► Tell us about you and your podcast
My name is Bill Kable. I am the Program Director and host of Dads on the Air. We sometimes have a guest host, Glen Poole. Dads on the Air has a website dadsontheair.com.au and podcasts a weekly interview show which also is distributed by the Community Radio Network throughout Australia. The program focusses on fatherhood, parenting and family issues, men’s and boys’ issues.
It is the longest running program of its type in the world and it has an international internet audience. We do not have listening notes and without a survey we do not know how many listeners we have.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
We podcast as a way of increasing our audience and we have been doing this for five years or more. The show itself has been running since 2000 and I have been the host since 2009. I do listen to podcasts as a way of hearing interesting content at convenient times.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
We do not get any funding other than a small grant about two years ago and a listener donation because she wanted to thank us for helping her son. Studio facilities are donated by Fine Music FM102.5.
We release a half hour interview show every week. If you include lining up the interview, reading the book when it is with an author, general preparation and then editing the sound file before distribution then it would be 6-10 hour per episode.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
We do not take sponsorship and there is no revenue. The podcast benefits by increasing understanding or a whole range of issues in the community by having an extended one on one interview with relevant people.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
We use the CoolEdit program to edit the sound file and ITunes for the podcast.
There is never a shortage of guests. We contact authors or people working in an area of interest and ask them to come on the show. We do not offer payment and only one potential interviewee has ever knocked us back. I prepare for each interview by reading the background of the person, reading their material and preparing questions that I think most people want to know the answer to. The interviews are usually over the phone but some, as with Peter Greste, come to the studio.
► How do you market your show?
ITunes, Twitter, Facebook but no breakdown of listeners. Social media and personal connections assist to add to longterm listeners.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Blogs, books, videos, TV shows, podcasts and do proper preparation. In the course of an interview you need to listen carefully and follow the direction taken by the guest.