The RadioZoom Podcast is a mix of talk and music. Your host, Uncle John, discusses day to day life, shares stories, thoughts on current events, insights on technology, and whatever else comes to mind. The music played on this podcast involves mostly independent or unknown artists that are either loved, discovered, or submitted for play, regardless of any specific genre or discrimination.
The Music
There is no particular format regarding the kinds of music that is played in this podcast. It just needs to be enjoyable. My hope is to expose you to music that I enjoy in the attempt to have you enjoy it as well.
Music Submissions
Suggestions are warmly welcomed and greatly encouraged when it comes to the music that you hear on RadioZoom. I have a wide range of taste. Generally, it comes down to quality of the recording that people submit. A cut has to be at least 128kbps to even be considered for podcast play. After that, check out some of the stuff that we play on various episodes. If you think you make a good fit, then head over to the contact page and send in your music.
The Format
The average length of an episode is around 40-50 minutes. By producing 2-3 episodes a week, this allows subscribers enough time to listen to my podcasts as they like to. Being an avid listener of numerous podcasts, I understand the stuggles with listening to things you really enjoy but finding the time to do so.
People Who Help Make This Possible
I can’t take all the credit for my podcasting and getting to where I am without acknowledging a few people who have helped out along the way. This list is by no means static, so expect it to change from time to time.
- Vate for his permission to use his music for my theme and throughout the podcast.
- Andrew of the Geek.Farm.Life podcast for his contribution of making radiozoom.net possible.
- PodPress for the outstanding WordPress plugin that makes publishing that much easier.
- My brother Matt for making some pretty nifty tags using my nieces and nephews for cheap voice talent.
- My wife, Rebecca, for being supportive in all of geeky things that I do.
History of the Podcast
After reading an article on Wired.com, I started to disect the technology that made podcasting possible at that time. Scrolling through what online documentation existed and pages of source code from people already podcasting, I took what I learned that day and was podcasting that night. At that time in my career, I was a broadcast engineer for WSUI/KSUI public radio in Iowa City, IA. Combined with my previous years of experience in college radio with digital audio production and on air announcing, podcasting was something I knew that I just had to do.
The RadioZoom Podcast made its debut on October 9, 2004. I picked the name for this podcast based on a long time idea I had in my head for a radio station moniker in the unlikely event I ever had the chance to own or program a station of my own. I also knew that I did not want to have a name that limited me in what I could do with my podcast. I took just over twelve hours after finding out about the technology to naming and publishing my first podcast.
After nearly a year of podcasting from my home of Iowa City, IA, I relocated to Canada to be with my wife. The change in location and lifestyle altered the format of the podcast slightly, taking on the notion of what it’s like for a guy born and raised in Iowa to live in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The RadioZoom Podcast now features not only music and commentary, but soundseeing tours, video podcasts, mobile podcasts, interviews, and adventures into new podcasting technologies as they develop. I am always experimenting with what I can do with audio in the attempts to further my knowledge about podcasting. At the same time, I’m just trying to have fun.