Rain Stick Superstition, California Drought, and Podcast Audience Estimates
Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak open the program discussing the perceived effectiveness of rain sticks sent by a producer in Utah, noting simultaneous rainfall in Austin and California. The hosts critique traditional media metrics like Nielsen and Arbitron while attempting to estimate their own audience size. They settle on a guesstimate of 100,000 to 150,000 listeners based on mailing list engagement and public recognition.
adam curry· john c dvorak· rain stick· austin· california· nielsen· podcast metrics
00:00 I can't with authority answer that question. Adam Curry, John C. DeVorak It's Sunday February 2nd 2014 time for your Gitmo Nation Media Assassination episode 588 This is no agenda Predicting large sporting events since 1906 from FEMA region 6 here in the Travis Heights hideout, Austin Texas in the morning everybody I'm Adam Curry and for Northern Silicon Valley where it's finally raining and it's actually raining. I'm John C Dvorak You know I have received so many emails about the rain stick
00:39 Let's do it again. But the drawback is, it's raining in Austin now too! It hadn't rained for months in California we shake these damn rain sticks you know how many people because this kind of goes along with with karma as well A large amount of people, maybe just people who when they request karma where it doesn't work. They just don't tell us about it. Oh they tell us but not often I mean do we? I can count on one hand the amount of times someone has requested karma and it didn't work out Yeah well does happen though
01:25 But this rain stick thing is a little scary. And so the question is, how many people... This is the weird thing about our show? By the way do you know who sent us these rain sticks? Yes! The producer from Utah. Sherry. Do you think she's actually in Utah? I received them from her when we were in Utah You sure that was her? Well, who knows. Utah can be weird Anyway, go on. So of course because we don't have advertisements so we don't have to have some kind of rating or a GRP or a CUME or a share... We don't need to prove to any advertisers screw Arbitron! Which is by the way now folded into Nielsen. So we don't need to say oh we have X amount people listening and last night Miss Mickey and I were at a benefit thing here in Austin
02:24 And you know and of course I was like, oh what do you do? And then you know Mickey's an artist. And I said what do you do? You know and he helped me out like... I really don't know. Just, I'm so tired of telling... If they don't know who I am because they're too young usually then I just make something up but when they finally find out about the podcast So how many people listen to the podcast? You know, I really don't know and it's not a good answer for most people 10 million people! It makes it sound like man this hot woman has got some weird guy sitting in the closet with a microphone Does she know what she's married to
03:02 But, but how do we have any idea? How many people can you guesstimate because somehow the collective thought I believe when we do it's like when you pray to God. I don't think that really works that well because you're throwing your thing into the air and some third of the party to the mix as a lot of messages going on tomorrow busy right now. I got Syria to deal with And, uh... but you know when it's the podcast and I think that somehow electronically it comes into your head and then maybe you're thinking about it. Maybe somehow that has some effect but what do you think? Is is a 10 thousand 20 thousand? No its way beyond that. It is beyond that yeah. Based on the kind of numbers we get responses in people who actually sign up for the mailing list which isn't always going to be about the mailing lists will be guessing around ten percent five to ten percent as a total
03:55 because that's all, you know nobody else is listening. They don't donate they don't do anything You basically gave me no answer other than well we're a percentage I'm guessing about 100 thousand to 150 thousand Really? That's it? That's it A moderate number and thats also based on the number of people out in the blue that say in the morning to ya on the streets of any city Yeah but thats not really fair In Austin its just continuous I had guy like almost fall off his bike the other day In the morning. Yeah, yeah. Hmm 100-150 thousand that's probably about right? That's my guess and I think it's about a valid number based on the kind of...I mean if you take every all the variables that's about what it sounds like hmm I'd like to be bigger
04:48 Guess what she says we are I mean it's possible We have it, but that means that if we're bigger than that That means that people are not contributing very much right It would actually be bad If we if we do bad is it that people don't you know the number of people that actually contribute to this show? Support the show and produce this show or really just super my bonus. Yeah Hmm okay well for some reason this rain stick thing seems to work You have to admit That's kind of freaky Don't do too much, then you'll have too much water. Can you abuse the rain stick? I think so did you not? You took the course yeah well you know we're licensed Licensed Rain Stick Operators Operators Operators Hold on a second We have not tweeted this is what happens when you when you having too much fun Operators Yeah we are rains that's where we are were rainstick we are licensed rain stick anymore What
05:46 People generally don't think of you, I mean they do the dance and pray for rain and all the rest of it but a rain stick is in old proven way. And what's funny is kids today still make rain sticks at school well if they have any arts music and its made as musical instrument not as an instrument weather modification which is how the way should be taught Yeah, it's like the water witching. People make a lot of fun about it but those guys that actually do that use that technique and find water all the time Well I think there is something to it and regardless whether you want to believe or not and I think your kind on board It's working! How many months? It didn't rain for months And then for two shows in a row we'd shake the rain stick and its raining In California AND Austin
06:36 Yeah, come on. We need the rain here and it would have weird thing about this particular storm Which was not predicted until last night when it's all of a sudden showed up on the radar as like almost like a Cloudbuster phenomenon from Wilhelm right yep Just showed up off the coast over by Eureka And then came down here and blasted us It was nice rainstorm last night still raining is we should good oh But that's only Northern California and I think Southern California still needs help. They don't have a rain sticker. Yeah, they're bad their loss Today of course in the United States for those of you listening on the podcast You probably already know the outcome And so now we just want to hear what are they going to predict with many large sporting events which were pretty convinced most of the big ones are rigged
