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Does anybody really know what time it is?

No matter how focused you feel as a writer, voice over talent, radio personality or every day average Joe, is there such a thing as Time within the scattered limits of a podcast?
Time is a huge subject. In more ways than one! The time it takes to prep a show, to the time the PR department demands as to when the show will hit the air.
What about the time required for post-production? Social networking time and the amazing amount of time you spend telling yourself how much this all sucks because the payoff isn\u2019t coming quick enough. I mean you always have to make time for that!
I really don\u2019t want to get into how long an episode should run? I\u2019ve shattered some pretty good friendships over this very subject. Nobody\u2019s ever right. It just feels good to win a peeing contest.
During my early podcast years, the personal battles I even picked with myself were based solely on not my time but how much time was a wandering listener willing to give up just to hear something that fell off my truck?
I became addicted to shorter shows because I wanted bigger analytic numbers. Like songs played on the radio, if you liked what you just heard you\u2019d stick around for another one. Then another and another. I figured if you did an hour long show you get one bonk. Four fifteen minute shows four bonks.
I\u2019ve spent way too much time studying those numbers and does anyone outside of our ego care about downloads and plays?
It would be awesome if the makers of documented listening came up with a way that shows how many times we put a podcast on hold then came back to it. For instance, it takes me pretty much all day to get through Conan O\u2019Brians podcast.
I don\u2019t have the time to sit and listen to the entire process. I feel guilty about the pausing because no matter how many times I return to the episode he\u2019s still only getting one bonk.
Probably one of the most misunderstood sides of time is when the PR departments controlling the flow of your guests want to know what time will the conversation air? To add fuel to the fire in what city will it air?
I literally burst out in laughter when they ask both questions. Podcasting isn\u2019t about a daypart. And the mere mention of what city will it be airing means they\u2019ve not bathed in the luxury of on demand listening. It\u2019s a lifestyle.
I program the episodes of my shows. It\u2019s my sick old fashioned radio self-trying to super serve the listener. If you liked that interview maybe you\u2019ll like this one and this one. Programming takes time. You\u2019ve got to have flow. A book author can\u2019t go into another book author. Don\u2019t put a major medical breakthrough at the Mayo clinic next to ZZ Top. Buzz kill podcasting.
I\u2019m blessed with the opportunity to talk with a lot of people about a lot of things. The secret to a winning conversation? Don\u2019t ever think you\u2019re the expert. Always be the consumer. You\u2019ve got questions and the podcast listeners are vicariously living through your moment of now.
I had a PR person tell me, \u201cI don\u2019t care if you don\u2019t drink wine. I\u2019d rather listen to the questions of a novice then someone trying to dominate my author over whether it\u2019s proper to put ice in with the juice.\u201d
Hey I\u2019ve talked with CIA agents to Dr. Drew. Kidz Bop to family members trying to keep their famous parents name alive and growing forward. To do all of this takes time. Time I shouldn\u2019t have but somehow the hands on the clock have opened and allowed me to grow on a platform that\u2019s been around since the 80\u2019s but it\u2019s just coming into the forefront of what listeners need. It\u2019s called consuming content.
So what\u2019s the moral of the story? It\u2019s pretty simple. No matter how many days or years you\u2019ve been doing interviews always take really good care of the PR people. The more PR connections you have the greater the experience. It just takes time to build up those relationships.
If you aren\u2019t putting time into every episode of your podcast you\u2019re not going to be called out. Listeners just won\u2019t tune in. Time management is essential. Be a disciplined entertainer. Again that takes time. It\u2019s not going to happen overnight.
iHeart Media is bragging about having over 250,000 podcasts on their platform. Take the time to know what you\u2019re reaching for then create the greater show. There are way too many people in this universe of conversation. Taking the time to fine tune your instrument will help shape a more visible path.
Time to get to work!