Podcast Thoughts and Suggestions

[MiniB]

I have been an avid fan of the podcast format for approximately 6 years.  I've seen a few come and go, and several evolve.  I want to start out by saying that I have very much enjoyed Craig's podcast so far and here are some suggestions for improvement.  I think it's a good podcast and can become a great podcast.

I'm writing these here instead of in a PM to Craig, so that I can see other's feedback.  I may be in the minority and I dont want Craig to follow bad information.  I'd like other forum members to comment on my suggestions.

1) Severely limit recapping who you are, or what the PP is.  In the latest podcast, Craig went over his whole history again.  I was bored.  I am impressed by Craig's background, but don't need to hear it again.  It almost sounded like Craig may have been intimidated by his interviewee to the point where he felt the need to announce his own credentials.  I'm not implying that Craig is arrogant, if anything, insecure.  I never hear Larry King announce his credentials before an interview.  I don't like the theory of "it's for new fans" because in the podcasting world, a fan will go back and download all the episodes starting from number 1 if they only discover the show later.  Then they will be bored when they hear the whole thing again in Ep 1.

2) I loved the guest host with MediumTex.  Consider doing more of this.  Perhaps with people of different backgrounds, such as a CPA, or a lawyer.  Harry had his CPA friend come on one episode and it was brilliant.

3) I like the idea of "live" questions.  Have people upload questions to youtube, then play them during the show and answer them.  Or setup a Skype time.

4) With podcasts, I find it important to release the show on a set schedule.  I dislike the concept of releasing an episode when you have something to talk about.  Myself, and most people, are creatures of habit.  I'd like to know that Podcast A is released every Monday, so when I come home from work on Tuesday, I know I can listen/watch it.  My preference is a weekly episode.  Record two at the same time and release them a week apart if there is a holiday and you don't want to record a show that week.

5) Consider a "post of the week" discussion.  Pick your favorite most thought provoking  thread on the forum that week, and read it on the show, and then discuss it.  Have a discussion that is greater than just whatever you may have replied in the topic, otherwise forum readers will be bored.  This will also serve as synergy between the podcast and the forum to people who may not know the forum exists.  It's one thing to mention the existence of the forum on the podcast, it's another to intrigue people as to the quality of discussion by implementing a weekly segment.

6) Consider a weekly news segment, and discuss it's relation to the PP.  For example, Irish bond crisis.  What does it mean for PP investors in Ireland?  What if an Irish citizen is using Irish treasury bonds for their PP?  QE2.  What does it mean to PP investors?  I imagine that the answer to almost every news segment would be "it doesnt affect the PP, stay the course, the PP was designed exactly for this."  That's completely appropriate.  I'd like to hear why my portfolio won't be negatively affected by current news.

7) Consider a longer-term regular segment format.  For example, every few months, describe the CPI index numbers.  Compare them to a real inflation adjusted index of a more realistic basket of goods that you calculate.  Perhaps a few sample basket of goods with different weightings.  Then compare the PP returns to the real inflation numbers you calculate.

Consider breaking down long interviews into multiple episodes in smaller segments.  I really enjoyed last week's interview, but it was over one hour and I listened to it in two smaller chunks.  No problem for me because iTunes remembers the position I leave it at, and I concede some people may have enjoyed listening to the entire 65 minute show.  I'd like it if it were broken down into some logical stopping point, and then the following week, have Craig give a 15 second review of what happened in the previous segment's interview.  i.e. "Last week, I interviewed Rick Ferri and we discussed the pros and cons of gold as an asset class.  This week, we discuss alternatives to the PP and historical gains."  I don't want a huge long recap, but just a little bit so it refreshes my memory.

It would take some planning on Craig's part to plan out how to structure the interview so it could be broken down into 2 or 3 logical chunks.  This would involve pre-work such as generally planning out the topics of the interview and then keeping the guest on task.


My ideal sample show would be 30 to 45 minutes in duration, each week, exactly released on the same day.  Here is an idea for one months worth of episodes. 

Episode 1)
a)10 minutes - news of the week segment
b)10 minutes - listener question from youtube
c)10 minutes - listener question from Skype in real time
d)10 minutes - Forum Topic of the Week Discussion, involving the previous Listener who is Skyping Craig

Episode 2)
a) 10 minutes - news of the week segment
b) 20 minutes - part 1 of an interview with Larry Swedroe
c) 10 minutes -  Forum Topic of the Week Discussion, possibly involving Larry Swedroe

Episode 3)
a) 10 minutes - news of the week segment
b) 20 minutes - part 2 of an interview with Larry Swedroe (previously recorded)
c) 10 minutes - Forum topic of the week Discussion (cant be with Larry anymore because he wont be "live"

Episode 4)
a) 10 minutes - news of the week segment
b) 10 minutes - Inflation Calculation Discussion for previous 6 months
c) 10 minutes - Listener Skypes in, asks a question, and perhaps discusses inflation topic from previous segment
d) 10 minutes - Forum topic of the week Discussion - perhaps with the previous listener as well on Skype

[foglifter]

I second MiniB's suggestion on airing podcasts on a predefined day of week. Weekly sounds like ideal, but the frequency really depends on craigr's schedule - We all know that a good podcast is not a quick and easy thing to produce. I'd be no less happy with biweekly or monthly podcasts because I really appreciate the effort he puts in to create these very valuable podcasts.

+1 for Cuggino interview! I'm sure he'd be feeling home talking to PP faithful. 
As to PRPFX's low yield - I guess that's how tax efficiency shows itself! The fund invests CG and interest from stocks and bonds internally instead of passing them on to investors. I surely wouldn't be happy to see a high yield in a taxable account.

[KevD]

As to PRPFX's low yield - I guess that's how tax efficiency shows itself! The fund invests CG and interest from stocks and bonds internally instead of passing them on to investors.

Okay, thanks for that.  I had been wondering if there was a relation between the tax efficiency and yield, but wasn't sure.  It does make sense.

[craigr]

I have been an avid fan of the podcast format for approximately 6 years.  I've seen a few come and go, and several evolve.  I want to start out by saying that I have very much enjoyed Craig's podcast so far and here are some suggestions for improvement.  I think it's a good podcast and can become a great podcast.

Thanks for the feedback. Comments inline.

1) Severely limit recapping who you are, or what the PP is.  In the latest podcast, Craig went over his whole history again.  I was bored.  I am impressed by Craig's background, but don't need to hear it again.  It almost sounded like Craig may have been intimidated by his interviewee to the point where he felt the need to announce his own credentials.  I'm not implying that Craig is arrogant, if anything, insecure.  I never hear Larry King announce his credentials before an interview.  I don't like the theory of "it's for new fans" because in the podcasting world, a fan will go back and download all the episodes starting from number 1 if they only discover the show later.  Then they will be bored when they hear the whole thing again in Ep 1.

The only reason I did this was really because I thought for certain we'd have new listeners that wouldn't listen to the first podcast and many of them really don't know me aside from my forum persona. Judging by the download numbers, this was the case. But yes I admit the interview would normally not include my bio again. But being a new podcaster I thought people listening to the interview as newcomers would want to hear my bio upfront as they wouldn't know otherwise.

As more shows are added to the stable I won't be recapping the bio. There's no ego about it and I am not intimidated easily. It was simply a convenience to new listeners so they knew more about my own perspective without listening to the first episode.

2) I loved the guest host with MediumTex.  Consider doing more of this.  Perhaps with people of different backgrounds, such as a CPA, or a lawyer.  Harry had his CPA friend come on one episode and it was brilliant.

Tex will be back on to discuss any topic that tickles his fancy. There will definitely be other guests coming up as well that I think will be very interesting.

3) I like the idea of "live" questions.  Have people upload questions to youtube, then play them during the show and answer them.  Or setup a Skype time.

This is harder to coordinate but I will think about how this could happen.

4) With podcasts, I find it important to release the show on a set schedule.  I dislike the concept of releasing an episode when you have something to talk about.  Myself, and most people, are creatures of habit.  I'd like to know that Podcast A is released every Monday, so when I come home from work on Tuesday, I know I can listen/watch it.  My preference is a weekly episode.  Record two at the same time and release them a week apart if there is a holiday and you don't want to record a show that week.

I understand. If I can swing it I will try. But eventually coming up with show material is going to be harder and I don't want to talk about subjects unless it is something that will benefit listeners.

5) Consider a "post of the week" discussion.  Pick your favorite most thought provoking  thread on the forum that week, and read it on the show, and then discuss it.  Have a discussion that is greater than just whatever you may have replied in the topic, otherwise forum readers will be bored.  This will also serve as synergy between the podcast and the forum to people who may not know the forum exists.  It's one thing to mention the existence of the forum on the podcast, it's another to intrigue people as to the quality of discussion by implementing a weekly segment.

People are writing with questions and I could do shows just answering them as well. If a forum item is very hot I may discuss it.

6) Consider a weekly news segment, and discuss it's relation to the PP.  For example, Irish bond crisis.  What does it mean for PP investors in Ireland?  What if an Irish citizen is using Irish treasury bonds for their PP?   QE2.  What does it mean to PP investors?  I imagine that the answer to almost every news segment would be "it doesnt affect the PP, stay the course, the PP was designed exactly for this."  That's completely appropriate.  I'd like to hear why my portfolio won't be negatively affected by current news.

Actually I don't want to discuss current news much. One thing I always liked about Browne's shows is he didn't talk about the markets at all. Yes, he made passing reference. But specific news events were pretty much ignored. It reflected the idea that current news doesn't matter.

Also, I really don't pay that much attention to the financial markets myself and don't want to start doing it again. Part of the reason I run the portfolio is to ignore the market noise!

7) Consider a longer-term regular segment format.  For example, every few months, describe the CPI index numbers.  Compare them to a real inflation adjusted index of a more realistic basket of goods that you calculate.  Perhaps a few sample basket of goods with different weightings.  Then compare the PP returns to the real inflation numbers you calculate.

Regular segments are a staple of talk radio and I understand their use. I'm just not sure I have enough to say to warrant a regular segment series.

Consider breaking down long interviews into multiple episodes in smaller segments.  I really enjoyed last week's interview, but it was over one hour and I listened to it in two smaller chunks. 

Yep. Rick Ferri's interview went much longer than I thought. But I wanted to be sure he was able to express his take on the issue and answer some of my own concerns with his position. I'm trying to keep shows 30-45 minutes max. Next time I will split the interview if it gets much longer than that.

My ideal sample show would be 30 to 45 minutes in duration, each week, exactly released on the same day.  Here is an idea for one months worth of episodes. 

Thanks for the segment ideas. My general approach now is to take a topic and talk about it until it is covered (within 45 minutes). Smaller segments are possible and I'm trying to limit answering reader questions to 15 minutes of the 45 minutes.

[Coffee]

Here's my suggestion:

Do the podcast, in the nude.

Not that it would make a difference to us-- as we can't see you while you're doing the radio/podcast.  But I like the idea that when my friends and family ask me, "Who gave you this idea to put 25% of your investment portfolio in Gold?"

... I can reply with: "Some naked guy on the internet who does a podcast show."


Just keep doing what you're doing, as long as you're having fun.

[craigr]

Here's my suggestion:

Do the podcast, in the nude.

Why do you think I use audio only?

[KevinW]

I think a lot of these suggestions are great and would probably improve the podcast, but my vote is for "whatever craigr finds easiest."  The reason being, I've seen a lot of promising podcasts come out of the gates with ambitious self-imposed standards, and then quickly fizzle out because it becomes too burdensome to maintain on an ongoing basis.  I would benefit more from longevity than a lot of constraints or consistency.