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Thursday, March 10, 2016

Do You Listen . . .

To podcasts?

Podcasts are like old-time radio story telling in the digital age. Formats include talk shows, call-in sports shows, audiobooks, poetry, music DJs, news, short stories, commentaries, and more. Podcasts differ from radio as a podcast is a series of audio or video files available on the Internet.

The word, podcast, is a portmanteau of the words iPod and and broadcast. (A portmanteau word is a linguistic blend of words in which parts of multiple words, or their sounds, and meanings are combined into a new word. 

You can listen to a podcast over wi-fi  on your computer, tablet, smartphone, iPod, or MP3 player or download it; then it becomes an MP3 file.

Podcasts offer variety and are not restricted by the FCC or "traditional" broadcast regulations. Anyone can create a podcast and share it. Podcasts offer listeners an escape from broadcast radio and commercials, although some do have commercials. There's thousands of podcasts and that number is rapidly expanding.

Video podcasts are called video casts, vidcasts or podcasts and combine the audio portion of podcasting with visual media providing a variety of video podcasters — filmmakers, artists, and vloggers (video bloggers).


In late 2014, podcasting reached a milestone when the Serial podcast investigated the 1999 murder of a Maryland high school student attracting millions of listeners, including myself.

In the past few weeks, here's some podcasts I've binged on . . .

Snap Judgment hosted by Glynn Washington mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. It's often raw, musical brand of storytelling invites listeners to explore the world through the words of others.  It’s similar to the popular  This American Life podcast, but much edgier

Stories are only half of Snap Judgment which bills itself as “stories with a beat." It lives up to that tagline by infusing episodes with music that forms, in its host's words, “a bed to the story, that really brings out whatever the story is trying to evoke.”


Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is NPR's weekly hour-long quiz program. Each week you can test your knowledge against some panelists from the news and entertainment world while figuring out what's real news and what's not. 

The show is hosted by playwright and actor Peter Sagal and is usually recorded before a live audience at Chicago's Chase Auditorium. Listeners telephone or send e-mails to nominate themselves as contestants playing various games featuring questions based on the week's news.

Here's the Thing is a public radio show and podcast interview series hosted by actor Alec Baldwin. It features interviews with those in the public eye including artists, policy makers and performers. Baldwin talks with artists, politicians and entertainers to hear their stories, learn what inspires them, what decisions changed their careers. Interviews vary from 20 minutes to an hour or more.

I'm always looking for new podcasts and in recent weeks have listened to episodes of these podcasts: A Prairie Home Companion, Car TalkStuff You Should Know, The Dinner Party Download, The Moth, Selected Shorts, Pop Culture Happy Hour, This American Life, Fresh Air, The Pixar Podcast

Do you listen — if you do, which ones do you enjoy?

8 comments:

Country Gal said...

Some times Papa like to listen to the old radio show of The Shadow and we listen to stories some times , they can be very relaxing , Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

William Kendall said...

I've listened to the odd one, yes.

MadSnapper said...

I have only listened to pod cast when searching for a new church, as in go to the church website and listen to the pastor sermons to get a feel for the church.

Emma Springfield said...

My internet reception is not strong enough to allow me to listen to the podcasts. I would upgrade but this is all that is available where I live. My son is able to download them somehow and then listen to them. I don't have the same things on my computer he has because they cost extra money. I know that he enjoys then a lot.

DeniseinVA said...

I have heard of them but never listened. Sounds very interesting.

Anvilcloud said...

Sue listens to podcasts more than I, and I have heard her mention some of these. I will forward this link to her because there may be some that are new to her.

Connie said...

I've never listened to them, but I've heard lots of good things about them.

NCmountainwoman said...

Yes, I do listen to several of the Podcasts you mention. In addition I am seriously addicted to "Serial" which is now running the second season. I didn't think I would care for this season since it's about Bowe Bergdahl. But I do love Sarah Koenig and I'm finding this season fascinating even if it isn't changing my mind about Bergdahl. I also enjoy Michael Feldman's "Whad'Ya Know?" I listen to "Invisibilia" when it's on and love "Ask Me Another."

Podcasts are better than audible books for trips because they tend to be shorter and easy to listen to while driving.