Vijay Mallya is not the first to have discovered the joy of easy and popular podcast interviews. The Prime Minister and his entire cabinet now like to sit in long interviews with podcasters.
This new-age communication tool is an easy format to crack; questions are mostly shared well in advance, and guests may even decide what clips to use
Even by podcasting standards, the one with fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya was the longest any Indian podcaster has attempted. Had it been a Hindi movie, it would have been converted into a sequel.
What I am about to write today has less to do with the content of the podcast than the manner in which this new-age tool of communication is being used.
You see, interviews are nothing new. Televised interviews have also been around for decades — since the advent of television. How is podcasting any different, you may ask.
Idea behind podcasting
The idea behind podcasting is conversation and not necessarily interviewing. It is the pursuit of knowing more, not necessarily by applying the yardsticks of journalism. A journalistic interview would have brevity and move from extracting one headline to another.
A podcast, on the other hand, does not intend to do any of this. Turn back time to the late 1990s and early 2000s, and Simi Grewal used to do the same on her show. Call it the podcast at the turn of the century.
Coming back to contemporary times, the podcast was not meant to be in a visual format. This is why the typical radio microphones feature on any such show. Podcasting is a radio format with long conversations.
Popular format
But the growing popularity of this format on video has led to the creation of many modern Indian YouTubers.
Ranveer Allahbadia and Raj Shamani are two shining examples. They had a relatively first-mover advantage. They are young, and thus their line of questioning, or the lack of it, and curiosity appeal to the Gen Z and some millennials.
Since their shows have become popular, they want to look at interviewing more and more people who would give them greater views and that greater popularity.
Television news debates are now in any case in the evening of their lives. This is because a large number of people have lost faith in them.
Now, here is how popular podcast stars are providing an opportunity to many of their guests. The way their podcast can be popular is by actually engaging in a meaningful long conversation with lesser known people or prominent people and their less known attributes .
But of late, there seems to be this increasing trend in this country of people choosing to give interviews only to podcasters, as it is an easy format to crack.
The podcaster needs views and thus wouldn’t mind a controversial or popular personality. The way these podcasts usually work is that questions, and the research done, are shared well in advance. Sometimes the guests can even weigh in on what clips to keep and what to remove post-interview. Since these platforms are popular, it is the perfect opportunity to be exploited.
Mallya's marathon
Mr Mallya's four-hour marathon grabbed eyeballs, got everyone’s attention, and gave the podcast millions of views. But, most importantly, it allowed Mr Mallya a clean runway for a smooth narration-building exercise.
There was hardly any strong follow-up because the nature and the formatting of a podcast are not like a conventional interview.
The once 'king of good times' held great sway over journalists and journalism. Organisations are now seen complaining about news anchors and how they have been unkind to him.
New, easy platform
Controversial people now have a new place for easy conversation. Mallya is not the first to have discovered the joy of easy and popular podcast interviews.From the Prime Minister downwards, the entire Union Cabinet now prefers to sit in long interviews with podcasters.
But here is the thing. Every format comes with a sale-by date. The whole concept of a format is that it has the propensity to become obsolete, especially when a viewer knows that it has been compromised.
Podcasting now happens for money. Young podcasters can interview just about anyone for either popularity or money.
Things of past
Television news debates are now in any case in the evening of their lives. This is because a large number of people have lost faith in them.
If young podcasters continue with such interviews, the day is not far when the public will develop immunity to this format as well.
COVID has taught us that viruses mutate. Podcasting has become one such virus.
(The Federal seeks to present views and opinions from all sides of the spectrum. The information, ideas or opinions in the articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Federal.)
Next Story