In cooperation with the Norwegian Institute of Journalism, the Rozana Centre for Media Development (RAM) organized training on podcasts, their definition, forms and types, and how to produce it in ways that attract listeners.

About 30 trainees from inside and outside Syria participated in the training including journalists, sound technicians and radio directors.

Regarding the training, podcast creator Thea Klingenberg said: “The most important point I think I focused on was convincing a person who has a good story to produce a podcast.”

Trainer Thea added: “I love podcasts and I think there are great journalists in Rozana who have a lot to tell the world about. I hope they managed to get rid of fear.. We just have to try; the matter is not a big deal.”

Frode Rekve, an official from the Norwegian Institute of Journalism, pointed out that “podcasts are a new form of media that is little known in the Middle East, and more spread in the West”.

Rekve explained: “The most beneficial point we learned from the training was that we defined what the podcast is? How we produce it, and its basic structure that attracts the listeners”.

The training covered several points most notably:

• What is the feature that distinguishes podcasts from the radio?
• Types and forms of podcasts
• How do we plan and create the basic structure for podcast production?
• The basics of podcast production, its most important elements and its success factors
• How do we produce a distinguished and attractive podcast?
• What is the role of the content creator, music and sound effects in the success of the podcast?

On 30 June 2020, Rozana Media Institution launched a podcast platform, and since that time it has produced several podcast programs, including “Your Religion,” which discussed topics about religions and sects and their relationship to women in Syria.

Rozana is working to develop its podcast platform along with its radio that broadcasts through FM waves, besides other digital platforms.