Tiger Podcasts are giving Auburn athletics a new way to reach out to fans.
Podcasts are multimedia files that can be downloaded to a computer or other device such as an iPod or other mp3 player, according to the Auburn Tigers Web site.
"I think it's just an easier avenue of information for all of our athletics," said Rod Bramlett, lead announcer and director of broadcast services for the Auburn ISP Sports Network. "The way things are moving these days, people want their information fast and the podcasts make this easier to do."
Bramlett said they update the podcasts twice a week during the athletic seasons. The podcasts include interviews with coaches and highlights from games.
"We try to put together longer formed programming and interviews with head coaches," Bramlett said. "We do a good bit of football, basketball and baseball but we try to use it for all sports, typically the Olympic sports."
The podcasts are available through a link on the home page of the official Auburn athletics Web site, www.auburntigers.com. They are free and can be downloaded from an iTunes link, or directly from the site.
"We're flexible and we try to spread the podcasts among all of the sports," Bramlett said. "If a sport has something big coming up, like a softball or baseball series, we'll focus on that."
The podcasts are not restricted by time like a television or radio show would be, but they usually run anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.
"We're able to make them as short or as long as we need to," Bramlett said. "So sometimes we may do softball and baseball in the same podcast."
Auburn sports fans have latched on to this new technology.
"I think they're great," said Amy Galbraith, a senior in communications, "As a spectator, I like that I can listen to the coaches after the games and hear what they have to say."
Bramlett said that all of the podcasts are well received by Auburn athletic enthusiasts. Although they are not updated as frequently in the summer, in the fall and late winter downloads increase substantially.
"We were pleasantly surprised about not just the football podcasts in the fall, but soccer and volleyball as well," Bramlett said.
The podcasts give fans access to sports that don't get as much coverage as others.
"It's definitely a chance for certain sports to get more coverage than they regularly would in the mainstream media," Bramlett said.
They cover just about every sport including golf, track and field, gymnastics, volleyball, and soccer.
"I think it's good that they reach out to other sports," said Chris Cessna, a senior in accounting. "Especially here where football is always such a big deal."
The increased use of new technology like podcasts is everywhere, Bramlett said. It's not always sports. They are used with talk shows and music as well.
"I mean, everyone has iTunes or some form of it now," Galbraith said. "This gives people a way to stay updated on Auburn sports through a technology that is already used so much."
"We're following the trend of other Web sites and podcasts have proven to be popular right now," Bramlett said. "I mean it's free, the link's right there and it's easy to use."
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