MediaSchool CABAR.asia conducted trainings on the basics of podcasting for students of the Journalism Department in Tashkent from 3 to 6 March with the support of the State University of World Languages and the University of Journalism and Mass Communication of Uzbekistan.
The trainer was Alena Belyakova, producer, presenter and art director of «Батенька, да вы трансформер». At the beginning of the training, a representative of the MediaSchool Dilnoza Mirzomamadova spoke about the online platform CABAR.asia. She drew particular attention to the section “Courses in Digital Journalism and New Media”, which can be taken both in Russian and in the four main languages of Central Asia. Mirzomamadova stressed that the platform is adapted for any internet speed.
The training program was fully targeted at an audience unfamiliar or partially familiar with the podcast genre. Participants learned what a podcast is, why it is so effective for storytelling, and how it differs from traditional radio. Alena Belyakova also spoke about podcast genres and how they are created.The training consisted of short lectures, practical exercises, discussions and pitching of the idea of a future podcast.
For a better understanding of the material, the participants, using the example of the podcast «Temnaya Materiya» (“Dark Matter”), were told about all the cycles of podcast production: from writing a concept to publishing and promoting on social networks.
“Atmospheric training, which was remembered by all of us and especially to me. In the future, I want some kind of joint projects,”said Igor Abanin, student of the Journalism Department, after the completion of the training.
According to the students of the University of World Languages, “the training was so interesting and informative that they made the first podcast.”
“I wanted to talk as clearly as possible about what podcasts are, and then break down all the stages and roles of the team into understandable points so that the new medium does not seem mysterious and frightening. On the first day, the guys united in groups and got involved in an active process of thinking and formulating the idea of a podcast. And on the second day, more than 90% of the participants were able to pitch their own idea, on which it would be interesting for them to work in the future. Each of the students left with an understanding of how to build work on their own project, what additional resources need to be attracted and which distribution channels should be chosen.
It is good to see that a couple of weeks after the training, the participants joined forces and recorded a podcast pilot, although before the course they did not have a clear idea of what kind of format it was,” said coach Alena Belyakova.
Podcasting is becoming an increasingly popular genre of multimedia journalism. According to Apple1 , there are now over a million podcasts in the world. In Central Asia, this genre is just beginning to develop and is mainly based on enthusiasts.
MediaSchool Сabar.asia develops this direction by conducting trainings and festivals. The Media School also provides technical and mentoring support to those who want to create podcasts or improve existing ones.