ABC podcast trial looks like a winner

Podcasting provides a lot of opportunities for public radio and its audiences. Radio National in Australia, for instance, does a large range of programs – from religion to science to books to media reports and much more. Podcasting will grow the audience for these programs through time-shifting. I’d love to listen to more radio national programs but I can’t often be listening to the radio at the right time. I’m busy, I forget etc. Good luck to Radio National.

News of the Radio National trial follows last week’s announcement by the BBC that it had added 20 new shows to its podcast list.

Here’s some excerpts from the media release they put out today:

ABC Radio National is asking radio listeners to take part in its
one-month PODCASTING trial starting 13 May and choose the
programs they want to hear.
During the trial, listeners have the choice of getting audio
highlights or full programs of eight of ABC Radio National's
sixty diverse programs.
ABC Radio National's free podcasting trial starts on 13 May. Visit
the website NOW for details of how you can be part of the trial,
and complete our pre-trial survey.

Other arms of ABC Radio – DIG & JJJ – already have podcast trials underway.

Here’s a list of other public radio podcast feeds from places like US, Canada and the UK

I listen to, and recommend, In our Time (BBC4), On the Media (NYC), Future Tense (Minnesota).

Want more information? Try NPR or this BusinessWeek article.