It seems like ever since podcasting began just a few years ago, there were people saying “podcasting is dead.” I started to notice the latest round of gloom and doom when Mark Blevis posted his response to the naysayers. Then Mark Hopkins of Mashables stirred up a lot of indignation from podcasters with his recent posting about the failure of advertisers to support podcasting. Hopkins’s argument was pretty thoroughly answered by today’s Podcasting News:

Most periodical publications, whether they are print, audio or television, are essentially ad delivery mechanisms. Because of this, big media publishers don’t start by coming up with ideas for new magazines, radio or television shows – they start by identifying attractive groups of advertisers that need a way to connect with audiences.

In other words, they:

• Find groups of advertisers with money to spend;
• Find out who would want the advertiser’s products;
• Produce content that meets the interests of the people that need the advertisers’ products; and then
• Sell ads.

Of course, all of that is exactly why all the concern about “monetizing” podcasts (gah! I hate that word!) leaves me cold. The last thing I would want to do with my podcasting is serve as a delivery mechanism to serve up an audience to advertisers. I’d much rather simply do what I want to do–whether it’s the UBLaw Podcast, Check This Out!, or my latest endeavor with Kristina, The Shadow and James Show–and, maybe, find the few dozen or so listeners who share my interest.

Of course, I’m a librarian and an academic; that’s just the way I am.