and have continued to produce regular good quality show throughout the course of the year. Pixels & Dice, Aggro Chat and Battle Bards, as well as How is the Movie? remain the backbone of The Gaming and Entertainment Network. Outside of our own collective it’s been an exceptionally good year for the Geek to Geek Podcast. Hosts Void and Beej have consistently covered a broad range of subjects and are happy to differ in opinion on many of them. Their enthusiasm and dedication has been constant over the last twelve months. Mike Muncer’s Evolution of Horror was another great discovery this year and has proven to be fun, engaging and extremely knowledgeable about its subject. I’d also like to congratulate Will Ross and Mike Taylor who continue to explore quality literary horror in their aptly named A Podcast to the Curious. Despite there being a perceived dumbing down in other media, many podcasts still maintain extremely high standards. In many respects we are spoilt for choice at present as the medium really does seem to have come into its own. Therefore, I am confident that 2018 will be a good year of quality shows and entertaining content.
