2008 Woodie Awards
Podcasting reels in eager listeners
Crystal Newman
Issue date: 3/6/06 Section: Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
Podcasting is becoming one of the fastest advancements in technology since the Internet.
Podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files over the Internet using the Really Simple Syndication feed.
The word podcast came from the words broadcast and the Apple iPod, which was the most popular mp3 player in the early 1980s.
The concept of podcasting was introduced by Tristan Louis in October 2000. During that same month he shared his ideas with Dave Winer who authored the RSS format.
Winer discussed it with Adam Curry, a user of his software and former Music Television Video jockey.
Curry was one of the original celebrity Web bloggers. Several readers of his blog suggested he get audio blogging services. Winer's company incorporated the news feature in its blogging product Radio Userland, which is the program favored by Curry.
The news about podcasting spread fast. Doc Searls, a technology columnist for numerous publications, kept track of the number of hits Google was receiving for the word podcast. During a month, the number of hits went from 24 to well over 100,000.
Charles Cadenhead, professor in the Business Studies Division at Brookhaven College, is an avid fan of podcasting. He purchased his first Apple iPod in 2004 and started using podcasting shortly after that.
"Podcasting is just like broadcast radio except I can pause, rewind and listen when it's convenient for me," Cadenhead said.
Cadenhead subcribes to several podcasts and produces his own show called Mostly News.
The Web site, mostlynew.net, is a weekly 20 minute news program that gives Cadenhead's commentary of current events. He also gives weather updates for locations across the United States for his 200 subscribers. Cadenhead ends each broadcast with a song.
"Podcasting is so easy," Cadenhead said. "All I need is an mp3 player, a microphone and computer."
There are thousands of podcasts in cyberspace. One can find anything from someone talking about the latest American Idol show to a husband and wife team talking about their day.
To subscribe to a podcast, one would need to go to a Web site like www.podcastpickle.com. Podcast Pickle is a directory of many podcasts. If you have an Apple iPod and currently subscribe to iTunes, the podcast software is free. However, an iPod or mp3 player is not needed to listen to a podcast. All of the files are in the format of an mp3 player and can be played on a computer.
Broadcast radio stations are also taking advantage of podcasting. Stations like KRLD News/Talk 1080, has a link on their Web site for podcast users. Satelite radio companies like Sirrus are also broadcasting podcasts.
Cadehead said: "Podcasting will be like the Internet was in the early stages. Soon everyone will catch on and it will be a phenomenon. During the election of 2004, Web logs were popular. I predict that during the 2008 election, podcasting will be the way to communicate to the masses."
Podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files over the Internet using the Really Simple Syndication feed.
The word podcast came from the words broadcast and the Apple iPod, which was the most popular mp3 player in the early 1980s.
The concept of podcasting was introduced by Tristan Louis in October 2000. During that same month he shared his ideas with Dave Winer who authored the RSS format.
Winer discussed it with Adam Curry, a user of his software and former Music Television Video jockey.
Curry was one of the original celebrity Web bloggers. Several readers of his blog suggested he get audio blogging services. Winer's company incorporated the news feature in its blogging product Radio Userland, which is the program favored by Curry.
The news about podcasting spread fast. Doc Searls, a technology columnist for numerous publications, kept track of the number of hits Google was receiving for the word podcast. During a month, the number of hits went from 24 to well over 100,000.
Charles Cadenhead, professor in the Business Studies Division at Brookhaven College, is an avid fan of podcasting. He purchased his first Apple iPod in 2004 and started using podcasting shortly after that.
"Podcasting is just like broadcast radio except I can pause, rewind and listen when it's convenient for me," Cadenhead said.
Cadenhead subcribes to several podcasts and produces his own show called Mostly News.
The Web site, mostlynew.net, is a weekly 20 minute news program that gives Cadenhead's commentary of current events. He also gives weather updates for locations across the United States for his 200 subscribers. Cadenhead ends each broadcast with a song.
"Podcasting is so easy," Cadenhead said. "All I need is an mp3 player, a microphone and computer."
There are thousands of podcasts in cyberspace. One can find anything from someone talking about the latest American Idol show to a husband and wife team talking about their day.
To subscribe to a podcast, one would need to go to a Web site like www.podcastpickle.com. Podcast Pickle is a directory of many podcasts. If you have an Apple iPod and currently subscribe to iTunes, the podcast software is free. However, an iPod or mp3 player is not needed to listen to a podcast. All of the files are in the format of an mp3 player and can be played on a computer.
Broadcast radio stations are also taking advantage of podcasting. Stations like KRLD News/Talk 1080, has a link on their Web site for podcast users. Satelite radio companies like Sirrus are also broadcasting podcasts.
Cadehead said: "Podcasting will be like the Internet was in the early stages. Soon everyone will catch on and it will be a phenomenon. During the election of 2004, Web logs were popular. I predict that during the 2008 election, podcasting will be the way to communicate to the masses."
