As the Irish media approaches a tipping point in terms of blogging and podcasting, the question is no longer why it should embrace new media, but how?
As The Irish Times’ blogs have shown recently, the uses of blogs for the print media are quite apparent. Good blogs by working journalists, as shown by the BBC, Guardian and now plenty of Irish writers, serve as sources of informal qualification, contextual analysis and supplementary information which compliment the news coming from the relevant primary medium.
A newspaper article might tell the reader what is happening and why but a blog, such as Mark Hennessy’s or Harry McGee’s, has the freedom to add deeper context, conjecture and colour to an event – something any concise news story would be free of. Not only does this add depth and life to an event, it also frames it in a way that may explain a certain action or re-action or even inform the reader of the ulterior motives that story’s protagonist may have.
In other examples, Jim Carroll’s for example, the blog becomes a thought-process – a place for a person with a certain passion to highlight his/her opinions and latest finds in a short, snappy and erratic way on a daily basis – something that a weekly magazine or even daily newspaper simply could not allow.
RTÉ.ie has also begun to take better advantage of the internet, rather than simply use it as another way to draw attention to its mainstream offerings. So far this change in approach has manifested itself most in its podcasting section, which is quite comprehensive.
Of course, for the most part, the podcasts are simply a catch-up service for those who may have missed the original radio broadcast, but they show a definite intent towards something different – as does Radio Xtra, the irregular series of exclusive audio clips which focus on a variety of topics. Surely this is a toe-dipping exercise for the viability of online-only audio content?
Television is quite possibly one of the more difficult of the traditional media to find enhancement online, bar a streamable/downloadable catch-up service. That said, such innovation on Irish shores can be found in the unlikliest of places – namely RTÉ’s Fair City.
Going onto the Fair City microsite, viewers will find a link to the programme’s video podcast. What is contained in the feed at the moment is the first of a weekly catch-up service – a two minute long synopsis of the events of the past week for anyone who may have felt a bit behind. There are also a string of “video bios”.
These bios are basically unique video shorts featuring the show’s main cast speaking about themselves in character. They talk about their own lives, their families and their thoughts on everything relevant to their personal story arch.
Some of the graphics used before and after the clips are a bit dodgy looking, but the idea itself is unique and quite a clever way of introducing new viewers to the programme.
The question that should be asked is ‘Will new viewers actually go and look for them, or will old viewers gain anything from watching them?’, and the answer to both is probably ‘no’, but it’s a far more innovative use of video podcasting than a simple catch-up or highlight service. It could even eventually supplement the main programme in an even more constructive way, with script writers being able to give new character bios online rather than having to unnaturally force the information into the main show itself.
The reality of this media interaction, and one that must be repeated constantly, is that blogging and podcasting will not improve or enhance everything the traditional media has to offer. However there are plenty of areas where it will and the key is for media-makers to innovate in order to find a complimentary relationship.
While there’s no particular harm in doing so, the relationship should not be simply about republishing newspaper articles through a blog template or offering your existing radio/TV output as podcasts, it should be about adding to what you offer already and giving your existing audience a reason to seek out your additional content for themselves.