Today’s is called the “Hearing Age” because most of those who seek information and stories of interest prefer to listen to them, rather than read them.
That explains the surprising boom in news and other vocalized content, as well as audiobooks. And, likewise, the “podcast” or audio formats that synthesize news stories set with effects or musical sounds that give it a fascinating realism.
The large media outlets that have positioned and made their digital platforms profitable have relied on podcast and video resources, or streaming, to generate subscriptions.
Both formats have also been a kind of lifeline for television and radio stations that, like the written press, seek to survive the decline of the business models on which they were previously based.
Printed newspapers, such as radio and television, were maintained for many decades thanks to the support of advertising. If they showed their print runs or audience ratings with believable figures, they won the game.
Advertisers preferred the newspapers with the largest circulation and the stations with the largest audiences because they were the guarantee that their promotions would reach the general public.
That whole model changed. By now losing that privilege, because they no longer reach as far as digital platforms, nor do they have subscriber bases or advertising recipients numerically superior to the latter, they are forced to seek other forms of business and sustainability. And they have found that, in the support of their digital platforms, there is an immense field of opportunities to attract subscribers of audiovisual content and quality in-depth articles in text format.
Now they earn more from subscribers or partners than from ads. Such a paradox! In this “hearing era” many of these printed newspapers are already monetizing their contents by taking them to audio versions, so that their subscribers can find out everything that the day’s edition brings without having to read.
Director's Thoughts 