I had a conversation with a large radio station operator today and we discussed how our entertainment marketing systems (like FanPodCast) might help radio stations enlist and leverage thousands of potential 'citizen reporters'. Dan Gillmor is perhaps the foremost proponents of citizen journalism, but as J.D. Lasica noted in her 2003 Online Journalism Review article, most audience participation (i.e. user comments) have been limited by a lack of tools. Sure, lots of 'citizen journalists' use mobile cameras to capture photos or video, but those tools have not been connected to traditional media outlets (such as radio stations) where that news could be disseminated to mass audiences.

What if we could help citizen reporters participate? Our social podcasting system could allow a radio stations to contact listeners in various verticals including geography, age or interests. Imagine that a radio station manager hears a police report about a large fire near downtown. He enters a zip code into our system, records a simple message and presto our system dials everyone within a predetermined radius of that zip code and plays his message. Based on the response requested, press one if you are at the scene, press two if you saw the scene but are no longer there, or press three if you can head over the fire (i.e. this might not be a good suggestion). Our system could offer a live connect to the manager or producer working the story or prompt the listener to record his observations. That content could be played on the air, included on the website or uploaded into various iTunes podcasts or audio feeds.

Interested? Give us a call.