Ethnic media and podcasting are here to stay…

I grew up on ethnic media where my parents were very big on it and got much of their everyday news and updates from ethnic media sources. My father would read the local ethnic paper most days and my mother was a big radio listener, and on weekends they would both tune into the local one hour tv programing that was available only on Sunday mornings.

Right up to when my mother passed a few months ago, she was an avid radio listener, and not only did it keep her company throughout the day, it was the one source of conversation for her and she made sure to tell me what was going on in the world. She would also form an opinion about things and she would definitely make you aware of them. On a personal note, l miss that perspective from her each day.

Having a close relationship with ethnic media throughout my upbringing didn’t connect with me until much later in life. Once l left home, l was inundated with main stream media and what came with that and its political biases and opinions. I never thought twice about ethnic media and the reach it had on many people and communities.

Ethnic media is more than a niche market, it’s worth the attention because the quality and the followers are reaching numbers that rival some main street media sources. To ignore ethnic media is to ignore a set of viable models that inform the rest of the media business. Many experts are starting to get it, so do major advertisers, broadcast networks, and their digital offspring. To be a viable political or commercial force in many regions either in Canada or the United States, you must be able to understand and connect with an audience that is heavily made up of Portuguese, Italian, and Asian Canadian.
Many readers want news from their countries of origin and that should include in local ethnocultural publications, but increasingly they will turn to the internet for up-to-date information that is interesting and relatable news from abroad. Ethnic newspapers continue to provide a valuable role in transmitting information on Canadian life to many first-generation immigrants who remain unfamiliar with the English language.

While much of the Canadian and US news media have endured shrinking audiences in recent years, segments of the ethnic media have seen significant growth. The growth in ethnic media has a tremendous upside, especially when it comes to selling ethnic products to diverse audiences. The new multicultural and multiracial generation of immigrants and people of color will transform ethnic media as we know it. Audiences of all ages, especially the youth are turning to ethnic media outlets and platforms as an alternative form of getting their news and spending consumer dollars in these mediums.

As ethnic media has been evolving over the years and picking up steam with traditional and non-traditional followers, it has captured many folks with the popular trend of podcasts.

Podcasting is the next generation of radio and users can now subscribe to more than 3,000 free podcasts and have each new episodes automatically delivered over the internet to your computer and iPod. Over the past 10 years, podcasts have grown by leaps and bounds and are now firmly over the line when it comes to user popularity. The iTunes store now has more than half a million podcasts to choose from and finding quality and relevant content has become fundamental to companies addressing the podcast space. The potential is enormous, more than 100 million Canadians and Americans now regularly listen to podcasts and many people are now monthly listeners or subscribe to a podcast show.

Through subscription-based iOS and Android apps many sectors are offered, top articles and quality writing from several publications and many shows and editorials from news to sports, entertainment and more are all available for people to listen anytime, anywhere.

Statistics are indicating that people are spending a lot of time listening to the radio. Or, more specifically, podcasts. The convenience of picking and choosing on demand from the diverse mix of styles, topics and hosts in a podcast library. Podcasts gives you the intimate opportunity to enter into an entirely different audio world for some time, whether it’s a half hour or more.

Listening doesn’t require my hands or eyes, one can absorb podcasts while exercising, driving to work or cooking dinner.
Coming full circle back to ethnic media, podcasting is an important transition and adaptation by many ethnic media platforms. Podcasting provides great programing and innovative content for main stream venues and ethnic podcasts.

There are two things that l will predict and that is the future of ethnic media and the evolution of podcasting will have a major impact on our lives for years to come.

Vince Nigro