LiNKED — Summer 2008 - (Page 5)

PODCASTING 5 A HEALTHY SIGN Discover’s longest-running column hears voices Discover magazine’s leaders knew they didn’t want to change their longest-running column, Vital Signs, from the nail-biting, edge-of-seat format as it reads in the monthly print publication. Instead, under the direction of CEO Henry Donahue, Discover opted to enhance the popular column of real-life medical mysteries by launching Vital Signs podcasts on its site, www. discoverymagazine.com. Web Editor Amos Kenigsberg says the podcast is like the television show, “House,” except the cases are real and listeners don’t hear about the doctors’ personal lives. Vital Signs, which tells real-life cases from the doctor’s perspective, has kept readers guessing for awhile what will happen to each patient. Now, the podcast lets listeners do the same thing. Kenigsberg says he edits the print columns to make them suitable for radio-type listening. That means writing shorter and paring longer medical descriptions. The “radio” versions are then sent to Sonibyte, which produces the podcast using actors who voice the column naturally—like a physician might narrate the story rather than an actor dramatizing it. The title, search terms and authors are edited into the podcast for searchability as well. Vital Signs podcasts began posting in December 2006, and Kenigsberg says Discover is working to give voices to archived columns that are still relevant and interesting to readers. Discover also has been able to use the Vital Signs podcast as a platform to sell advertising. The U.S. Navy sponsors the podSUMMER 2008 LINKED casts when someone in the United States listens (about half of the podcast listeners are from outside the country). A mention in the beginning and an advertisement in the middle of the vocal piece remind listeners of the U.S. Navy. As for advertising the podcasts themselves, Kenigsberg explains that Discover uses the page next to the print version of Vital Signs to tout the online audio version. In addition, he says, listeners can visit iTunes and subscribe to the podasts, which is how most subscribers get their audio Vital Signs. http://www.discoverymagazine.com http://www.discoverymagazine.com

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LiNKED — Summer 2008

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