This thesis examines the podcast as a contemporary cultural form that reshapes modes of media storytelling, content distribution, and audience engagement in the digital environment. Based on Raymond Williams’s framework of cultural materialism, the podcast is understood not as an isolated technological phenomenon but as a media practice embedded in specific production, institutional, and social conditions. The empirical part analyzes three Slovenian podcasts – AIDEA, Rožnata dolina, and N1 podcast – which represent different models of creation and distribution. They are studied through three analytical dimensions: production, distribution, and reception. The findings show that Slovenian podcasts range from independent models (AIDEA) to institutional practices (Rožnata dolina, N1 podcast). Regarding distribution, three approaches can be observed: long conversational formats with strong personal expression and multi-channel promotion via social media (AIDEA); informative content disseminated through the commercial channels of the parent media organization (N1 podcast); and socially engaged programs distributed within the institutional infrastructure of the public service (Rožnata dolina). In terms of reception, the analysis identifies diverse forms of audience involvement, from informal co-creation of content (AIDEA), through organized events and encouragement of audience responses (Rožnata dolina), to more passive listening, where audiences remain primarily in an informative role (N1 podcast).
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