The Rise of Podcasting

I see a trend happening here, (man, is my finger on the pulse of the industry...) and if you’ve been following my last few blogs you’ll see it too. The rise of Podcasting (or at least the rise of Podcasting within traditional radio programming)! Let’s hope it doesn’t turn into this generation’s CB radio, (am I dating myself here…?). Today’s Podcasting news is that Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (SIRI) will be launching a daily four hour Podcast show starting on May 13th on Sirius channel 148, a talk-radio station that does carry commercials, unlike Sirius' other all-music channels. The show will feature MTV personality Adam Curry. In a written statement Sirius said that their show will, "feature highlights and insights from the world of Podcasting and showcase new talent and artists from around the world, including new music". One more nail in the Clear Channel coffin? (See my last blog for the Clear Channel rant.) The Podcasts will be selected from submissions to the website Podshow.com, a company run by Curry. Podshow.com is aimed at "promoting Podcasting to listeners, Podcast producers and advertisers wishing to reach Podcast audiences". A subscription to Sirius (and XM Satellite Radio) costs $12.95 per month. The radio industry has recently been suffering from sluggish revenues due to decreasing advertising dollars. Clear Channel is also rumored to be jumping on the Podcasting bandwagon, but in the other direction – making Podcasts of their radio shows available online. Where do I sign up?