Podcast.com News

In the ongoing story of interesting groups using podcasting in interesting ways, the Hampshire Constabulary is now pumping out podcasts about fighting crime in Hampshire (UK).  For some reason the Hampshire police call their podcasts ‘plodcasts‘, perhaps because of a cultural reference that UK residents would understand. Here’s what to expect:

“In this first Plodcast, Ian Sainsbury finds out about the new SmartWater Zone that has just been set up in Portsmouth to crackdown on burglaries in the city. SmartWater is a special water with almost DNA like properties which makes anything marked with it easy to trace and it’s almost impossible to get off.”

Get the podcast here.

If you do, you have your chance — the New York Times is looking for some people to record audio at the various political primaries around the United States on “Super Tuesday”, when citizens in many states around the country will be voting for who could become the next American president.  If you live in or around one of the following states — or are interested in traveling for this opportunity — check this link for more information:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California (Northern & Southern)
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Massachusets
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
North Dakota
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Utah

April.  It’s one of the most nerve-wracking months of the year for many Americans.  It’s when good citizens submit their tax returns to the government and hope (pray) they got some money back — or don’t have to pay too much.  (I’m getting this shivers just thinking about it.)  To alleviate your pain, your good friends (really?) at the IRS put together a podcast that details how to make sense of it all, whether you’re filing your taxes as an individual, business, student, etc.  You can subscribe here.

The CBC, Canada’s official public broadcaster, puts out high quality audio programming about and for its home country much like the BBC and NPR do for the UK and U.S., respectively.  For pure listener satisfaction, the CBC takes it one step further by accepting requests from its listener line for the Listener’s Choice podcast.  The idea is simple: each podcast starts out with listener requesting to hear a particular CBC story, and the host comes on and plays that story.  Giving the people what they want, when they want it … sounds a lot like podcasting in general, doesn’t it?  Subscribe here.

We won’t be there, but we feel the need to promote this annual upcoming symposium that’s all about podcasting.  Check the Macworld site for more info or just digest this here press release:

The world’s leading experts on podcast production and promotion will be featured at the MacWorld Podcasting and Rich Media Symposium, on Friday, January 18th, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, at MacWorld Expo, Moscone Center (Conference Wing), in San Francisco, CA.

The MacWorld Podcasting and Rich Media Symposium will include how to create a great podcast, build an audience and monetize your efforts. The course will also cover the essentials of everything from planning your show content to growing it into a media property.

“We’re going to share how to move from producing shows you love to do, to shows people love to hear,” said Scott Bourne, host of The Apple Phone Show (http://applephoneshow.com). “Whether you’re new to podcasting or a seasoned veteran looking to catch up on the latest and network with colleagues, this symposium has lots to offer.”

Session speakers include podcasting and new media experts Leo Laporte, host of This Week in Tech; Richard Burns and Dusty Wright from CultureCatch; Paul Vogelzang, producer of MommyCast and Friends, and Lee Gibbons, CEO of Podango.

The Symposium Schedule is as follows:

Pre-Production (9:00 am - 10:30 am)

9:00 * Craig Syverson, Grunt Media — Podcasting Overview — Know the Basics Before Building Your Show

9:30 * Scott Bourne, The Apple Phone Show — Podcaster’s Checklist, Building A Show Clock

10:00 * MommyCast — Building a Successful Podcast from the Ground Up

10:30 * Lee Gibbons, CEO of Podango, Considerations and Options in Choosing a Hosting Platform

Keynote (11:00 am)

11:00 Leo Laporte — Keynote — “The State of Podcasting and New Media Today”

Producing Your Podcast (11:30 am - 1:30 pm)

11:30 * Alex Lindsay, Mac Break Weekly — Video Podcasting Secrets, Tips, and Tricks

12:00 * Richard Burns & Dusty Wright, CultureCatch — Video Production Essentials

12:30 * Scott Bourne, The Apple Phone Show — Selecting The Right Production Gear

1:00 * Don McAllister, Screencasting

Publishing & Promoting Your Podcast (1:30 pm - 4:00 pm)

1:30 * Liana Lehua — Going Beyond iTunes and Promoting Your Podcast on Blogs and Social Networks

2:00 * Paul Vogelzang, MommyCast/Porter-Novelli — Using Viral Distribution Techniques to Get Heard

2:30 * Richard Harrington, RHED Pixel — Creating an Appealing Brand Identity for Your Podcast

3:00 * Tim Street, French Maid TV — Marketing Your Podcast

3:30 * Neil Vineberg, Vineberg Communications — How to Spread the Word About Your Podcast

Super Serving Sponsors (and making money) with Your Podcast (4:00 pm - 5:00 pm)

4:00 * Panel discussion — Ad Networks vs. Sponsorships:

- Lee Gibbons, Co-Founder/CEO, Podango (Moderator)

- Jonathan Cobb, Founder/CEO, Kiptronic

- Doug Smith, Co-Founder/President, Podango

- Mark McCrery, Co-Founder/CEO, Podtrac

4:30 * Richard Harrington, RHED Pixel — Selling Podcasting and New Media as a Service,

5:00     * Conclusion

MacWorld and Symposium conference passes are available online at http://macworldexpo.com

For more information on the Podcast and Rich Media Symposium, visit: http://www.macworldexpo.com/symposiums

It may be hard to believe (wink wink), but more people are using the Internet and cellphones to get their entertainment, no longer satisfied to sit in front of the television and to let the TV networks decide what should be watched. Crain’s, a New York research company, said that as of December 2007, the major TV networks’ prime-time ratings in the key 18- to 49-year-old age category were all down: at NBC by 11%, at CBS by 10% and at ABC by 5%.

So where are the 18- to -49-year-olds going? I think you already know. Instead of watching television and listening to the radio, Deloitte & Touche reports:

• 38% of Americans are watching TV shows online.
• 36% use their cell phones for entertainment.

Not only that, but everyday people are creating entertainment, including podcasts, for everyone else to watch and listen to:

• 54% of those surveyed said they are creating their own entertainment content by editing photos, videos or music.
• 45% are making the content for others to see.
• 32% think of themselves as “broadcasters’ of their own media.

Your TV shows are on the Internet, your movies are on the Internet, your music and radio is on the Internet … I think there’s a trend here. The world is changing, and we’re all changing with it — that’s why you’re here at Podcast.com. Hooray for us in ‘08!

The first presidential primary in the United States is today, and what better time to announce a new video podcast by veteran videoblogger Steve Garfield and friend Phil Johnson (who would be writing for Letterman if he wasn’t on strike) called Cup O’ Politics, which puts the spotlight on the funny in the big political game.  Make your vote count and cure the ‘too many candidates blues’ by watching this podcast.

It’s our annual Top 10 Podcasts of the Year list, and by ‘our’ we mean ‘your’, because you selected these ten podcasts by listening to and watching them more than any other podcasts available through Podcast.com. All in all, you listened to and watched podcasts through Podcast.com over one million times in 2007. From that cool million, we present you with this page with our ten most popular podcasts (or listen to them all in one place here — no video podcasts made our top ten, surprisingly).

Not many parades are almost universally recognized around the United States, yet even those who aren’t fans of college football are very likely to have at least caught a glimpse of the annual Rose Parade that accompanies the Rose Bowl Game.  Yesterday’s 119th Rose Parade featured 46 brightly colored and intricately designed floats, and in honor of all that hard work the Tournament of Roses crew created an audio tour and slideshow for your portable media player that details each of the floats in the parade and how they were made, accompanied by photos.  Download this podcast and relive the parade magic, at least to tide yourself over until next year.