This has resulted in a spike in podcasts as seen today. But to allay fears, it must be noted that this is not entirely a bad thing. The adoption of digital technologies globally has, to a greater degree, seen a growth in the consumption of digital content, hence the revolution. However, for countries like Botswana, it took a bit of time before the first podcast arrived. The first podcast that comes to mind around 2016 or thereabout was the 20th Avenue Podcast hosted by versatile media personality, Dumisani Ncube. This is how far my memory can remember.
However, if there was any before, then I sincerely apologise for the misrepresentation. Since then, several media professionals have gravitated towards the podcasting space, carving a niche of their own and growing an audience resultantly. With time, the likes of Joey Badubi followed with the Overview podcast/ online radio, PODICAST with SCAR by rapper and radio personality, Thato Matlhabaphiri, and most recently, the Punchline hosted by investigative journalist and former Botswana Gazette editor, Lawrence Seretse. Nevertheless, there is quite a handful that can be mentioned as the revolution takes shape. Nowadays, there are even sports ones, which is a welcome edition for a news beat, which is often reserved just a few pages at the back of a newspaper. To understand podcasts, we first must understand that their growth is in part due to the rise of smartphones, enabling accessibility to more audiences. Further, platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts allow users to subscribe to their content. This is over and above platforms like YouTube, Facebook and TikTok, which broaden viewership.
