Earlham Announces Ongoing Series of
Portable On Demand Audio Programs

For Immediate Release:
Feb. 21, 2008

Earlham begins its podcasting series with a look at the College's Wilderness Programs.

RICHMOND, Ind. — Information about
Earlham College is now as close as
your iPod, according to the College's
Public Affairs Office, which rolled out
its first podcast this week.

The podcast, an audio program which
is available to anyone with a computer
and Internet access, is the latest way
in which Earlham, one of the nation's
most international campuses,
continues to expand its national and international visibility.

"The podcasting program is a great
addition to our 21st century outreach
toolbox," says Karen Roeper, associate
vice president for public affairs. "With
our podcasts launching so soon after our
online Virtual Tour, we feel we've made tremendous steps forward this year in our ability to engage the world. This makes it easier for prospective students, alumni and even current students and faculty to learn more about Earlham."

The Earlham College podcast is produced by Mark Blackmon, director of media relations. Before coming to Earlham last summer, Blackmon co-founded a Baltimore-based firm that was one of the first to integrate podcasting into marketing strategies.

"Ease of use is very important," says Blackmon. "Podcasts download automatically, you can listen whenever it's convenient and, unlike previous Web-based audio, you're not tied to your computer. You can listen on any portable MP3 player."

"But," he adds, "content is even more important than convenience. We have terrific stories to tell at Earlham. The quality of the content will be what keeps subscribers listening."

Now available is the first episode, which focuses on the College's Wilderness Programs. It will be followed shortly by a profile of an Earlham student who writes role-playing games and an exploration of the historical 2008 elections with Politics professor Bob Johnstone and History professor Alice Almond Shrock.

Earlham podcasts are available to anyone who visits the College's online Pressroom and on iTunes, the world's dominant repository of podcast content. There's no charge to subscribe to the podcast either using the XML feed available on the Earlham site or iTunes.

The programs are co-hosted by Blackmon and Safety Officer Mark Brim, who has been completing an internship in the Public Affairs Office. Both are former professional broadcasters.

New episodes of Earlham's podcasts will be available monthly during the academic year and will focus on various departments and programs. A second occasional series of interviews will be produced on an ad hoc basis. Blackmon hopes to have 15-20 programs completed by the end of the first year of production.

— EC —

Contact:
Mark Blackmon, director of media relations
765/983-1256 — E-Mail Mark

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This page last updated: February 21, 2008