Podcasting, like most things Webby, is continuing to grow in the United States.
A new report from Edison Media Research and Arbitron states that although awareness of podcasts (among all U.S. people age 12 and older) is stable at 37 percent, the number of Americans using podcasts is increasing. The percentage of Americans who have listened to a podcast is now at 18 percent, up from 13 percent last year. The percent of Americans who have watched a video podcast is 16 percent, up from 11 percent last year.
Those who listen to or watch podcasts are just as likely or more likely than the general population to have completed at least some college, and they are more likely to live in higher-income households (more than $50,000 per year). Also, they spend more time online than other Web users and more likely to shop for and purchase items online.
If the podcast audience is desirable for advertisers and the online newspaper audience is desirable for advertisers, the newspaper-based podcast audience could be even more desirable. (Note: The Edison Media Research/Arbitron report doesn’t state this, but the thought is nice, anyway.)
Related: Podcasts on the Future of News
Earlier this month, Princeton University Center for Information Technology Policy hosted a series of interviews (now available as podcasts) with digital media and journalism leaders. Interviewees include J.D. Lasica, Dan Gillmor, Steve Boriss and Mark Davis.