OK, so not exactly.

But we do hear a hip-hop song and the mayor of Boston, Tom Menino, featured in the City of Boston’s first podcast, called Citycast.

Bravo to the city for dipping a toe into the world of podcasting, even if the mayor himself doesn’t quite understand the medium yet.

The mayor … admitted that he has not quite caught up with the MP3 era. He is in the process of getting one, Menino said, so he can keep tabs on the city’s new venture.

Quick message to the mayor: listening to a podcast does not require an iPod or other mp3 player. A computer with an Internet connection will do just fine.

The first episode of Citycast includes music and snippets from Menino, a police official, a community leader, and a local business owner talking about Aim for Pace, a city-sponsored gun buy-back program.

It’s well-produced and a good start.

But as a story in yesterday’s Boston Globe rightly notes, City of Boston officials know they need to “spice things up” to build an audience for their podcasts.

Future podcasts
Here are some suggestions to the City of Boston for its upcoming episodes:

  • Make the podcast sound a little less “official” or formal
  • Consider finding an independent host for the podcast, such as a respected community leader
  • If you plan to regularly feature Mayor Menino, have a conversation with him, rather than playing parts of his speeches
  • Start a City of Boston Music Cast featuring more local artists
  • Feature longer conversations with regular Bostonians doing interesting projects
  • Deliver programs that speak to the many immigrant groups of Boston. Enlist the help of the Office of New Bostonians
  • Actively engage the listeners as you did at the end of the first show. Invite them to be a part of the podcast by contributing comments
  • Start a podcast blog that enables comments and sparks a conversation

There is tremendous potential for the City of Boston to communicate with its residents through podcasting. Here’s hoping that Citycast is here to stay.

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