While my day job is to create audio and video podcasts for a science organization, I am an avid listener of a variety of different shows. I thought I would take the time to turn some people on to some of my consistent favorites that are not work-related for me:
Hosted by Leo Laporte, this insider's tech podcast brings in a consistent cadre of tech pundits each week, including folks like John C. Dvorak, Natali Del Conte, Becky Worley, Tom Merritt, Jason Calicanis, Brian Brushwood, Baratunde Thurston, and more. Not only do they cover the week's tech news, but they often veer off topic and that's when I think they are at their best. Published on Sunday evening this is the show I listen to to start off my week.
Hosted by Bob Garfiend and Brook Gladstone, this weekly NPR show explores how the media covers popular news stories. What's interesting about their production is that they interview the journalists behind the stories, giving you a unique perspective into why they chose to highlight certain aspects of a story. Most recently they have been focusing on the state of old media verse new media, technology issues and subjects related to the craft of journalism. But don't let this brief description mislead you, often they cover wide variety of political and policy related stories. This a must listen show for those in communications, public relations, journalism and the news industry.
This is a weekly video show produced by Al Jazeera English whose focus is on international news and how the media from different countries often present opposing sides of a story. Hosted by Richard Ginzberg, viewers get a broad look at news that is often not covered in US outlets. What's interesting to me is how they incorporate a wide range of viewer comments and perspectives via webcams. If you are accustomed to watching our regular cable and network news programs from CNN, Fox, NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNBC, etc., you should find this take on reporting refreshing.
This daily CNET production is presented by Natali Del Conte. In five minutes or less Del Conte covers the tech news headlines of the day and often ads her own brief and light commentary. This well produced show helps fill my tech void during the week while I wait for the next episode of This Week in Tech.
Brian Parrish brings the rocking-est sounds of garage, surf, indie, blues, soul and shoegaze music on a weekly basis. A lot of what he plays is vintage but he occasionally throws in some fresh tracks from emerging artists around the world. Broadcasting live every Saturday night from KSYM 90.1 in San Antonio, Texas, this show is not to be missed if you like this style of music. To say this podcast is cool is an understatement. Outside of Blip.fm, this is the place I discover a lot of great music.
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and is a nonprofit organization that hosts conferences that bring together some of the world's most thought provoking people from a diverse variety of fields and backgrounds. The video and/or audio podcast versions present some of the conference's most stand-out presentations. And, what's great about them is that you almost never know what you are going to get. But you can be assured that whatever it is it is top notch content. This is where I turn to learn about new ideas and innovative concepts.
Presented by TimesOnline (UK), The Daily Show with Jon Stewart correspondent/writer John Oliver and comedian Andy Zaltzman deliver a clever and delightfully witty take on the world's breaking news stories each week. If you are a fan of The Daily Show you often get interesting anecdotes from what happens behind the scenes at Comedy Central's hit faux news show and Zaltzman, who majored in classical studies at University College, Oxford, brings an amusing historical perspective to current events. One of the best features of the show is when they invite The American on, played by The Daily Show producer and comedian Rory Albanese. Albanese portrays just about every stereotype one can imagine citizens of the United States have been guilty of at one time or another. If you are a fan of intelligent comedy this is a podcast not to be missed.
