[Ajescent]

I have to ask, what is the point of renaming the podcast as "free download"? I subscribe to a few podcasts from the BBC and Chris moyles' is the only one to adopt this name, my question is: Who came up with this "stroke of genuis"? It's quit jarring to hear them when they say "free download" and poor Aled being the Company man having to uphold it even if he knows its a stupid renaming.

Any idea when/if they'll drop it or who I should aim my shaking of the head at.

[R94N]

I think it might be to do with the podcast/iPod thing. Like it's to help show you can listen to podcasts on something other than an iPod (which is obvious).

[swaddon1903]

It could be a publicity stunt to get more people talking about it on message boards and the like.

[shamrock student]

Also perplexed why the CM show is the only one to get the little 7 second speech from Scot pointing out the bleeding obvious at the start of the iplayer show replay? Never hear anything similar on other shows.

[bmstinton93]

I think its because if the large quantity of txt ins that Chris asks for.

[Yudster]

It could be a publicity stunt to get more people talking about it on message boards and the like.

Snigger.

[hdsport82]

I have to ask, what is the point of renaming the podcast as "free download"? I subscribe to a few podcasts from the BBC and Chris moyles' is the only one to adopt this name, my question is: Who came up with this "stroke of genuis"? It's quit jarring to hear them when they say "free download" and poor Aled being the Company man having to uphold it even if he knows its a stupid renaming.

Any idea when/if they'll drop it or who I should aim my shaking of the head at.

It is strange when it was talked about it initially I assumed this was going to be a move across the BBC but it's only them (not even the rest of R1!) oh well provides Chris with some material.

It seems to be treating the public like idiots if you can't understand what a podcast is (even with all the links they were doing before) are you really going to when it's called a free download (especially when the link in the free download section says podcast!)?

[English Bob]

The whole thing reeks of typical corporate bureaucracy. They probably hired marketing/consulting types to come up with new ways to 'understand the youth of today' to help them get more listeners.

"Our research indicates that podcast is an outdated term, free download is a better term to use, as it conveys the sense of online availability the download offers the audience BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH"

Corporate shite.

[R94N]

Also perplexed why the CM show is the only one to get the little 7 second speech from Scot pointing out the bleeding obvious at the start of the iplayer show replay? Never hear anything similar on other shows.

I end up skipping it every time I go to listen, even though it's only seven seconds.

[TigerFan55]

The whole thing reeks of typical corporate bureaucracy. They probably hired marketing/consulting types to come up with new ways to 'understand the youth of today' to help them get more listeners.

"Our research indicates that podcast is an outdated term, free download is a better term to use, as it conveys the sense of online availability the download offers the audience BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH"

Corporate shite.

I've always be confused by it as well. I didn't know what they were talking about until Chris explained the whole thing.

[SAV1OUR]

Also perplexed why the CM show is the only one to get the little 7 second speech from Scot pointing out the bleeding obvious at the start of the iplayer show replay? Never hear anything similar on other shows.

I end up skipping it every time I go to listen, even though it's only seven seconds.

It's just the oddest thing, you fire up the iPlayer for Chris and you get that corporate monkey. Wouldn't mind if they got Paul the voiceover guy to do it. No problem whatsoever.

Whilst I'm here I'll get the teen awards off my chest, cos I thought I'd done well avoiding all that crap last week, then you find out it's getting as much hype as the big weekend, or nearly.

The corporate clan should remember that we tune in for entertainment - something that lasts a week is fine, dragging it out makes everything formularic and predictable. Like I say, wish I could've been listening to some other corporate feature by now. That's really all.

[SCornelius7mufc]

Agree it's stupid.

Whilst 'podcast' isn't a great term either (because of the apple association)

A free download could be absolutely ANYTHING!!! wallpaper, pdf, etc. etc.

[Yudster]

I've always be confused by it as well. I didn't know what they were talking about until Chris explained the whole thing.

What was Chris's explanation?

[richbrown]

Agree it's stupid.

Whilst 'podcast' isn't a great term either (because of the apple association)

A free download could be absolutely ANYTHING!!! wallpaper, pdf, etc. etc.

Yeah, that's what I'd associate 'free download' with because that's exactly what it means on most websites (wallpaper, etc.). I wonder if the figures are actually up or down following the change.

[DarroM]

Agree it's stupid.

Whilst 'podcast' isn't a great term either (because of the apple association)

A free download could be absolutely ANYTHING!!! wallpaper, pdf, etc. etc.

Yeah, that's what I'd associate 'free download' with because that's exactly what it means on most websites (wallpaper, etc.). I wonder if the figures are actually up or down following the change.

I forget what day it was last week but they mentioned they got 560,000 downloads of the "free download" (stupid name) on average or so I think.

[SAV1OUR]

The more droning done on this download thing the more I hate the expression. A spade is a spade, nothing wrong with podcast.

[Wykey]

I think it might be to do with the podcast/iPod thing. Like it's to help show you can listen to podcasts on something other than an iPod (which is obvious).

Chris mentioned that it had been changed because 'people don't know what podcasts are'.

Which I took to him taking the piss out of a 'management' decision to rebrand everything into broader groups - free downloads I'd imagine would constitute ALL of the content, of which a podcast would form part.

As I've just noticed everyone else has already said

It's one of the only things I dislike about the BBC. The meeting should have taken thirty seconds - "what can we call podcasts?" Call them podcasts, it's what they are and it's what the ENTIRE world calls them.

"OK - but we have to stop calling hoovers Hoovers. OK?"

[GottaBeAndrew]

Also perplexed why the CM show is the only one to get the little 7 second speech from Scot pointing out the bleeding obvious at the start of the iplayer show replay? Never hear anything similar on other shows.

I end up skipping it every time I go to listen, even though it's only seven seconds.

I do my best southerner accent along with it.

[Aled]

I'm being won over by their argument to be honest.

We did some producer labs last year where the producers of Radio 1 went out and meant our audience. We each had a couple of hours with three listeners. We then came back and discussed our findings. On the podcast front not one member of the public we met knew what a 'podcast' was.

Then this week Chris and I broke down our stats to see where our figures come from that make up our podcast stats. Since our name change our figures have gone up around 100k / 150k a week, and out of 650,000 weekly downloads only around 70,000 came from a podcast store like iTunes - all the growth has come from the website.

This forum is always going to know more about geeky terms like podcast because... well, we're geeks!

We're trying to reach those listeners who would have no idea what a podcast is. You must all know someone. Getting out there and downloading it is quite a bit hurdle for most people why stick a second barrier of calling it an alien term that means nothing like 'podcast'.

[shamrock student]

Then this week Chris and I broke down our stats to see where our figures come from that make up our podcast stats. Since our name change our figures have gone up around 100k / 150k a week, and out of 650,000 weekly downloads only around 70,000 came from a podcast store like iTunes - all the growth has come from the website.

If that scale of uplift is sustained I'd say, fair play Aled, we were wrong.

However to play devils advocate, it will be interesting to see whether the increase is mainly down to all the extra mentions and debate on air over the past few weeks-time will tell I guess. I know myself it has reminded me to start downloading the "podcasts" again after a bit of a break!

[swaddon1903]

Does this mean Chris is going to stop moaning on every free download about having to call it a "free download"? It's getting irritating hearing him complaining every week.

[Emmy]

On the podcast front not one member of the public we met knew what a 'podcast' was.

I honestly find that almost impossible to believe! Where the hell did you find these people? Were they a load of over seventies from an old peoples' home, because that's about the only section of society I can think of which would be likely to have a large percentage of people within it who wouldn't have heard of a podcast.

We're trying to reach those listeners who would have no idea what a podcast is. You must all know someone.

I'm lucky enough not to know anyone that thick. Also, surely such people would fit into the category of people who are too stupid to be allowed to listen to the show (a category invented by Chris and Dave), so why go to all the bother of trying to engage them?

And, a 'producer lab'? Seriously... As if the Daily Mail don't already have enough ammunition to use when complaining about the BBC wasting public money.

[hdsport82]

I'm being won over by their argument to be honest.

We did some producer labs last year where the producers of Radio 1 went out and meant our audience. We each had a couple of hours with three listeners. We then came back and discussed our findings. On the podcast front not one member of the public we met knew what a 'podcast' was.

Then this week Chris and I broke down our stats to see where our figures come from that make up our podcast stats. Since our name change our figures have gone up around 100k / 150k a week, and out of 650,000 weekly downloads only around 70,000 came from a podcast store like iTunes - all the growth has come from the website.

This forum is always going to know more about geeky terms like podcast because... well, we're geeks!

We're trying to reach those listeners who would have no idea what a podcast is. You must all know someone. Getting out there and downloading it is quite a bit hurdle for most people why stick a second barrier of calling it an alien term that means nothing like 'podcast'.

How much of the increase is (as others have said) down to the extra plugging (through discussion about the name change) from Chris though? Perhaps this was the plan all along

Surely if these people are so technologically illiterate they would get stumped when they see the free download section on the show page that has the green podcast icon when sends them to http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/moylesen ?

[bmstinton93]

Why are the BBC wasting license fee payers' money on sending people out on the streets to find out whether or not people know what a podcast is?

[Nicola_Red]

Even my mum, who is 60, owns an mp3 player and downloads podcasts. I can't imagine who these people are who don't know what one is.