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Podcasting is broadcasting programs online via RSS feeds to be played on iPods or MP3 players. Anyone can produce their own shows, and major networks and radio shows have made material available. Podcasting circumvents broadcasting regulations and allows for personal on-demand listening. Apple incorporated podcasting into iTunes in 2005. Some blogs are also available as podcasts, and religious and liberal podcasts are popular.
Podcasting refers to the broadcasting of programs made available online via a subscription feed as RSS (Rich Site Summary), to be played on iPods or MP3 players. Subscribers can also listen to podcasts on their own computers, rather than transferring them to a portable audio player. Later versions of podcasting will incorporate the video signal. Video-capable cell phones will be able to receive and play video podcasts.
Podcasting is the brainchild of former MTV vee-jay Adam Curry. It has gained broad appeal since late 2004, with major networks and radio shows making material available for podcast enthusiasts. USA Today reported in February 2005 that over 3,300 podcast programs were available, just months after it began.
One of the most creative aspects of podcasting is that it allows people to produce their own shows at home. Anyone with the right software and a microphone can start broadcasting podcasts, reaching a worldwide audience. This opens the door for those who cannot afford to pay high fees to public broadcasting systems to broadcast their programmes. Podcasts also circumvent the broadcasting regulations that bind traditional radio and television; perhaps most evident in “podnography,” the podcast version of pornography.
The most popular podcast of February 2005, according to one site, was The Dawn and Drew Show, an updated “George Burns and Gracie Allen” show featuring jokes about the married couple. On the radio scene, Seattle’s KOMO station, Los Angeles’ KFI, and Boston’s WBGH were among the first to provide podcasts. The CBS network was also early to launch its line in the new arena. Podcast shows also come out of Australia, Canada and the UK.
Although podcasting is a term that combines the word broadcast with Apple’s iPod, any device or system that plays MP3 files will do. For this reason, there have been suggestions to change the pod in podcasting to an acronym that means “Personal On-Demand”. Beginning in June 2005, Apple incorporated podcasting into its iTunes interface, capitalizing on the association and growing popularity.
Some blogging sites have started making their blogs available as podcasts, called blogcasting. Religious and liberal podcasts are also popular. For more information and an up-to-date directory of podcasts, check out Adam Curry’s Indiepodder.org. Please note that some podcasts are not suitable for children.
