First and foremost, what is a podcast? There are many different kinds of podcasts, and for the purpose of this blog, I’ll describe the one mentioned below. A podcast is a digital audio recording of a radio interview that can be downloaded onto an iPod or mp3 player, saved indefinitely, and listened to anywhere at any time of day as often as you choose.
For the past two years, ever since my friend David in Queensland told me about ABC Radio National’s “The Book Show,” I’ve been making regular visits to the website. (ABC stands for Australian Broadcasting Corporation.) Ramona Koval (left) is the host. She interviews authors and book reviewers from around the world, and her podcasts offer a fascinating look into the literary world. There are recordings from Australia book shows in Melbourne and Perth, as well as one-on-one interviews with authors such as Yann Martel, who wrote Life of Pi and Roseanne Barr who wrote Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm. Even Rosanne found her way to Ramona’s show. That interview was on July 8, just a few weeks ago. As you can see, there’s something for everyone, from serious to sarcastic. ABC Radio National hosts a wide variety of shows and music stations that can be found here.
If you have yet to get an iPod or an mp3 player, I highly recommend it. It’s great to be able to listen to a recording that, ten short years ago, would’ve been missed had we not tuned in to a radio station at just the right time to hear it live. And forget about getting reception all the way from Australia! Technology is a wonderful thing.
One Comment
Can you get an interview with Ramona?