BBC and NPR and podcasting's Brave New World

In class I've been talking a bit about the podcasting revolution underway in our media. In the States, National Public Radio has been making strides in making at least some of its content available on podcast (my current favorite is the WNYC weekly show On the Media - but I'm really waiting for WAMU's Diane Rehm Show to be put up).

Meanwhile the BBC is also jumping on the podcast bandwagon early. The Beeb has announced that it is making 20 radio shows available for its listeners to download as podcasts into digital media players. The ones on the list that U.S. audiences are likely to be particularly interested in include:

• Today (Radio 4, daily) - 8.10am interview
  
• In Business (Radio 4, weekly)
  
• From Our Own Correspondent (Radio 4, weekly/twice weekly)
  
• Mark Kermode film review slot (Radio Five Live, weekly)
  
• Go Digital (World Service, weekly)
  
• Documentary archive (World Service, twice weekly)

In announcing the move on its web site, the BBC quotes Simon Nelson, controller of BBC Radio and Music Interactive, who claims: "The BBC was the first British broadcaster to podcast when we made In Our Time available last year". The same article notes that the UK's Virgin Radio - also quite popular among Americans listening on the web - "has also started to make talk-based highlights of its breakfast show available as podcasts" (although they avoid podcasting music, as the right issues haven't been sorted out yet).

All well and good. Unfortunately the podcasts don't seem to be up yet - or at least I haven't found them when I checked on the Today and In Business program websites (on Radio 4). But I did notice that BBC/NPR's co-production "The World" definitely is available on podcast here. So that'll be something else to listen to in the car.