There's a quite a lot of talk about podcasting and how it's gonna change the way we listen to radio etc but I've only met ONE REAL HUMAN BEING who downloads and LISTENS to podcasts.
It's one thing to download a podcast. It's another to actually listen to it.
The ABC often boasts of many thousands of downloads but really, once you download one podcast from somewhere like the ABC, your software automatically downloads stuff without you knowing about it.
Like, my iTunes has automatically downloaded 15 episodes of KCRW's Music Exchange but I've only listened to two of them. And when am I going to find time to catch up on the eight hours of Harry Shearer's Le Show iTunes just downloaded?
With podcasts I am an exception. I've been a regular listener and downloader of overseas radio shows for many years before people called them podcasts.
Here's a few I've been listening to lately.
Zoe's Radio Show is hosted by a 15 year old girl with a better record collection than my own. Although her fave band ever is Built To Spill, she's got superb music taste and really knows how to put together an hour long radio show. A few Triple R and PBS announcers can learn a lot from this girl. She has FUN, damnammit!
The Ricky Gervais Show is nuts. 4o-ish minutes of Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant trying to unlock the thought process of their idiot savant producer, Karl Pilkington.
43 Folders is a real short spinoff from the nifty getting things done website of the same name, hosted by a funny little twerp named Merlin.
And my old faves are Harry Shearer's Le Show and Philip Adams' Late Night Live.
BUT HOW??
I use iTunes to listen to podcasts. It's the easiest listening thing out there.
Click on the podcasts thingy on the left hand side of your iTunes, then click on the "Podcast Directory" thingy on the left bottom side of the main window.
Browse through the podcasts in that window and click on the "Subscribe" button if you see a show you like.
If you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox and you find a link to to a podcast you might want to listen to, copy the address and then open up your iTunes.
Then click on the "Advanced" thingy on iTunes and then go to "Subscribe to Podcast".
Paste the address to the little box and presto, you're going to have that podcast updated in iTunes for the rest of your life!
Can you ever be arsed to listen to a podcast? If so what? Click on the comment bit and tell us all about it.
3 comments:
Funny you should ask...
My boyfriend downloads a LOT of podcasts - commonly jjj, radionational, science shows, pbs, cbc, bbc (aronyms in general). I consequently get to listen to a few too - like Martini Shots, jjj reviews and the like. Its a lovely way to spend a lazy Sunday arvo.
And does anybody who came here through today's www.crikey.com.au email newsletter actually listen to podcasts?
Any good non ABC, newsy podcasts out there?
By the way, Crikey readers may find my articles, here
and here
on Australian company Anvil's escapades in the Democratic Republic of Congo interesting.
I did listen to podcasts, when I had access to broadband and expendable hours. Casual work packing shelves at a supermarket gave me the opportunity to listen to:
ABC - Background Briefing, Media Report, Correspondents Report, Law Report and JJJ's Hack.
Other - NEWSWEEK On Air, On The Media (NPR).
I would listen to others but there's no way to really make time to listen to them outside of work where you don't have to think.
Free student dialup, capped at 150mb/mth puts an end to podcast listening, however.
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