The addition of wifi sync between iTunes & iPhones in iOS 5 (currently in beta) has has enabled me to listen to podcasts on a regular basis again. Previously you only got new episodes on your phone after plugging your phone in, going through the hassle of backing up the whole thing and then it put on new music & podcast episodes. Under the latest versions of the software, you put your phone down overnight and, so long as your laptop is powered up and on the same network, you leave in the morning knowing the whole thing has backed up and synced. (I like to imagine within a couple of years we’ll look back and laugh at the fact we ever had to plug in iPhones to get our content on to them.)
We launched a Couch to 5K podcast at work a couple of months ago, and I had a little part to play in it (basically, I set up the RSS feed – I did say it was a small part!) which has remained at the top of the iTunes podcast directories health category and is soon to break past a million downloads which I think is pretty amazing. You have to take into account the fact the program is split over 9 weeks and consists of 12 mp3s (most weeks repeat the same run 3 times, but in two you get a bit of variety); but then consider that iTunes only automatically downloads one episode, and the rest have to be manually selected which means people are actively choosing to continue with the program after the first week (or there are a million people who have only done the first week, then given up…). We run a forum for people to discuss their progress, and are looking to put a bit more work into a formal twitter presence too.
A few of the podcasts I’m (once again) listening to…
Guardian Media Talk
Radio 4 media show
I’m not quite a media geek, though I do have a keen interest. I’m a big fan of the Guardian podcasts on general; most have some things I have issues with, but Media Talk is one I listen to as soon as it becomes available. Radio 4 does a similar, though slightly more stuffy, weekly show which is also availble to download. Focusing on the UK media industry, they both tend to cover similar content – this week both had special episodes dedicated to the News of the World scandal.
BBC Health Check
This is a weekly show from the BBC World Service and looks at health development and initiatives around the world. I’m not sure where it’s broadcast or exactly who the audience is, but it is very easy to listen to and understandable – a similar tone to that which is used on NHS Choices’ popular Behind the Headlines section.
Feast of Fun
This is undoubtedly the best gay orientated talk show available. Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion, a couple from Chicago, produce the show daily. They cover all sorts of topics, from interving stars to covering political scandals – recently an investigation and interview they aired led to the resignation of the President of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. One of my worries for the proposed SSG podcast is that it won’t be anything as entertaining as this.
Wired.co.uk podcast
This got off to a shaky start, the first few episodes were really terrible quality, but I stuck with it and, thankfully, so did they; the quality improved a lot and now it sounds as good as you’d expect from such a well presented magazine. They cover the weeks top tech stories in a friendly and informative manner. Like the Guardian podcasts, it’s a bit like listening in on a conversation between a group of friends rather than a BBC podcast which sounds, of course, like you’re listening to a BBC radio show (which, in most cases, you are).
Off the Wall Post
This is one I started listening to fairly recently after a recommendation on Roo Reynold‘s blog. It’s a group of people (two guys, one girl) talking about… well, a lot, but mostly digital media stuff. I’ve not listened long enough to quite consider it like listening to friends, but it’s quickly starting to feel that way.
The Best of Chris Moyles
There, I’ve admitted it. I’m a fan of Chris Moyles. I don’t listen very often in the morning, as I’ve tended to be getting up and either running or working earlier than I used to. For a while I tried listening to this podcast while jogging but I found myself having to stop so that I could laugh out loud too often, so now I listen on the walk to work – though I still have the issue of bursting out laughing while walking through the City.
Filed under: New media, NHS, BBC, Guardian, Health Check, Media Show, Media Talk, Podcast, Radio 4
