Review: News podcasts

If you’re anything like me, as the amount of content you download increases, the amount of content you watch on traditional media like TV and radio decreases. For the most part, this is a good thing; you’re no longer tied to a rigid TV schedule, and you no longer have to sit through huge amounts of commercials or songs you’re not interested in. The downside to this lifestyle, though, is that you can very quickly become out of touch with the world around you.

When watching TV or listening to the radio, you are constantly reminded of the latest news headlines. However, with on demand content like podcasts and TV downloads through iTunes or hulu or other sources you must take deliverate steps to expose yourself to world news. With this in mind, today I’m going to present a few news programmes you can subscribe to in order to keep up with what’s going on.

BBC Global News

If you only want to subscribe to one news podcast, this would be a good choice. Compiling news and interviews from Newshour, The World Today and World Briefing, Global News provides a half-hour roundup of the most important global news twice a day.

Subscribe to Global News: Website | iTunes | RSS

Guardian Daily / Guardian Weekly

The Guardian’s podcasts provide a summary of the biggest headlines. The podcast comes in two flavours: Guardian Daily, a 30-minute version delivered every weekday; and Guardian Weekly, also 30 minutes long, but released once a week and features only the biggest stories and interviews.

Subscribe to Guardian Weekly: Website | iTunes | RSS

Subscribe to Guardian Daily: Website | iTunes | RSS

National Nine News

Nine is an Australian commerical TV network, and they offer a video podcast version of their programme each weekday. The good news is this is a full version of the National Nine News bulletin. The bad news is this is the full version of the National Nine News bulletin. Nine news certianly hasn’t fallen to the depths of Fox News, but they’re abseiling down pretty fast.

Actually, I’m being a little harsh here, because the truth is Nine’s podcast is actually much better than the TV version. The podcast version is only around 10 minutes long, which means they’ve stipped out a lot of the fluff stories that make the regular programme so cringeworthy.

Subscribe to National Nine News: Website | iTunes | RSS

Fox News

Don’t ever let me catch you downloading any Fox News podcast.

Subscribe to Fox News: Over my dead body.

Hear the audio version of this article in Episode 11 of Podwatch: iTunes | RSS | Direct download

Podwatch #10

• Review: The Tech Guy (technology; talkback)

Download Podwatch episode 10

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Review: The Tech Guy

Anyone who follows tech news will know of Leo Lapotre. From ZDTV to Tech TV to Radio and now to podcasting, Leo is one of the most loved tech broadcasters in the world. Leo is largely responsible for the growth of podcasting in its early days, so it seems fitting that the first of his many podcasts I review is The Tech Guy, seeing as this was available as a downloadable audio file long before podcasting as we know it existed.

The show runs for around 2 hours twice a week and follows a simple format whereby listeners can call up Leo and ask him a tech related question. These questions range dramatically, from super-geeky questions about network setups or bleeding edge gadgets, to grandmas asking how to transfer their VHS tapes to DVD. This range gives the show variety and means both geeks and non-geeks alike will get something out of it. Certainly, you need to be interested in technology to enjoy it, but you don’t need to know anything about technology to find this podcast useful.

Also, if you are tech-savvy, there is a perverse pleasure in listening to clueless n00b callers ;)

The Tech Guy’s biggest problem is the audio quality, which suffers from echo whenever Leo talks with callers on the line, and the release schedule, which is sporadic at best. Still, this is an excellent show and one that those wanting to learn more about technology should all listen to.

Website | RSS | iTunes

Ratings for The Tech Guy

8/10	Entertainment value Sometimes slow moving, but generally entertaining and full of useful information for all experience levels.
10/10	Quality of content Leo’s advice is always spot-on, and he does a great job at delivering the latest in tech news in an accessible way. The show also features regular 10 minute guests who cover photography tips, security news, and home theatre tips.
7.5/10	Production quality A radio show, so well produced, though the bumper music between segments goes for a long time. You almost wish there were commercials so you had something more interesting to listen to. Also, there is noticeable echo whenever Leo talks to a caller, which is very distracting. The problem has been acknowledged and is an unavoidable issue because of the way the system is set up, but it is nevertheless an annoying issue.
8/10	Overall I feel the geeky and the non-geeky alike will get a lot out of this programme, but it is a big time investment, so you do need to be interested.

The Real Reason Why People Continue to Pirate Music

I’ll start by stating the obvious: downloading music illegally is cheaper and easier than the alternative. The question, though, is why do people continue to pirate even with the scare campaigns and tougher laws? It happens that on a recent Hamish And Andy podcast, one of the main reasons for why people don’t care about music piracy came painfully clear to me.

Early in the podcast titled “Best of Friday 4th April”, Hamish and Andy interviewed Australian popstar Vanessa Amorosi about her new album. As a bit of fun, the pair played a game with Amorosi whereby they would build “the perfect man” by using components of various well known male identities such as Robin Williams and Jack Black. Mildly amusing, the segment continued, this time the category was personality, for which Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was chosen. Following is a transcript, or MP3 File if you’d prefer:

Hamish: What have we got next, Ando?
Andy: OK, we’ve got ‘Personality of…’
…
Hamish: Hmm, personality of Kevin Rudd. So, whilst he’s very cut, very sensible to you on the phone while you’re on tour…
Amorosi: Kevin Rudd? Sorry, explain.
Hamish & Andy: The Prime Minster.
Amorosi: Oh, my god! The guy with the glasses! Why did I think he was a football player for a second?

Download MP3 File (0:49, 384kb)

Now, I’m sure there are quite a few people overseas who don’t know the Australian Prime Mister’s name, but if you don’t know the leader of the country you are living in, there is something seriously wrong.

So what does this have to do with music piracy? The fact is people don’t care about pirating music because they don’t care about the artist. You are more inclined to spend money on an artist that you know writes their own lyrics and plays their own music because you want to support them — you want the music you love to keep coming. The problem with artists like Amorosi, however, is that she has little talent herself, and its comments like this that prove if it weren’t for the record label pumping money into her marketing and writing her songs and her music, she would not have made it to be the celebrity she is today.

I’m not trying to sound self-righteous, or begin a support-indie-music rant — anyone who knows me will know that I have followed some pretty tragic pop artists in my time — I simply wanted to take this chance to articulate the root of people’s flippant attitude towards piracy. Perhaps if record companies spent time finding real artists with real talent, consumers would respect them more, and feel a stronger compulsion to invest in their success.

Hear the audio version of this article in Episode 11 of Podwatch: iTunes | RSS | Direct download

Podwatch #9

• Review: Break A Leg (video; comedy)

I’ve been thinking a bit about the format of Podwatch, and have decided it would be best to release these as one review per episode. That way, you don’t have do download a review about something you’re not interested in, and I can release multiple episodes a week to spread them out. Leave a comment if you hate the idea, or if you agree or disagree with my review of Break A Leg. 

Download Podwatch episode 9

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Review: Break A Leg

Break a Leg is the first half-hour sitcom to be produced independently and released on the Internet for free, entirely without studio support. This on its own is an impressive feat, and makes me want to give the show 10/10 purely as a way of expressing appreciation and encouraging more of this kind of thing in the future. The truth is though, Break A Leg is not without its issues, and while the potential is enormous, the entertainment value is not quite there for me.

The show centres around David Penn, a mild mannered writer who is working on the sitcom Groommates — a show about three ex-grooms living with two ex-wives. The problem is the cast aren’t getting paid properly and the crew are all insane, leaving David to desperately try and keep control of the production. An interesting twist, however, is that you are told from the beginning that David is going to die at the end of the season, you just don’t know exactly how.

The show is very much in the style of the programme Arrested Development — a personal favourite of mine — and the production values are incredibly high considering their budget. There are many audio and video continuity issues, but overall Break a Leg stands up visually against many network TV sitcoms. A lot of time has clearly been spent getting the video right, but I have to wonder if the same amount of meticulousness was given to the script. The jokes often feel forced and fall flat, or they simply get in the way of the story’s progress. To me, it feels like the scripts could have gone through a few more rewrites to get the pacing correct.

Characters such as David and Jennifer are always fun to watch, but most of the other characters feel underdeveloped, making it difficult to differentiate between one or another in terms of personality.

Break A Leg is hopefully a sign of things to come, and I am really excited to see what the crew produce next, but I simply didn’t find it consistently entertaining.

Website | RSS | iTunes

Ratings for Break A Leg

6/10	Entertainment value Every episode has its moments, but I didn’t find it consistently entertaining.
6.5/10	Quality of content The plot is original and intriguing, however the scripts need a few more rewrites and the characters are underdeveloped.
8/10	Production quality Every episode is not without its continuity errors, but overall the show can stand up against network TV.
6.5/10	Overall Judging by the website and iTunes comments Break A Leg has a dedicated fanbase, so perhaps it’s just me that didn’t find the show consistently funny. I highly recommend downloading at least the first episode to see what you think.

Podwatch #8

- Review: Vital Signs
- Review: Litopia
- News: If you enjoy Science On Mornings, which I received a couple of weeks ago, there is a UK version called Science With Dr Karl from the UK.

As always, if you agree or disagree with any of my reviews, please leave a comment or email me at podwatchpodcast@gmail.com.

Download Podwatch episode 8

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Review: Litopia

Litopia is a weekly (sometimes twice weekly) podcast aimed at writers, or those interested in the industry and culture of book publishing. Hosted by literary agent Peter Cox, the podcast rolls 3 shows into one: The Litopia Podcast, Litopia Storytime, and Litopia After Dark. Most people are likely to want all three of these in one, but it would be nice to have these available as 3 separate feeds.

The Litopia Podcast is a magazine-format show featuring interviews, news and discussion about the industry. Litopia After Dark is a panel discussion show covering the latest in writing and publishing news and culture. Both of these shows are fascinating, even if you’re not a writer, and the panelists are always knowledgeable and enjoyable to listen to.

The third subset of Litopia, Litopia Storytime, is described at showcasing fiction submitted by listeners to be read out on air. This sounds great, however there aren’t any available in the feed so I have yet to listen to an episode. The Storytime rules state that only stories that have been submitted in the competitions held by Litopia will be accepted. This, I feel, is restricting the potential of this podcast, and is perhaps the reason why they are so few and far between. I would like to see Storytime be opened up to any writer with a good story that is willing to have it read on the air.

You could be forgiven for thinking a podcast hosted by literati would be stuffy and outdated, but that does not begin to describe those involved in Liopia. Rather, the show is accessible to any reader or writer with an interest in the area, and the discussions are interesting, entertaining and contemporary. When I speak passionately to someone about how great podcasts are, Litopia is precisely the sort of thing I would use as an example. The subject matter is too narrow for most TV or radio, but for their target audience this podcast will be a godsend.

Website | RSS | iTunes

Ratings for Litopia

9.5/10	Entertainment value Occasionally an episode can drag on a little, but most of the time the discussions are so deep and engrossing you won’t notice.
9/10	Quality of content The shows are very well researched and cover all aspects of modern publishing, though so far they don’t appear to be delivering on the promise of Litopia Storytime.
10/10	Production quality Fantastic quality with a great structure, similar to This Week In Tech and the like.
9.5/10	Overall If you are a writer, or simply someone interested in literary culture, Liopia should be a permanent subscription in your podcatcher. Cox is likable and does a great job at covering all the news you will need to stay in the know.

Review: Vital Signs

Vital Signs is a 10-minute weekly audio version of Discover Magazine’s regular article. Each episode a true story is told involving a medical mystery of some kind, written in the first person by the doctor. A great concept, and a good listen, though it isn’t quite as fascinating as it sounds.

Some of the “medical mysteries” are more engrossing than others, but generally the episodes are at the very least interesting. Sometimes, though, the language becomes too technical, making it very difficult to follow without a medical degree.

Perhaps the biggest issue with Vital Signs is the narrator, whose reading skills significantly reduce the impact of the story being told. ANyone who listens to audiobooks knows how important a good reader is, and one that presents stories in a monotone way, or is simply a bad actor, can ruin an otherwise engrossing novel.

Overall Vital Signs is a good podcast, and one that many will enjoy — particularly those in the medical field.

Website | RSS | iTunes

Ratings for Vital Signs

6.5/10	Entertainment value Some stories are better than others, but they’re usually at least interesting.
9/10	Quality of content The stories are written by doctors, so the content is always of good quality, though sometimes too good with an exorbitant amount of medical jargon.
7/10	Production quality Excellent audio quality, but the narrator’s robotic reading of the stories reduces their impact.
7/10	Overall If you’re in the medical field, this is a must-listen; if you’re not, you may or may not find this podcast consistently enjoyable. At 10 minutes each, it’s definitely worth a try.

Podwatch #7

- Review: Hamish and Andy (comedy)

Sorry for the short one this week. Let this be a lesson to you kids — never get a job! ;)If you agree or disagree with any of my reviews, please leave a comment or email me at podwatchpodcast@gmail.com.

Download Podwatch #7
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