Saturday, August 13, 2011

Numbers Matter....

AllTheDIYMediaBarons
ThatFitVille


And, as BlueGal points out, her podcast with soon to be forever life partner Driftglass has been listened to by more people in the last two weeks than will vote in America's political proMedia wurlitzered 'event' of the moment - The Iowa Straw Poll.

Which, of course, is bizarre in the extreme, given how much corporate money will be raised to back those Republican horses that survive based on the result of all that the hay gazing out on the hustings.


You can listen to those podcasts, which are pure DIY of the finest progressive kind and require no sign-up/etc*, here.



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I archive BGal and Driftglass' pods by the month (they are also available from I-Tunes) and then load 'em, along with crazy stuff from the likes of TAL, SpinalTap'sBassPlayer, Jim&Greg, Mark Maron, SMHolman, and listen to them in the VW (notso)Microbus, which helps keeps me away from the wasteland that is Lotusland's terrestrial radioscape.

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4 comments:

Norm Farrell said...

Most people probably don't realize the huge wealth of information available by podcast, from individuals and organizations large and small. I spend loads of time with audio material that originates in Britain and the USA along with a bit of Canadian. I can play programs on the laptop, listen on the walkman or through the car's audio system.

Whether its politics, science, history, travel, medicine, food, culture or story time, one's listening pleasures and information gathering can be self-designed with little difficulty.

RossK said...

Thanks Norm--

Care to give us your top 5?

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Norm Farrell said...

The top one is a series that I've been collecting for a some years" Melvyn Bragg's "In Our Time." A BBC discussion program now off for summer, it has aired more than 500 episodes, each about 45 minutes. Every subject possible is covered but the emphasis is on history, science and culture. Three academics join cranky old Melvyn and great conversation often results.

There are regulars like Simon Schaffer, Cambridge professor on the history and philosophy of science. Schaffer is always worth listening to no matter what he talks about. Philosopher A.C. Grayling and Math Prof and science writer Ian Stewart are also frequent contributors but Bragg draws from a wide variety of interesting folk.

When it comes to comedy, the BBC's Friday night half hour that includes the long running "News Quiz" or "Now Show" are often brilliant. Anything with Mark Steel, Armando Iannucci, Bill Bailey, David Mitchell, Miles Jupp, Matt Lucas and David Walliams are worth my time. BBC also provides frequent opportunity to listen to the classics like Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.

The Guardian's 'Science Weekly' and BBC's 'Material World' are excellent half hour reports if you want to keep up with the search for the God Particle or other studies of the natural world and technology.

My favourite Canadian show is Terry O'Reilly's 'Age of Persuasion' on CBC, which is about advertising but really more about broad elements of human behaviour.

This American Life with Ira Glass is a Chicago based provider of stories that range from the serious to the hilarious. Nearly always entertaining and valuable.

I find Media Matters with Bob McChesney of the University of Illinois is the most consistently excellent exploration of political journalism.

As I've said before, there is good material out there for everyone.

RossK said...

Thanks Norm--

Two new ones in there for me.

I'll check them out.

A favourite of mine on This Am. Life is Starlee Kine.

Her story in this episode, and all it spawned, is priceless.

My kids like an other TALer, who is actually Canadian and now has his own show/pod with 'friends' on CBC Radio, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/wiretap/>Jonathan Goldstein.</a>

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