Astronomy Cast: Evaluation of a podcast audience's content needs and listening habits

Abstract

In today’s digital, on-demand society, consumers of information can self-select content that fits their interests and their schedule. Meeting the needs of these consumers are podcasts, YouTube, and other independent content providers. In this paper we answer the question of what the content provider can do to transform a podcast into an educational experience that consumers will seek. In an IRB-approved survey of 2257 Astronomy Cast listeners, we measured listener demographics, topics of interest and educational infrastructure needs.We find consumers desire focused, image-rich, fact-based content that includes news, interviews with researchers and observing tips.

Keywords

• Podcast
• Audience
• Astronomy Content
• Web-resources
• Survey