Being Frank About Podcasts

Why can't someone create a decent podcast catcher for PCs?
Apple users have iTunes (more on that in a moment.) There is Doggcatcher and my favorite, Pocket Casts for Android.
But for some reason, if I want to use a program to gather podcast episodes I have to return to iTunes.
I used Media Monkey and uninstalled it repeatedly over the past 15 years. Yeah, I know -- it shows I'm a slow learner. I have tried other "podcast aggregators" for PC and was not satisfied with any of them.
So, tonight I reinstalled iTunes.
I have an iPod Classic so I will sink files to it, but it is aggravating that no one can write a program and create a podcast aggregator that will work as elegantly as iTunes!
I know, iTunes can be used on a PC and that is fine but I think Apple computers are over priced and do the same job as PCs that are much more cost effective. Trust me, I have seen Macintosh computers crash time and again, so I do not accept the idea Apple products are superior to PC products.
OK, so that's my rant on a Sunday night. Now I can go to bed, knowing I have spoken my mind ... and that I am catching podcasts using iTunes and there will be no crashes and the shows will be available tomorrow.

Another really good podcast

When I wrote praises for Buck Benny's podcast, I forgot for the moment about another really great podcast: "Two Chairs No Waiting."
It is an "Andy Griffith Show" podcast by Allan Newsome.
The title may not ring a bell, but it is taken from the fact that Floyd's Barber Shop had two chairs, no waiting, even though Floyd was the only barber in the shop.
Newsome likes to portray Floyd at Mayberry fan get-togethers.
I enjoy listening to the podcast just to hear Newsome's southern accent as much as to learn what I did not know about "The Andy Griffith Show," its cast and characters.
Newsome keeps each episode fairly short, less than 15 minutes, usually.
Everyone likes to spend some time in Mayberry. They aren't making any new episodes of "Andy Griffith," but visiting via "Two Chairs No Waiting" is a pretty good substitution.

Podcasts are fresh and fun

I am really into podcasts. Some are really fresh and fun. And some are kind of ... well dorky.
But I also listen to old radio such as audio from NBC recorded Dec. 8, 1941; the morning after Pearl Harbor.
The network was picking up live reports from London with Charles Collingwood. The breaks were sloppy, there was a lot of dead air. It. too, sounded dorky in places. But it was fascinating because of the content.
Today, the networks are nearly flawless in their presentation and usually the content is boring.
Podcasts can put you on to really creative stuff that would never make it on network radio or TV. For example, I learned about Potter's Puppet Pals channel on YouTube from "The Leaky Cauldron" podcast. FUNNY Stuff, especially if you are familiar with the Potter books.

New podcast from yours truly

I have a new podcast! Go to this Web address to find audio files ... letters from Indiana! The address is:
http://frankphillips.mypodcast.com/

The first show is an audio blog I made while covering the Barack Obama rally at Indianapolis on Oct. 7. I hope you find it amusing, informative ... anything but dull.

Amazing variety of podcasts -- a review

Have you noticed the wide variety -- and quality -- of podcasts available on the Internet? 

I have a nearly one-hour commute to work each day and aside from three public radio stations I can pick up in my Chevy HHR, there is really nothing to listen to. 

Oh, WIBC-FM is available with the rantings of right-wing politicos that come across more like side show barkers than talk show hosts. But the only time I listen to WIBC is late at night, on my way home when Geroge Noory is on. He usually has guests who are UFO freaks and conspiracy theorists. At least he keep me awake at 12:30 a.m. 

So, I download podcasts, burn them to CD and thank God the HHR plays MP3s. 

I have long believed the Internet is in its infancy when it comes to content and the quality thereof. It's much like TV was in the early 1950s. Again, the variety of content makes that a good thing. 

There are a handful of shows I listen to on my MP3 disks. They have to do with writing, science fiction stories and old time radio. 

Although I'm not a fan of Mac computers (too much control at the corporate end and not nearly enough shareware available) I do like i-Tunes. I don't have an iPod and iTunes won't interface with any other company's MP3 hardware, I have tried a number of other podcatchers. But I always return to iTunes because it has the most useful interface I have found. 

Anyway, I am going to unsubscribe from one of my podcast choices after more than a year of listening. It is "The Computer Show" from WBAI, New York. 

In the past, the guys who are featured on the show were cutting edge and had great information about the world of personal computing. 

When I experienced a question about Vista, I would listen to their show and they were on top of it. I learned about SP3 from them. 

Lately, though, they spend more time trying to be cute and raising money for public radio than in sharing any information of use to me. 

When I e-mailed them in disagreement about comments made on the show of a non-technical nature, I received an e-mail in return that basically said I didn't know what I was talking about and I misunderstood what was said. 

Not cool. Public relations isn't a strong point for the show originating at the public radio station in New York City. 

So, bye-bye WBAI's computer radio show. 

That leads me to another point. Most of the better podcasts originate in radio stations or with people who have a broadcasting background. 

Humphrey Carmadella Productions distribute very good podcasts about old time radio. I've picked up what is apparently the entire series of available Perry Mason radio shows. After 50 episodes, or so, the podcast no longer is distributed. 

NPR does an excellent job. I really enjoy "Fresh Air" interviews. I could listen to them on WFYI  on my way to work many days, but I am on the fringe of the station's broadcast area and it cuts in and out. 

Another good example of a podcast comes from KUCI, a public radio station in Irvine, Calif. "Writers on Writing" nearly always has helpful content, but the show suffers from repeated technical problems with telephone connections to guests. 

On the other hand, "The Writing Show" with Paula B (the podcast says she is Paula Bernstein, but she has taken Paula B. as her radio name) is very inconsistent on quality. 

She devoted multiple episodes to relating her terrible experience trying to sell books through an Amazon.com store. Admittedly, I only listened to the first of that multi-part diatribe. On another recent show, she tried to analyze the fantasies of J.R. R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." She managed to express all the obvious things while giving no new insights. 

For example, did you know writers of fantasy have to relate their created worlds to the real world? For example, a hobbit hole is not like a nasty hole in our world. Could you figure that out, given it is Tolkien's own explanation? DUH!

Sorry, but even though many podcasts are free, that doesn't give their producers the right to waste our time. 

On the other hand, Mrs. B did an excellent job interviewing kids who are just starting their writing careers (and their adult lives) and her Christmas short story contest episode was very entertaining. 

But that's all OK. If you get the opportunity, watch episodes of 1950s TV shows. They were poorly done by today's standards. But the 1950s is remembered as the golden age of TV. TV only got worse, content-wise. 

This may be the golden age of podcasting. 

Download iTunes, search for podcasts on your favorite subjects at the iTunes store, subscribe and enjoy!