Looking at the rankings around the internet, podcasts featuring tech-talk, potty-mouthed couples, Harry Potter, and music are the most popular expressions of the podcast medium at the moment, but podcasting is diverse and getting more so by the day.
A couple of things initially surprised me about the current state of affairs, but after some reflection, I have come to terms with these developments. First, despite the extreme popularity of political blogs, political podcasts have only a marginal presence in the market. I just checked iTunes top podcast downloads for Saturday, and the first political show comes in at #11 (the Al Franken Show). Is reading about politics more satisfying than listening to politics? Of course not. But why do people need a podcast when they can just turn on their radio? Ok, there are some good reasons for downloading a podcast rather than tuning in a radio, but the point is that political talk is widely available without podcasting. While political blogs are filling a niche in print media, political podcasts aren't filling a niche in audio. So it really should not be surprising that political podcasts do not dominate this space or that the top political podcast is a radio show that is simply time-shifting.
Second, I have been surprised (and heartened) by the poor production values of most podcasts. Of course, this is part of what we find endearing about podcasts. They are produced by ordinary people in their own living rooms (or offices!). Professional radio programs have taken to podcasting as a means of asynchronous communication with their audiences, but will they come to dominate the homemade programs? In some areas, like tech and music, I believe they will, but there will always be a market for potty-mouthed couples. Sadly.
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