Podcast narratives in new media: A content analysis of popular podcasts in Turkey

This research aims to identify the characteristic features of the podcast medium. For this purpose, a coding scheme was designed to describe how narrative and content forms are constructed in podcasts published in Turkey and to systematically reveal the patterns related to these structures. Fifty episodes, selected from 10 programs on the popular charts as of May 5, 2025, were examined, and a multi-dimensional coding scheme developed through content analysis was applied. The reliability of the developed coding scheme was verified with Cohen's Kappa κ=0.71; this good level of agreement ensured a reliable interpretation of the findings. The findings indicate that the medium is built on a discourse focused on "intimacy": a conversational tone, first-person narration, and a preference for the present tense are common; emotional and humorous forms of expression strengthen linguistic relationality. In terms of narrative technique, the combined use of storytelling and straightforward narration positions the podcast as a story-information hybrid. For information citations, personal experience and external sources are used together. At the topic level, personal narratives are central, while public issues and psychology/well-being topics form auxiliary layers. Regarding production format, the prominence of the single-voice format and a 20–40 minute flow is compatible with the rhythm of portable listening. Interaction with the listener is mostly maintained through direct addresses made within the program. In advertisements, host-read delivery and congruence with the content were found to be very low. In conclusion, popular Turkish podcasts, through the digital re-mediation of radio-originated practices, create a unique narrative space that brings together the intimacy modes of secondary oral culture and the companionship/learning/identity needs of the Uses and Gratifications perspective within the same flow.