| Supplements Some publications are adding podcasts to supplement their online written content. For instance, TCS Daily (formerly Tech Central Station) offers interviews related to articles they’ve published. Topics so far include energy prices, climate change, trade, and decision-making. Many other organizations, such as Human Events, Americans for Limited Government, Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, are offering supplemental audio content that can be downloaded individually – but that is not yet available via podcast. How to Get Started I’m still a novice when it comes to podcasts, but I’ve found iTunes to be a very easy software package to use. You can download iTunes for free at www.itunes.com. Once you’ve downloaded iTunes, there are two ways to subscribe to podcasts: - In the menu on the top of your screen, select “Advanced” and then “Subscribe to Podcast.” Using this option, you will be able to enter special URLs that are offered by podcasting organizations. For your benefit, I’ve compiled several at the bottom of this column that I believe you’ll enjoy.
- From the iTunes homepage, you can also select “Podcasts” in the lefthand menu. This will open up a database of thousands of podcasts that you can either search or browse. I’ve listed some podcasts to search for at the bottom of this column as well.
If you want to change the default download times and occurrences once you’ve subscribed to some podcasts, it’s easy: From the iTunes homepage, select “Edit” in the top menu, and then “Preferences.” Pick the Podcasts tab on that page, and edit your defaults to reflect your listening choices. Is it Worth It?
This may seem a bit complicated, but if you enjoy listening to talk radio, stick with it. A little bit of due diligence in the beginning will pay off in the long-term, since everything will be downloaded automatically from here on out. And the benefits aren’t just for the listeners. John Couretas, the Director of Communications at the Acton Institute, believes podcasts have been worthwhile for his organization. “We were one of the first conservative think tanks to launch podcasts,” he says. “We began using them in March 2005 and are getting about 200 hits a day. We include lectures and radio interviews in our feeds, in MP3 format. We're accessible via iTunes and recently got our first review, a rave. Podcasts have great potential. But like any other media channel, it's not the technology that matters, it's the content.” ---------- Podcast directory Below is a list of some of the best podcasts I’ve found in the conservative community. I have divided up the list between “manual subscribe” (where you manually add the URLs to iTunes using the first option listed above) and “automatic subscribe” (where you can search for a podcast from the iTunes database using the second option listed). You’ll note that some are available only one way, and some are available both. Manual Subscribe
Automatic Subscribe: Search iTunes database for:
- “Acton Institute Podcast”
- “AFA Report”
- “AFF Radio”
- “AFF Roundtable Podcast”
- “AFR Today’s Issues”
- “Ashbrook Events Podcast”
- “Bluegrass Policy Blog” (Bluegrass Institute is the free-market think tank in Kentucky)
- “Cato Institute Event Podcast”
- “FRC – Washington Watch Weekly”
- “FreedomWorks”
- “Peter Schramm’s ‘You Americans’ Podcast”
- “TCS Podcast”
- “Teaching American History Podcast”
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