My friend Tyler Moody, VP at CNN, is at it again — with a very straight-forward analysis of the finances of Podcasting. His article is titled “Why Serial Needs Donations” and in it, Tyler figures out that an enormously successful Podcast like Serial could bring in between $270,000 and $405,000 for all 9 episodes. So, he wonders, why are the Producers asking Serial’s listeners to contribute money to the Podcast?

Moody knows whereof he speaks. He was the Executive Producer of CNN Radio’s excellent but now-defunct daily Podcast, which was cancelled last year.

In his exploration of the subject, Moody discovers that for a complex, highly-produced podcast like Serial, “I can see how the math doesn’t add up to support the kind of work they are putting together.” He acknowledges that a Podcast with much lower production values, “2 or 3 people with mic’s gabbing with each other,” could make financial sense. But he ends by admitting that he wants “quality storytelling and production like Serial to live and thrive on its own, but I guess we’re not there yet.” And he decides it is time to “click and contribute.”

Read the full article. It is definitely worth your time.