USA Today got it right on video broadband but not podcasting, declaring an end to indies and proclaiming supremacy by media companies based on iTunes rankings. Here’s a sample: “Until recently, podcasts were largely pirate-radio-style broadcasts, often produced by one person on a home PC. Now, podcasts are anchored by such staid celebrities as Rush Limbaugh and Ted Koppel.” No idea why the reporter was compelled to make this either/or — podcasting can go from “underground to mainstream overnight” as Forrester Research analyst Ted Schadler and still have a major indie presence.
The Podcast Network offers a status report from Australia — 91,965 in May to 205,766 in June or a jump of 124 percent. Some other numbers: more than 500,000 downloads since the mid-February launch; approximately 57,000 weekly subscribers living in more than 25 countries. TPN runs on a publishing model with ownership in the 30 weekly shows and the six set to launch this week. (via BW Blogspotting.)
Fortune columnist Peter Lewis says podcasting, which he likens to the border radio of his youth, “combines the best aspects of TiVo and blogging.” The actual number of podcasters may still be small, about 7,000, but “there are twice as many podcasters today as there are commercial radio stations in the U.S. And each podcast voice is unique, while hundreds of radio stations have the same owners, the same playlists, and the same robot deejays.”
More from Mark Cuban, who is responding to comments on his first podcast post, including a defense of streaming versus podcasting. “Podcasting is cheap, easy and fun. yes its different than streaming. But that doesnt change the pitiful economics for individual podcasters.” And this, “… in about 3 years, the Podcast phenomena will have run its course and will just be a normal part of the digital media landscape. Just like streaming.”
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