Every day we are bombarded with images, videos, music and news. In this age of visual and aural hyper-stimulation, the medium of radio is making a phenomenal comeback.
“We're at the dawn of a golden age of audio," said US-based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald. In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast. These statistics, released by Edison Research, reveal the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day's digital podcast format. The term "podcast," was coined in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years. Since the leap in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast subscription rates have only accelerated.
The appeal of the podcast partially resides in its multiplatform delivery and on-demand capabilities. You can tune in during those extra minutes of the day when you're walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway. Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.
Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney university media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTunes .”I listen while I'm pottering around the house doing something else. It makes completing a boring task a lot more enjoyable..... And it's an easy way of keeping in touch with what's going on in the rest of the world," she said.
Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers. Blumberg says this comes down to the podcast's ability "to create intimacy and emotional connection." Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, major in social work and arts, agrees. "When you're tuned in, it feels as if the voice of the podcast's narrator is talking directly to you. It's comforting," said Proust.
From the passage, we can learn that____.
A.Radio is developing more quickly than mediums with images, videos, music and news. |
B.Podcast has its origin in the traditional radio broadcasts. |
C.In the last month alone, 15 percent of world adults listened to a radio podcast. |
D.Podcast was becoming popular from 2004. |
By saying "We're at the dawn of a golden age of audio," Alex Blumberg wants to
Tell us that ______
A.Traditional radio broadcasts will be loved by people again. |
B.Radio has attracted more people than TV and other forms of media . |
C.Radio will be more and more popular in the form of podcast. |
D.The Sydney Morning Herald will help radio become popular again. |
For podcast, which is wrong?
A.You can listen to it at any time and any place. |
B.You can download it without pay. |
C.You can learn new content every week from it. |
D.You can listen to it according to your own demand. |
From the last paragraph, we can infer
A.television and music has become less popular . |
B.Hazel Proust has different opinions with Blumberg |
C.podcast can build up close relationship with listeners |
D.using podcast the narrator can talk to listeners directly |