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Chicago Media Goes Pod Crazy

By Andrew Peerless in Miscellaneous on May 25, 2005 2:33PM

Image courtesy of andrewcurrie.caOkay, so Chicagoist is buckling under the pressure and finally hopping on the biggest bandwagon yet of 2005: we're telling you about podcasts (for those not in the know, we're talking about that Web-based audio format that essentially allows anyone to self-publish a syndicated audio program via MP3 player or iPod). New podcasts have been popping up like weeds throughout the past few months, and a few of our own hometown media outlets are here to let you know that they ain't falling behind technology's latest craze.

WMAQ-TV, better known as NBC5 to you and me, was the first local media outlet to podcast their news content... and we have to use the word "news" lightly. To their credit, NBC5 does put their hard news and HealthWatch content up for download, but also understands consumers' undending need for a podcast of Access Hollywood-approved entertainment reports. Has our society really reached a point when people cannot bear to make it from their homes to their offices without a daily dose of nonsense entertainment "news," what Angelina said about Brad and how Jennifer ate an entire rack of chocolate cakes to make herself feel better? Sad, sad, sad...

But we digress... next up is radio personality Steve Dahl, who began podcasting his legendary daily afternoon talk show (regularly heard on WCKG-FM) late last month.

Radio shows and television stations are one thing, but things got a bit more interesting today when the Chicago Defender announced that they would be the first Black newspaper in America to take advantage of podcasting technology. The Defender will begin syndicating its weekly "Inside Black America" podcast tomorrow, and is planning programming that includes "interviews with newsmakers, book authors and other subjects" and special features celebrating the paper's 100th anniversary.

Chicagoist is thinking we should start a podcast, too... anyone who attended our last happy hour knows that Sam is one hell of a rapper, and maybe Erin can read excerpts of Tales from the Scale...