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‘Serial,’ Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More

nytimes.com

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Re: ‘Serial,’ Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More

#3
For some strange reason I thought this was part of Alex Blumberg (also from This American Life)'s Gimlet Media - which he started in August this year, and which he's documenting at http://hearstartup.com.

Anyone know if the timing of Serial's debut was co-incidental, or if there's something happening between the two ex-TIL producers that we don't know about?

Re: ‘Serial,’ Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More

#4
I know this will get me downvoted but I can't understand the fascination with Serial. Overall I found it quite a boring listen. Too many side paths that amount to not much at all, feel like it could have done with a harsh edit.

But it's production qualities are high quality and so anything that leads people to create more content at a similar level the better !

Re: ‘Serial,’ Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More

#5

I know this will get me downvoted but I can't understand the fascination with Serial. Overall I found it quite a boring listen. Too many side paths that amount to not much at all, feel like it could have done with a harsh edit. But it's production qualities are high quality and so anything that leads people to create more content at a similar level the better !

I think it plays into people's belief that they'll be able to figure out something nobody else has. It's what Sarah is trying to do, and the way she presents the story is shaped in a manner to make you lean one way one week, then completely reverse course the following week. It's smartly executed.

Re: ‘Serial,’ Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More

#7
A quick plug: for those who enjoy Serial, there's an incredible amount of high-quality discussion about it on the serialpodcast subreddit [1].

The very high level of engagement the show has with some listeners is surprising. I don't think it's typical, but many posters talk about dedicating hours to reading case documents, re-listening to episodes, doing independent research, etc.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast

Re: ‘Serial,’ Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More

#9
I'd love some data behind the claim that this is podcasting's first breakout hit, beyond the comparison to This American Life's slower initial growth in the form. Is this a legitimate claim to fame, or sensationalism from the New York Times from a writer who seems to be largely dismissive of podcasting in general?

Re: ‘Serial,’ Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More

#10

I know this will get me downvoted but I can't understand the fascination with Serial. Overall I found it quite a boring listen. Too many side paths that amount to not much at all, feel like it could have done with a harsh edit. But it's production qualities are high quality and so anything that leads people to create more content at a similar level the better !

If we're going to downvote opinions, can we at least be consistent and downvote the positive ones as well?
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