About this Project

This study is conducted through the City University of New York. It examines the people, practices, and social relations that determine the success of podcasting enterprises. This is an academic research project that seeks to generate scientifically-vetted, practical podcasting-relevant information to aspiring media professionals and the general public.

We are looking for industry practitioners who can share what they know about best practices in podcast creation, podcast enterprise administration, audience relations, partnership development, service subcontracting, monetization, legal considerations, and any other information pertinent to running a podcast. We will compile this information, along with quantitative data and our field experiment in podcasting to generate podcast-focused academic analyses and training curricula in the fields of sociology, mass communications, economics, and business administration.

Begin by reviewing our Informed Consent package for our study’s subjects. Click here to download a document outlining the study and your rights as a research subject.  You will be asked to review and agree to this document before participating in the study.

Frequently-Asked Questions for Research Respondents

Have questions?  Some frequently asked questions:

• What questions will you ask? We expect to ask open-ended questions about how you produce content, organize your content production enterprise, develop and connect with audiences, cooperate with other creators, and the financial considerations involved in content creation.
• How long will the interview take? Between 30 and 90 minutes.
• How will I be interviewed? If possible, we will interview you via Internet on a Zoom- or Skype-like platform.
• Can I withdraw from the study after giving initial consent? Yes, you can withdraw without consequences at any time.  We will destroy recordings of our interview upon your request.
• Will my answers be recorded? We would prefer to record the interview, because it allows us to re-listen to our discussion and catch what we might have missed when talking with you.
• Are my answers confidential? Yes.  Audio recordings will be stored on a secure medium provided by the City University of New York.  Our team is prohibited from distributing our recordings with you without getting your prior consent.  You will not be identified as having been part of the study without giving your consent.  We will erase audio copies of your interview upon your request.

If you still have questions, please contact Prof. Joseph Cohen at joseph.cohen@qc.cuny.edu.