Heike Graf 132 With its do-it-yourself approach, the podcast medium is “as an open platform for communication” and more specifically “an ex- tension of the everyday discussions between the hosts”, where they “can explore issues that interest or concern them.” (Vrikki & Malik, 2019, p. 285). By powerfully using the narrative forms of oral storytelling, the lines between entertainment, informa- tion, criticism, and activism are blurred. Usually, the conversations between two or more people are pre-recorded. As Markman (2012) has shown, podcast producers are motivated primarily by voicing themselves and their community. Here, the medium makes it possible to narrate complicated stories in a subjective and comprehensible way and therefore reach new target groups (Schütz, 2020). By means of intimacy and authenticity as vital ingredients of podcasting (Fox et al., 2020), the hosts often give insight into their personal experienc- es and views. Llinares (2018), in his study about African American broadcasting, speaks of a “liminal praxis” (p. 125), which according to Fox et al. can be seen as an “in-between space that creates a new ‘aural culture’” that critiques mainstream media through defining “the issue of ‘Black Excellence’ on their own terms” (Fox et al., 2020, p. 306). As Lundström& Lundström (2021) argue, podcasts are for participation with the audience because “connections are frequently made to the perceived audience, either in mentions or by inviting them as guests” (p. 291). The relation to the audience is crucial because podcast is a “pull”-medium (Berry, 2016, p. 12), meaning that the audience actively selects the podcast content, in contrast to a program on a radio station. By stimulating a participation culture, where discussions are expanded or deepened on other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, the relationship to the listeners is maintained. A strong motivation to start podcasting is the urge to remain autonomous in production, that is, be independent of public service media and commercial forces as well as fixed broadcasting slots (Berg, 2021). At first sight, it seems relatively easy to produce audio files, and it is also inexpensive to publish. Hence, independence can easily be achieved. However, it takes time to develop a qualitative product that attracts listeners. Fur- thermore, many unpaid hours are needed to keep a podcast seri-
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