About

Podcasting is the practice of publishing an episodic series online to be downloaded or livestreamed with a computer or mobile device.

History

On February 11th, 2004, The Guardian^[1] published an article titled "Audible revolution," which listed "podcasting" as possible name to describe the new practice of Internet radio. That year, former MTV host Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer released the program iPodder, which allowed users to download Internet radio broadcasts to their iPod mobile audio player device. On September 23rd, 2004, Wisconsin residents Dawn Miceli and Drew Domkus launched their podcast The Dawn and Drew Show,^[2] which is often cited as one of the earliest podcasts. In June 2005, Apple released the iTunes 4.9 update which supported the use of podcasts.

Online Presence

On February 24th, 2006, YouTuber Ask A Ninja uploaded a video titled "What is Podcasting?", in which a man dressed in a ninja costume explains how podcasting works (show below). In the first nine years, the video gained over 5.1 million views. On January 25th, 2008, the /r/podcasts^[3] subreddit was launched for discussions about the digital medium.

Notable Podcasts

Serial

Serial is an episodic non-fiction crime drama podcast created as a spin-off of the public radio program This American Life. This first season of the show explores a mysterious murder that occurred in Baltimore, Maryland in 1999.

Welcome to Night Vale

Welcome to Night Vale is a bimonthly podcast produced by Commonplace Books that is set up like a community radio show with local news, advertisements and announcements for the fictional desert town of Night Vale. Created by former Something Awful writer Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor in 2012, the show gained a large following on social networks in the summer of 2013, resulting in it becoming the most downloaded podcast on iTunes in July 2013.

WTF with Marc Maron

WTF with Marc Maron is a podcast released twice each week and hosted by comedian Marc Maron. The show typically features interviews with comedians, entertainers and other podcast hosts.

Radiolab

Radiolab is a radio show and podcast hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich which is produced by the New York City public radio station WNYC. The show features in-depth discussions about a wide variety of scientific and philosophical topics.

This American Life

This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio show and podcast hosted by Ira Glass and produced by the Chicago public radio station WBEZ. Each episode focuses on a central theme which is explored in segments by a combination of staff and freelance contributors.

Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience is a long-form conversation podcast hosted by comedian Joe Rogan, which features a wide variety of guests, including MMA fighters, actors, musicians, authors, artists and scientists.

The Nerdist

The Nerdist is a weekly hour-long interview podcast hosted by @midnight host Chris Hardwick, typically guest starring comedians and other entertainers.

Savage Lovecast

The Savage Lovecast is a weekly podcast version of the syndicated sex advice column "Savage Love" by journalist Dan Savage.

Search Interest

External References