August 2005

Vermont Public Radio Now Podcasting, Providing Easy Access to Best of Public Radio Podcasts with "VPR Pubcatcher"

Imagine being able to take your favorite public radio programs and listen to them whenever you want, wherever you want; it would be like programming your very own radio station. It's now possible, thanks to Vermont Public Radio's podcasting. Podcasting allows radio listeners to choose the exact time and place they want to listen to a program.

VPR began podcasting Switchboard, its twice-weekly call-in program, in June. Now, with VPR Pubcatcher, VPR is providing easy access to the best national public radio podcasts, including On the Media, Studio 360, and Open Source with Christopher Lydon, along with interesting podcasts from public radio stations like WGBH's Morning Stories, KCRW'S Bookworm, and WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show.

Podcasting is simply downloading an audio file to your MP3 player and listening to it at your convenience. VPR Pubcatcher is a free software program that you download to easily subscribe (for free) to feeds and it automatically updates your iPod or MP3 player whenever new audio files are posted. Once you subscribe to receive a particular podcast, VPR Pubcatcher will check automatically for new episodes of that podcast whenever you synch your MP3 player into your computer. You can also listen to podcasts, or audio files, on your computer without an iPod or MP3 player.

"We had more than 2100 hits to the Switchboard podcast in just the first two weeks of August, and that was before we publicly announced we were offering it," said Jody Evans, VPR Director of Programming. "Podcasting is rapidly being adopted. A recent Pew Internet and American Life Study estimated that more than 22 million American adults own iPods or MP3 players, and that 29% of them have downloaded podcasts. As MP3 players become more affordable, more people are going to want the convenience and control that podcasting gives them. We want to make sure listeners have easy access to public radio podcasts, and VPR Pubcatcher makes it easy to sample and subscribe for free to the podcasts that interest them."

Evans explains that public radio podcasting currently tends to be news/talk/information centric. That's because the current situation with music rights makes its virtually impossible to provide downloads of licensed music. VPR continues to look at other opportunities to add to its podcast library.

VPR has included an easy "how-to" section on its website for anyone interested in learning more about podcasting. VPR Pubcatcher, the software tool that helps you manage your podcasts, is also available online at vpr.net.

In addition to podcasting, VPR can be heard at 107.9 FM in Burlington, 89.5 FM in Windsor, 88.7 FM in Rutland, 88.5 FM in St. Johnsbury, 94.3 FM in Bennington, 94.5 in Brattleboro and online at vpr.net. VPR Classical can be heard at 88.1 FM in Norwich, 103.9 FM in Hanover and online at vpr.net.