The Podcast Review

this is a twice weekly podcast from two internet legends: John C. Dvorak, long time columnist for PC Magazine and host of the Cranky Geeks Show, and Adam Curry; former MTV host, and a proponent of podcasting from the early days.  Both are formidable personalities, and have strong and articulate opinions.  Both are also well versed in the arts of media manipulation, and can deconstruct what is going on in the world around us.  Shows are 90 minutes long and are totally donation supported.

The podcast began as an informal chat between two friends, and has evolved into a smorgasbord of  analysis and tangential segways.  Conspiracy Theory seems to feature highly in their “No Agenda” agenda, and it is quite astonishing to see this field given some serious consideration.  I was certainly not expecting the subject of orgone and Wilhelm Reich to come up!

a constant theme of the show is how conditioned modern human beings are.  We live in a constant matrix of information that is controlled from on-high.  Just exposing this simple fact is a service enough.  But the other insights that John (the Buzzkill) and Adam (the Crackpot) bring to the table are pure gold.  We are talking about years of profound experience.

there are lots of funny clips in this show, and lots of laughs to be had beside the serious material.

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itunes link (archive goes back a year)
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mainstream media has seen a hit ever since the arrival of the internet – even back in the days of dialup and AOL.  The potential for an independent, distributed information source – this struck at the heart of established, institutionalised media.  The first to feel the punch was the media form closest to the web page – that of the daily newspaper run.  The instant, changeable, nature of the web seemed like a perfect replacement for the daily printing press.  And as internet speeds ramped up, and computers powered up, audio, then video, felt the all pervading crunch of the web.  The old grey men trembled.

And so those working in these old bastion media outlets have been witnessing the all consuming cancer of Free Information chewing their insides and revenue.  They lament the change.  They weep for the fall in standards.  They fear for their own now redundant positions.  They cry out.  But no-one is listening.  This new world of uninhibited, enfranchised data – this is bliss for minds starved of media freedom.

This podcast, from the Media Bistro group, tracks the daily decline of the media biz.  It has an especial focus on print; for this is where the layoffs are greatest and the greatest moves are being made.  Who knows, we may see one of the leading print dailies abandon their printing presses over the Christmas break.  Such a move would send repercussions around the globe.  Who would it be?  the Boston Globe?  the LA Times?  the Toronto Star?  We await.

the podcast is a daily 15 minute hit.  It serves up news, a focused interview, and personal reflections.  It is a daily reminder of how quickly things are changing.  With every minute we spend on facebook, twitter, and blogging, we move yet another keystroke away from print, from broadcast tv, from fm radio.  We are slowly merging with the cybernetic mind.  And in such a world, institutionalised monopolistic media entities are no longer required.  In fact, they are positively redundant and shunned.  Amen to that.

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itunes link
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the media is a fast changing biz; the internet has basically integrated all streams of information and acted as a giant Disruption Tool.  Movies, music, news, video – all these industries have felt the shock of online and sharing.  This Week in Media is a weekly 40 minute podcast that focuses in on the week’s latest developments; the fixed host is Daisy Whitney, and there is a changing roll of guests that keeps the format fresh.

show titles are very creative

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itunes link
website