Podcast Comments.

One of my loyal readers commented on my podcast entry. He correctly stated that podcasts will serve a variety of purposes — some of it will be populist radio, some will be produced by big media companies.

I agree with Dave completely. At Black Lab Five, we're currently developing podcasts for niche sports — we're aiming for well-produced specialized content. But I still don't understand big radio creating "podcast" formats — content created by listeners that is then broadcast over the airwaves. I think it's the ability to time-shift and produce content for very little money that's appealing about podcasting — not the fact that nearly anyone can do it. The best podcasts will do what all good media does — entertain, engage or inform. The economics, however, mean that it will be financially viable to do that for much smaller, more narrowly targeted audiences.

Thanks for the comments, Dave. Much appreciated.