As part of the ongoing celebrations for National Broadcasting Day 2025, the School of Media Studies, Garden City University, in collaboration with Journalism Sphere, hosted the fourth session of its week-long virtual seminar series on 24th July 2025 at 3:30 PM. The session, titled “Voices in the Air: The Growing Symphony from Broadcast to Podcast,” featured a special lecture by Prof. Subha Das Mollick, renowned documentary filmmaker and academic.
Prof. Mollick brought to the session her extensive expertise in media storytelling and education, offering attendees a rich exploration of how the auditory landscape has evolved from traditional broadcasting to today’s dynamic world of podcasting. Tracing this evolution, she highlighted how the voice has remained a powerful instrument of narrative across decades—transitioning from radio broadcasts that once unified communities to the decentralized, personalized formats of podcasts that shape public discourse today.
Drawing from her experience in both visual and aural storytelling, Prof. Mollick discussed how podcasting has democratized the medium of audio, allowing diverse voices—previously underrepresented in mainstream broadcasting—to find global audiences. She examined how this shift has influenced journalism, entertainment, education, and citizen participation in media creation.
The session also explored the technical, ethical, and cultural implications of this transformation. Prof. Mollick addressed questions around content credibility in user-generated audio, the resurgence of oral traditions, and the unique intimacy that podcasting fosters between speaker and listener.
An engaging Q&A session followed, during which participants discussed the challenges and opportunities faced by independent podcasters, the role of regional languages in digital audio storytelling, and the future of traditional radio in the age of on-demand content. Prof. Mollick’s insightful responses sparked a thoughtful exchange that bridged academic discourse with real-world practice.
This session underscored the importance of innovation in media platforms while reaffirming the enduring value of the human voice in storytelling.
Purpose of the Seminar Series:
National Broadcasting Day, observed every 23rd July, marks the historic launch of India’s first-ever radio broadcast in 1927 from the Bombay station of the Indian Broadcasting Company. The School of Media Studies has commemorated this legacy with a week-long virtual seminar series (21–25 July 2025) that celebrates the country’s broadcasting heritage while exploring its evolution in the digital era.
Featuring experts from across the media spectrum, the series is intended to:
Encourage critical discussions on media technologies, ethics, and regulatory frameworks
Examine emerging trends such as AI in audio production, multilingual podcasting, and hyper-local journalism
Empower students to embrace innovation while maintaining ethical integrity in media practices
Prof. Subha Das Mollick’s session added a distinctive dimension by spotlighting the transition from broadcast to podcast—emphasizing how the digital age has expanded the canvas of audio storytelling and enriched the broadcasting legacy.