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I had a discussion with a fellow Internet Broadcaster recently about Mature Content / Language in Podcasts. The person that I was speaking with does a Comedy podcast that has Mature content and I was wondering if they pull back at times and what is off limits. At times some of my shows have "mature" content but I have a few things that we don't do on the air.
What are some of your "Rules" for your show? How do you let your Guests/Co- Hosts know the rules?
Quote:
Originally Posted by andrewzarian
I run a pretty open show. I don't allow hate speech or racially charged commentary. Everything else is pretty fair game. Our language can be strong on occasion but its within the parameters of conversation and not just spewed for the hell of it. You know how it is.
We don't censor s**t. And it's probably to our detriment. I think some advertisers are scared away by uncensored content. On our show there are only two topics we all agreed not to dive too deeply into. I wouldn't say they're off limits, but I do try and limit our conversation on them. They are politics and religion. Mainly because people (listeners) can be very passionate about them. Politics would just turn into an angry rant for us. And one of our hosts is a fairly religious guy. He prefers the word "spiritual" though, so we decided before the show ever went into production that those two things would be left out.
Otherwise, nothing is off limits or censored for us. I did bleep out a movie spoiler our "spiritual" co-host blurted out one time. It was before we were doing our show live, so it worked out okay.
A master radio programmer convinced me many years ago: "You will not gain listeners because you use profanity, but you will definitely lose them." You young guys think I'm just being old fashioned, but some people will not listen to gutter language.
I definitely don't think you are Mike. I have had you listen to my stuff for critique and out of respect to you as a pro I let you know if there is strong language. You have to definitely work harder for your audience when you are not "clean" that's a fact. I have guys that email us and are older and say they love the show language and all because they say we use it where it fits and don't use it as a crutch. That may be open to interpretation obviously but Mike definitely is right that some people will tune you out if the language is too abrasive.
As far as profanity is concerned, I think its acceptable, so long as it's in moderation and not done for the sake of being shocking. For example if you constantly use curse words, and the like every few words, I won't listen to your broadcast. It's fine so long as you have a point or a reason to be speaking that way.
Some people do it just because it's the internet and there is no FCC. That's the wrong reason to use profanity.
I guess I am of the camp use it, but use it wisely. I think Andrew said it best in the first Google hangout... if you use it at right moments it can be impactful. If you use it all the time then it just drags on and will turn people off.
I don't disagree that you can lose people with the use of language, but I think that it is one of those things that sets us apart from radio... we can, without legal repercussions from the FCC, and therefore when appropriate use it. That's not to say it's right for everyone and that by doing so the listener will understand and want to continue listening.
There is also the case of broadcasting vs podcasting. In Broadcasting we do everything we can to get as many listeners as possible. Testing, surveys, etc are a big part of broadcasting and the ratings world. Podcasting has more of the long tail effect. You don't have to scrap for every possible listener. Its all dependent upon your own goals. If you want everyone and don't want to offend anyone, then you can. If you are looking for your niche group and happy when outsiders decide to listen, but are not dependent upon them, then extend the use of profanities.
If there were a way to accurately determine the number, I bet you'd be shocked at how many people tune out because of profanity. Without calling any names, I've had one or more IAIB-member shows playing over my speakers when some friends have walked into my studio. They heard the profanity and gave me a rather blank look that motivated me to turn off the sound.
The sad part is that once you are known as a show that is comfortable with profanity, you will PERMANENTLY lose those people who might have become viewers or listeners. Getting them to come back will be harder than getting them to view or listen in the first time.
If you want to use profanity to attract an audience, have at it. It makes no sense to me, but that's just my opinion based on many years of experience.
When it comes to profanity I agree with sunkast. It all depends on moderation. I don't curse all the time but when I do I make it mean something. It means a lot more when you don't do it that often.
I said "damn" once.
We stay clear of the F-bomb, GD, etc. But your typical damn, or BS sometimes creeps into the conversation if it's warranted. But as many others have pointed out, when used in the right context, it can punctuate what you're trying to say. Just to blatantly use it and overuse makes your content less desirable and tired.
But that's .02 worth. :)
I also feel that many people have a bad habit of replacing ums with F**kin. I have heard numerous Podcasts where the host is dropping f bombed every other word. It comes down to how articulate you come off when doing the show. If people are really into what you are discussing one or two curse words will not hurt you. With that said I always tell people to start working clean and develop the brand before you go insane on the air :)
I am still learning a lot but one thing that i have learned is not turn viewers off. I try my best to not curse
