The College of New Jersey Logo

Apply     Visit     Give     |     Alumni     Parents     Offices     TCNJ Today     Three Bar Menu

Communication Studies Students Tackle Podcast Producing

Students in the spring 2021 Introduction to Audio Class (COM 269) dove into the growing field of podcast production. A recent study by Edison Research and Triton Digital found continued growth in podcast listening. The emergence of live audio platforms such as Clubhouse and  Facebook’s planned Soundbites initiative are likely to lead to even more growth and potential job opportunities in the field. 

Despite being limited in their ability to conduct one-on-one, in person interviews because of the Covid 19 pandemic, many of the students turned to live streaming services such as Zoom to conduct their interviews. Many of the stories covered in the 7 to 30 minute podcasts focused on the impact of the pandemic including the effects on vulnerable groups such as the elderly and medical workers. One production examined how a local theme park took Covid precautions during the summer of 2020. Some of the students covered non-pandemic topics. Three baseball experts discussed their choices for the best World Series matchups for one program. 

In addition to podcasts, students were also required to complete other types of audio productions for the class. Each student created a 45 second commercial/public service announcement, a 45 second news story, a five-minute radio newscast, and completed a sound gathering exercise aimed at developing skills to evaluate sound quality. The class also reviewed topics such as legal requirements for phone recordings, remote audio production and how to measure the reach or impact of a program. The links below include examples of podcasts created by students.

First, this is one of the podcast projects from the Spring 2021 Introduction to Audio class. In his podcast Cheap Seats Chatter TCNJ student Mathias Altman Kurosaki and three Major League Baseball experts examine which World Series should be considered the best Fall Classic in history.

Next, this podcast was also produced in this spring’s Introduction to Audio class. In this podcast called Cassie’s Corner, TCNJ student Cassandra Mallnick discusses the impact of the Covid 19 Pandemic with two guests who belong to several groups considered vulnerable to the illness.

Finally, TCNJ student Katelyn Dunkel examines how the Covid 19 Pandemic impacts operations of a local theme park in Theme Park in a Pandemic.

cassie's corner graphic, emoji raising handtheme park in a pandemic presentation covercheap seats chatter graphic

Top