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FAQs

1.Firstly, what is your name and role within the world of Showbiz Newsy News?

My name is Jim Choma (aka The_Walrus) and I produce, write, voice, and animate ShoBiz Newsy News.

2.How many people are involved in the making of it?

Just me.

3.How did the concept and idea for the animated podcast come about?

It seemed to me that my family and friends were interested in entertainment news, but not so interested to watch an entertainment show or read entertainment magazines. A short show about entertainment, including only the top stories, would be something they would be interested in.

Also, the "Daily Show" on Comedy Central is a huge hit, and I thought that an entertainment show, rather than a news show, would work well.

With the lack of quality, original animated content in the podcasting world, I knew that there was a hole that needed to be filled.

4.What are the aims of Showbiz Newsy News?

The aim is to entertain. The moment an artist ceases to think about the audience, and work toward another goal, the art suffers. Would I love to get picked up by someone and actually make money off it? Yes, of course. But for now, entertaining people is the goal. Also, branding my website, ZipperFish.com is important, which is why you'll see the ZipperFish logo at the beginning and end of every show.

5.Do you consider Showbiz Newsy News to be a key source for entertainment news, or entertainment based on news people already know?

I hope not, but I'm sure it is for some. I try to provide the actual story, and then add the joke. That way, I'm never providing false information. For example, Oprah Winfrey and her friend Gayle King actually DID come out in the press saying that they are not gay. That's true. But that's also the perfect set-up for a joke.

6.Can you describe what goes into making each animated podcast?

The first thing I do is go to the entertainment news sites. Yahoo, Google, E! Online, Entertainment Tonight website. I look at all the stories and see which story might be funny, and which story is the most talked about.

I then write the script for the show. After a quick re-write and fine tuning, it's off to the recording studio.... which consists of my desk. I record the episode using a "Blue" brand microphone and a spit screen. I use Apple's "Garage Band" for the recording application. After recording the episode, I add in the sound effects and output the episode as an MP3.

Then, I open up Macromedia's Flash application, to do the animation. The animation itself is not that complicated, and therefore easy to produce. Some people criticize the animation quality, but let's face it... it's a news show. There really is no reason for complicated animation. It's just a news caster and a desk.

I import the MP3 and start to line up the mouth movement of the host with the dialogue. This takes about 2 hours. After that, I search the internet for pictures to go along with the news stories. The small thumbnails that go along with the stories are easy to find, and I add a funny tag-line to go with the picture using Photoshop.

At the end of each episode, there is what I call "This week in pictures" which show celebrities in funny situations or poses. These pictures are harder to find, and usually takes several hours. The main point of "This Week in Pictures" is that the celebrity pics are actually taken "this week" or close to it. These are not "classic" funny celeb pics or pics that are old, I try to keep it very, very current.

7.Have you had any technical difficulties to overcome?

Certainly learning how to output the animation in the right format, as well as understanding RSS and feeds can be challenging, but other than that, the technical aspects are minimum.

8.What type of feedback has the podcast received?

I have gotten mostly great feedback from the piece. The people that have found the podcast seem to love it. There are plenty of great comments left on iTunes.

9.Have you ever had any complaints?

There are always those that get jealous of other people, and complain to just complain, but the most common complaints I get are when the podcast is late. As far as celebrities complaining.... none yet.

10.What do you see as being the main differences between traditional television news and news podcasts for the average citizen/consumer?

Traditional television news seems to still be aimed at the older set. When I say "older" I mean over 35 years of age. The news is deeper in content, and contain much more information. Traditional TV news is also extremely formulaic. Men and women, mostly white, delivering the news in the standard "news person" voice, always dry, always without much personal opinion. Here in the states, FOX NEWS is incredibly popular. The reason for this is because they are trying to break the mold. They make no apologies for presenting their opinions. They fall on the right (here in the USA, that's Republican), and it's obvious. I don't agree with them, but some of the shows on that station are very entertaining, just because they actually have an opinion.

News podcasts are the same. Most hold an opinion, rather than trying to be neutral. Also, podcasts are mostly short. The younger generation are always on the move, always busy. Their lives are filled with cell phones, PDAs, iPods, MySpace, IMing, and the internet. These people don't have time for traditional media like a half hour tv show, or a newspaper. They want their information in sound bites. They want the headlines, and only the headlines. "Tell me what I need to know, and quickly."

This type of quick news can be dangerous, because you don't get to know the whole story, but I suppose some news is better than no news. The great part about entertainment news is that there usually isn't much to the story. Which makes the quick headlines and short stories work great.

11.What do you see as being the main differences between traditional television news and news podcasts for the broadcaster?

Television has always counted on advertising to make money. Because podcasting is a new media, there isn't a whole lot of money to be made just yet. Most people still believe that they need an iPod to listen to a podcast. Once traditional News media figures out a way to advertise better, and to a greater audience, you will see more podcasts by the major news media. Until then, podcasting will continue to be mostly user-driven. So, the main difference would be that the big news outlets are about money... podcasting is about the love of new media, and providing information without rules.

12.In television there are always broadcasting standards, and rules and regulations that programmes much abide by. Are there any standards you must follow or can you pretty much do whatever you want? And how does this impact your content?

It's an interesting question, and a complicated one. I have been doing animation and media on the web for 8 years, and before that, I was a graphic designer, so I am more aware than most about the legality of all this.

Currently, there are no broadcasting regulations for podcasters. We are not on the radio or television, so we do not have to abide by FCC rules. Rules such as using profanity or adult content. However, there are rules that even podcasters need to abide by.

The biggest concern for podcasters is using music. Music, like most media, is copyrighted. Podcasters and video-podcasters use music for a variety of different things. Some use music in their theme songs, or music to set a mood. Podcasters must be very careful not to use music that is copyrighted because they can be sued. Certainly there is no fear of jail time, but a podcaster will have to remove any and all content that has the copyrighted material in it, if they are caught. And that would hurt.

As far as my content goes, I use a lot of celebrity pictures. I get these pictures off of the internet, and someone took those pictures. That person should get paid. The photographer isn't taking pictures for free, after all. That being said, there are some loop holes. One is that my show is very low resolution, and not using the pictures for print. This means that I can fall into the "fair use" law, which allows someone to use pictures as long as it's for editorial purposes, and not for re-print or re-publication.

However, if Angelina Jolie, for example, can sue a news publication for using an unauthorized, or exclusive photo, she can therefore sue a website for posting that pic, and therefore can sue me if I use it in a show. That being said... ShoBiz Newsy News is free, and currently has no advertising or revenue... so nobody is going to sue someone without a return. However, a "cease and desist" letter can always be sent.

I am always aware of these rules, and therefore it impacts my content. I would never use copyrighted music, and the pictures I use are always picked with the law in mind.

13.Where do you see the future of video podcasts heading?

Like any media, unless the public embraces it, it will fail. The jury is still out on video podcasting. Sure it's the flavor of the month for the moment, but will people continue to watch? Not without the right hardware behind it.

Video Podcasting is supposed to be a transportable media. If it is not, it's just a video for the net. So unless Apple or Microsoft comes out with a device that the public will embrace, video podcasting will have a hard time sticking around. The new video iPod did not make the impact that Apple wanted, so the need for video on the go might not be as big of a need as once predicted. That being said, it only takes one device to break out portable multi-media. The iPod made the MP3 a household name, perhaps another device will do the same for video podcasting.

With the ease of use, video podcasting is now exploding. This is good for the media, but bad for the consumer. Because most video podcasts are terrible, it may turn off the new user. Just because you have a camera, that doesn't mean you should be a video podcaster. On the same note, just because you have a microphone, doesn't mean you should be a podcaster.

But with most things, the good rises to the top, the bad will hopefully fade away. This is already happening, with podcasters "pod-fading" or fading away. The divide between popular podcasts (video and audio) and non popular podcasts is growing. As that divide grows, you will see more and more people not wanting to produce content, knowing that getting to the top will be difficult. And, as I said before, once the big businesses find out to make money, and embrace the new technology, they will crush the small guys. Public Access radio and Public Access Television is still around, but does anyone listen or watch?

Podcasting is an exciting user-driven media right now, but it won't stay that way forever.

14.Anything else to add?

Nope. I think I've talked enough! Well... maybe one last thing.

Podcasting is a media that is your and mine. Most podcasters make no money, and need your support. If a podcast asks you to help them... help them! Voting, writing reviews in iTunes and other places really helps the podcasters. The only way to stay around is to get new listeners/watchers. So please support your favorite podcasts!