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The Future of Media | Leo Laporte, TWiT.tv #672

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The Future of Media | Leo Laporte, TWiT.tv #672

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In Episode 672 of the New Media Show, host 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee welcomes Leo Laporte, founder and owner of the TWiT Podcast Network, longtime technology broadcaster, and 2015 Podcast Hall of Famer. He launched TWiT in 2005 and built one of the earliest independent technology media networks around a simple idea: make strong shows, distribute them everywhere the audience wants to watch or listen, and build a real relationship with the people who return every week. Leo has spent decades at the center of the shift from broadcast radio and cable television into online shows, podcasts, livestreams, video, and creator-led media. This conversation looks at where that model is heading now. The word “podcast” helped define an era of downloadable audio, RSS feeds, and iPods. Today, audiences find shows through YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Netflix, social platforms, livestreams, clips, newsletters, and communities. Most viewers or listeners do not care how a show is technically delivered. They care whether it is easy to find, worth their attention, and made by people they trust. Rob and Leo discuss why the technical barrier to starting a show has fallen so far, while the challenge of creating meaningful content has never gone away. Anyone can publish. Building a show that earns repeat attention takes perspective, consistency, subject knowledge, and a genuine relationship with an audience. Leo reflects on TWiT’s early video strategy, its experiments with live 24/7 programming, and the importance of creating a sense of place around a media brand. Video can deepen audience connection, while audio remains one of the most personal forms of media because it travels with listeners through daily life. The discussion also explores the growing complexity of distribution and measurement. Audio and video are increasingly becoming one media experience, yet advertisers still face fragmented metrics across RSS, YouTube, streaming platforms, and social video. Rob and Leo talk about Apple HLS video, the gap between download metrics and actual consumption, the limitations of existing IAB measurement standards, and why advertiser confidence still often comes down to audience fit and trusted host-read relationships. A strong audience relationship has more long-term value than a number on a dashboard that may not fully reflect who watched, listened, responded, or bought. Leo also shares his view that AI is a major structural technology transition. TWiT has expanded its coverage through Intelligent Machines, looking at AI, robotics, and the impact these tools will have on work, media, and daily life. AI can help creators research, edit, generate visuals, improve production workflows, translate content, and extend the usefulness of existing media. It can also generate massive volumes of generic content, clone voices, and make it harder for audiences to know what is real. Rob and Leo discuss whether clearly identified and certified human-led media may become more valuable as synthetic content becomes harder to distinguish from authentic work. They agree that human perspective, lived experience, spontaneity, and community will continue to matter deeply in a media environment crowded with automated output. The episode closes with a look at the next generation of media habits. Leo points to the rise of short-form scrolling, social video, and new creator business models, while also making the case for long-form conversations and communities that bring people together instead of pushing them further apart. For creators and media companies, the path forward is still clear: build work that people value, meet the audience where they are, stay flexible as platforms change, and create relationships strong enough to survive the next technology shift. Topic Chapter Time Stamp Markers: 00:00 — Welcome to The New Media Show Episode 672 Rob Greenlee introduces Leo Laporte and sets up the episode around online new media, podcasting, video, AI, and where media is heading next. 02:15 — Leo Laporte Joins the Conversation Leo reflects on how long he and Rob have been part of the early era of podcasting and online media. 02:45 — Is It Still New Media? Rob and Leo discuss whether “new media” still works as a term, and why podcasting may now be part of a much larger media category. 03:30 — Why Leo Wanted to Call Podcasts “Netcasts” Leo explains why he resisted the term “podcast” early on and why he still thinks creators are really making shows. 04:35 — Podcasting Beyond the Download The conversation moves into YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, RSS, streaming, and why the audience cares more about access than the delivery format. 05:25 — Be Everywhere the Audience Wants You Leo explains one of TWiT’s core decisions: distribute content wherever listeners and viewers want to consume it. 06:10 — Discovery Is the New Challenge Podcasting is easier to access than ever, but harder to discover because ...

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