Podcasting, Transformation and Hustle Culture: Something’s Gotta Go

Let’s talk about the “more with less” fallacy and how it affects public radio newsrooms and mission-driven comms and marketing departments.

In the last few years, how often have you fallen prey to the temptation, or the mandate, to do more with less?

I’m willing to bet if you put a number on it, it would be upwards of 75%. (How many of us have bouts of feeling tired to the bone?)

Either/Or?

In mid-September 2021, WMFE interim president and GM Judith Smelser hosted a panel discussion called “Podcasts vs. Local News: An Either/Or Proposition?” for the Public Radio Program Directors Association (PRPD). Along with the brilliant Sandra Clark, VP of News at WHYY, I served on the panel.

Judith’s premise: If a newsroom starts a podcast, leaders must either choose to stop doing something they’re already doing or add staff. The notion that the ambitious daily reporter can “just make a podcast on the side” or a single comms department staffer can “give it a try” is not a strategy. This “just do it” approach leads to poor quality and burnout. And yeah, people who serve nonprofits are dedicated. But, ultimately, passion takes you only so far. The Great Resignation is also encroaching on your mission-driven organizations, my friends.

But many public radio leaders balk at this either/or premise. We need to do what we’ve been doing (attempting to be the primary source of local news) and add podcasts, they say.

In some ways, I agree. There are good, courageous reasons to do both. But how?

Public radio — and I would argue, all mission-driven organizations — are in a place of transformation, reexamining both the ways in which they serve the world and how they do so. That means facing significant challenges and recognizing great (entirely new) opportunities.

As Magnificent Noise’s Eric Nuzum said in the PRPD keynote, “Meaningful opportunity requires meaningful change.” Adding thoughtful, well-produced, listener-focused podcasts — that’s meaningful change. Podcasts can help public radio and mission-driven organizations reach new audiences and serve existing ones in innovative and deeper ways.

Public radio — and I would argue, all mission-driven organizations — are in a place of transformation, reexamining both the ways in which they serve the world and how they do so. That means facing significant challenges and recognizing great (entirely new) opportunities.

Both/And

OK. Do both! But have you first evaluated the skills you need?

Do you know how to calculate the number and kinds of people and training you’ll need to create excellent products? Have you thought about how to make this new initiative sustainable?

My role was to offer a realistic look at the staffing of various successful podcasts, from Gimlet’s “Crime Show” to Environmental Defense Fund’s “Degrees” to NPR’s Pulitzer finalist, “White Lies.” The slides are revealing in a few ways. Take a look; they’re posted on my LinkedIn profile.)

• If your organization is new to podcasting, you’ll need more people than you realize.
• If you intend to continue doing what you’re already doing, with unchanged quality, you’ll need more people than you realize.
• You’ll also need people with podcast-specific skills — not just daily reporting. Or you’ll need people eager to learn, and you’ll need to give them the time and the training to do so. Preferably, you’ll bring on new people and offer them training.
• Podcasting skills overlap those of radio and TV journalists and other media producers, but they’re not identical.
• As Planet Money’s Robert Smith says, “Podcasting is a team sport.”

I created a very non-mathematical equation to help you think through these staffing needs. It’s here:

To oversimplify, the simpler the format of your podcast, the fewer resources you need. But frequency of publication affects your resources. (Episode length also has an effect but it’s not a straight line.) And how quickly you want to launch will also dictate staffing. You can start with what you want to do (and why) to determine your resources.

Or you can start backwards. If you have a set budget, ask yourself: Can I be as ambitious as I want with the budget I have? Maybe you need to simplify the format or extend time to launch. Or maybe you need to apply for grants or find partners.

Unintended consequences and why you need to innovate anyway

If you add podcasting to your newsroom or your nonprofit digital initiatives without being strategic, following the “both/and” strategy won’t just cause burnout, which is bad enough. It can also distort your mission and values, as Judith Smelser so eloquently explains here.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m a huge proponent of public radio newsrooms and mission-driven organizations producing podcasts. We are all in a deep moment of transformation. Yes, the challenges are great. But so are the opportunities. That meaningful change Eric Nuzum referred to? It’s incredibly rewarding. But if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s also hard.

So while Judith’s critical message — “Stop trying to do more with less” — is cautionary, it’s also a courageous call to arms. Hustle culture is killing us. As a leader, it takes little courage to pile more and more work on your existing staffers in the name of ambition, competition, innovation or need. But it’s wrong.

Hustle culture is killing us.

I want you to be courageous and pursue transformation and innovation. But do it strategically and realistically. Done well, podcasts can help public radio stations and mission-driven organizations better serve both their audiences and their strategic purposes. Taking the initiative to do so should force you to reevaluate your mission, your purpose, and your values. Because you need that clarity as a foundation for experimentation.

I want you to be courageous and pursue transformation and innovation. But do it strategically and realistically.

It’s hard to break the “do more with less” habit. But it’s never been more important.

Where will the money come from to do more, but with more, not less? For brave initiatives, new forms of storytelling that advance your ability to serve the world, there’s always money to be found. Especially now, in this worldwide moment of transformation.

Don’t let the need for more resources hold you back. Without innovation, great organizations don’t just stand still. They slide backwards.

With it? The possibilities are endless.

This post was originally published on podcastallies.com. Podcast Allies provides consulting and training in the brave new world of podcasting to mission-driven organizations.