As podcasts gain popularity on a global scale, creators in Ottawa are finding new ways to gain listeners and stay relevant.
According to the 2018 Infinite Dial survey, Canadians now are more likely to listen to podcasts through their in-car audio than the radio.
“Tell me one person that has a radio in their house under the age of 30,” John Balser, second-year journalism major and cohost of Ottawa-based podcast Down To The Wire (DTTW) said.
Jacob Racco is the founder of the Ottawa-based of DTTW and third-year communications major. He says his podcast is meant to be upbeat.
“We have our own twist on sports, and we like to cover uplifting news—people complain about the news being too sad,” he said.
DTTW set out to cover sports and news in a humorous way, according to the hosts Racco and Balser. The two Carleton students say that between school and their podcast, they have the perfect balance.
“It’s a lot better than doing a regular job,” Balser said.
With roughly more than 20 local podcasts just in Ottawa, listening couldn’t be easier, according to local studio Pop Up Podcasting.
Podcasts allow listeners to browse through different areas of interest and listen on their own time to some of the thousands of niche podcasts on the market today. Podcasts can gain listeners on a local, national and international level.
“We get views in the States, a couple from South America, Britain, but mostly Canada.” Rocco said.
“People aren’t just looking for one thing in Ottawa. It ranges from sports, news, entertainment,” Racco said. “That’s why I want to do everything.”
The creators are now trying to take DTTW to the next level with graphic designs for branding, and expanding into different categories of interest.
“We look at our news stories, and we choose the ones that people will enjoy most, so we have the best content,” Blaser said.
Francis Tessier-Burns is the creator of Ottawa-based 360 North podcast, which focuses on analysis of First Nations stories and news.
“Podcasting is really that in-depth analysis,” Francis Tessier-Burns, creator of 360 North, said. “But you’re not really getting your hard hitting news,” Tessier-Burns said.
Tessier-Burns said he tries to have guest interviews on every show to tell the stories that he can’t.
“I’m not Indigenous myself, and I don’t see myself as the best person to tell these stories, but I didn’t see anyone else doing it,” Tessier-Burns said.
Jared Davidson, editor of Ottawa arts blog Apt 613, said podcasts thrive on the personalities that are behind them.
“Find out what it is about yourself that people will gravitate towards and just cultivate that,” Davidson said.
As easy as podcasting may look, the work can be endless to stay relevant in an ever growing market, according to Davidson.
DTTW don’t plan on quitting anytime soon, and they hope to expand their following on a global scale.
“We’re one in a million podcasts, and it’s going to be work, but we’re willing to ride it out,” Balser said.
