The group owner that everyone loves to hate (for good reason), Clear Channel Radio, said Thursday that it will make radio programming available through podcasts at 11 radio stations across the country.
Listeners will be able to download music, listen to their favorite radio personalities or hear political commentary through radio station Web sites. An Apple IPod device or MP3 player can store the files as PodCasts (WikiPedia).
As of Thursday, radio stations KKRZ-FM in Portland; KYSR-FM in Los Angeles; KRZR-FM in Fresno, Calif.; WAQX-FM and WKTU-FM in New York; KGB-FM, KIOZ-FM, KHTS-FM in San Diego; WLW-AM in Cincinnati; WDVE-FM in Pittsburgh; and WZZO-FM in Allentown, Pa., will make radio content available. Listeners will be able to download programming to their Apple IPods through station Web sites.
Listeners of “The Rod Ryan Show” weekday mornings can now watch the show on iSEEradio, the a newly created IP network designed to give radio listeners a first-hand look into the studio. The station is owned by San Antonio-based Clear Channel. iSEEradio was created by Houston-based Continental Vista who packages the system for broadcasters.
Two weeks ago, Clear Channel Radio’s WHTZ-FM Z100 in New York launched podcasts of its Z-Morning Zoo Phone Tap program, featuring interviews of musicians and celebrities. There are lots of streaming radio stations, of course. Even Indymedia Webcasts Radio.
Napster and Ericsson are partnering on a cellphone music service while Motorola s iTunes phone has been delayed by haggling over the carrier’s cut. Audible.com plans to release podcasts of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
The audio recordings will be delivered through RSS feeds and uploaded to MP3 players. Microsoft says it will build support for RSS into the next version of Internet Explorer, as well as into Longhorn. Firefox already includes RSS features, and Apple added RSS support in Safari, Apple’s web browser, included with its Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger release.
By the end of the year more than 8 million people will subscribe to satellite radio and 13 million people will own iPods. Still, commercial radio reaches 230 million listeners every week. Cumulatively.
The Portland morning radio show The Playhouse, (above), has been syndicated by 10 radio stations. Live Wire, an original radio show originating from Portland, is trying a similar syndication route.
Portland Podcasts include Chuck & Adam, DeltaPark Project, Northwest Noise, Tiny Screenfuls and others. Software like PodcastX and iPodder can help organize and record them.
PodCasting News, PodCast Net, Podcast News, have the latest. Great Magazines like Great Radio is where you find it. Daily newspapers? Forgetaboutem. Ossified.
Not everything (or everyone) was meant to be “podcast”, of course.
John Solomon, for On The Media, got some tips from a Washington PR firm training journalists with little or no TV experience for their star turns as pundits. He attended one class to see if he had what it takes (audio).
My view of a multi-cultural center would resemble a sports bar.
- Dozens of big screen televisions supply multi-cultural news and entertainment.
- Newspapers from Latin America, Asia and Europe would be available.
- Ethnic food and drink would be available with a wide-ranging menu.
- Free WiFi and computer access would be available with living room comfort.
- Child care and playrooms would be available for everyone.
- Meeting rooms would be available for lease.
- Remote Offices would provide teleconferencing and other features.
- New media projects would involve oral history, blogging and reportage.
- Video/Audio editing suites would be available at low cost.
Intel’s Computer Clubhouse is a good model and provides a Computer Clubhouse Network in many locations. Their learning model was created by the Boston Museum of Science and the MIT Media Lab. Intel no longer funds rows of computers stuffed in a classroom. The concept is to bring individuals together at a conference table then utilize desktop publishing, audio and video editing, and web page design to create projects.
NW theatre companies include the Miracle Theatre Group (Hispanic), Triangle Productions (gay), Northwest Mystery Theater, Willamette Radio Workshop and others.
Forget the 50k watt transmitter. We live in a global village. Some 60 Million US podcasting consumers are expected by 2010, says the Diffusion Group. You’re a part of it.
Crown Castle is where you need to be.
