Podcasting Awards Galore

By Elisa M Welch

You are viewing PLAIN TEXT version of a Blogger&Podcaster article.

View FULL FEATURED version of the magazine.

September was the month for podcast recognition and appreciation, with no fewer than three awards events honoring ’casters in every category imaginable.

The second annual Parsec Awards (parsecawards.com) constituted a celebration of speculative fiction podcasting. Presented by Farpoint Media, the September 1st awards event was held for the second year at the Dragon*Con convention in Atlanta, August 31 through September 3. Contenders were nominated by fans, and finalists were chosen by a committee of judges who scored shows based on content, production, and presentation. Prizes were awarded in 18 categories for science-fictionand fantasy original content, podiobooks, and other categories dealing with the new frontiers of portable media.

This year’s fete was hosted by FarPoint Media’s Michael R. Mennenga, Blogger & Podcaster columnist Tee Morris (who headed the Parsec steering committee), and podcaster and freelance writer Mur Lafferty. Among the winners were The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd (Best Audio Drama Short Form and Best Audio Production), Missing Pages (Best Video Production and Best Video), The Signal (Best Fan Podcast), Pulp Gamer — Out of Character (Best Infotainment Cast), and Command Line (Best Tech Podcast).

But wait, still more prizes were handed out at Dragon*Con, as the third Podcast Peer Awards (www.podcastpeers.org) were held on September 2. Dr. Floyd picked up another trophy for Best Family Friendly Podcast. Other prize recipients included Grammar Girl (Favorite Audio Podcast), The Financial Aid Podcast (Best Business Podcast), and Comedy4Cast (Best Comedy Podcast and Best Short Podcast).

Podcast Connect managed the People’s Choice Podcast Awards (www.podcastawards.com), presented at Podcast and New Media Expo (PMME) in Ontario, CA on September 28. Prizes in 20 categories were announced in August, with the two top honors, People’s Choice and Best Produced, revealed at PNME. Nominees for the big prizes ranged from Grammar Girl to Keith and the Girl, from Firefly Talk to Reduced Shakespeare Company. Other Podcast Awards winners included Ask a Ninja (Best Video Podcast), Praystation Portable (Best Mobile Phone Formatted Podcast), Manager Tools (Business), Nobody Likes Onions (Comedy), This American Life (Cultural/Arts), Grammar Girl (Education), The Lost Podcast (Entertainment), CoffeeGeek (Food and Drink), CAGast (Gaming), ShowGirls (General), Feast of Fools (GLBT), Sex Is Fun (Health/Fitness), Keith and the Girl (Mature), Firefly Talk (Movies/Films), Catholic Rockers (Podsafe Music), Free Talk Live (Political), Daily Breakfast (Religion /Inspiration), Phedippidations (Sports), Security Now (Technology/Science), and WDW Radio (Travel).

Those awards, which included trophies and podcasting equipment, were also handed out at PNME. ::

Who Needs Net Neutrality?

By Elisa M Welch

You are viewing PLAIN TEXT version of a Blogger&Podcaster article.

View FULL FEATURED version of the magazine.

On September 6, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a brief with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cautioning against “imposing regulations that could hamper the development of the Internet and related services.” The filing came in response to an FCC Notice of Inquiry regarding broadband practices. In its filing DOJ stated that some regulatory proposals offered in the name of “Net neutrality” could deter broadband Internet providers from upgrading and expanding their networks to reach more Americans.

In other words, let the free market rule: the Department’s filing says that it may make economic sense for content providers who want a higher quality of service to pay for the Internet upgrades necessary to provide such service, arguing that “any regulation that prohibits this type of pricing may leave broadband providers unable to raise the capital necessary to fund these investments.”

Proponents of Net neutrality seek to regulate how broadband Internet providers transmit and deliver Internet traffic over their networks. The DOJ opines that precluding broadband providers from charging content and application providers directly for faster or more reliable service “could shift the entire burden of implementing costly network expansions and improvements onto consumers.”

The Department also notes that offering different service levels and pricing is a common and often efficient way of allocating scarce resources and satisfying consumer demand: the US Postal Service, it posits, allows consumers to send packages with a variety of delivery guarantees and speeds, from bulk mail to overnight delivery. These differentiated services respond to market demand and expand consumer choice, it claims. “

The FCC should be highly skeptical of calls to substitute special economic regulation of the Internet for free and open competition enforced by the antitrust laws,” says DOJ in its filing. “Marketplace restrictions proposed by some proponents of Net neutrality could in fact prevent, rather than promote, optimal investment and innovation in the Internet, with significant negative effects for the economy and consumers.”

While cautioning against premature regulation of the Internet, the Department reiterates its authority to enforce antitrust laws. “Anticompetitive conduct about which the proponents of regulation are concerned will remain subject to the antitrust laws and enforcement actions by government as well as private plaintiffs, and the Department will continue to monitor developments, taking enforcement action where appropriate to ensure a competitive broadband Internet access market,” the Department states.

A copy of the filing is available from the Department of Justice on the Antitrust Division’s Web site (www.usdoj.gov/atr). Paper copies of the filing are also available from DOJ’s Antitrust Documents Group; phone 202-514-2481 or email atrdoc.grp@usdoj.gov. ::

Internet Radio Reprieve

By Elisa M Welch

You are viewing PLAIN TEXT version of a Blogger&Podcaster article.

View FULL FEATURED version of the magazine.

Net radio supporters can breathe a bit easier about royalties, at least for now. Iin Aaugust, the SsaveNnetRadio coalition of webcasters, net radio listeners, and the artists they support announced its endorsement of an agreement reached between the Ddigital Media Aassociation (DdMAa) and SsoundExchange that will establish a $50,000 per service cap on the “$500 per channel minimum royalty.”

Jake Ward, a spokesperson for SsaveNnetRadio, says, “Tthis agreement is a clear sign of progress in the ongoing negotiations between webcasters and SsoundExchange and a very good first step toward a viable solution, but it is just the beginning. Aas the negotiation of recording royalty rates and terms continues, SsaveNnetRadio urges everyone involved to work in good faith toward a resolution.”

Webcasters will provide SsoundExchange with a comprehensive and accurate annual record of songs played. DdMAa, which represents a large number of Web broadcasters, will work with SsoundExchange to form a committee to look into the practice of “streamripping,” in which listeners record songs from the radio stream. Ddiscussions over per-song royalty rates are ongoing. For more info visit www.savenetradio.org or www.soundexchange.com. ::

Podcast Ready Inks MP3 Player and Flash Bundle Deals

By Shelly Brisbin

You are viewing PLAIN TEXT version of a Blogger&Podcaster article.

View FULL FEATURED version of the magazine.

Though Apple doesn’t want you to think too much about it, not all MP3 players are iPods. And many of those non-iTunes-using players contain podcasts, or will, once Podcast Ready’s myPodder software begins appearing on millions of players this holiday season.

Houston-based Podcast Ready makes software for subscribing to and syncing podcasts, and has recently signed deals with MP3-player and thumb-drive manufacturers to have the software (and a selection of podcasts) bundled with the players. MyPodder currently comes standard with MP3 players from mobiBlu and other manufacturers. The new deals add SanDisk U3-compatible flash drives, and Coby: the company estimates that myPodder will be on 5-10 million Coby MP3 players, and another 20-25 million SanDisk devices.

Podcasts find their way into myPodder in one of several ways: Podcast Ready sells slots to a podcaster, or a content network can buy one or more slots that they program with content chosen by the network. Podcast Ready has also run contests, allowing podcasters to win slots in their bundles. Users can also subscribe to any podcast directly.

The duration of a “slot” is measured by the number of downloads for a particular podcast. Once a podcaster’s allotted number of downloads — say, 10,000 — is exhausted, that slot is available to another podcaster. Tech Talk for Families won a recent contest, and will receive 100,000 downloads.

Podcast Ready made news in the fall of 2006 when it received a letter from Apple (not a cease and desist, according to Podcast Ready’s Chris Doelle), requesting that it suspend the use of the term myPodder for its software. At the time, fears that Apple was trying to trademark the word “podcast” ran rampant on the Internet. Doelle says Podcast Ready has not been sued or threatened, and that Apple’s action seemed to be intended to establish precedent for a future claim to the right to use the term “pod” exclusively. The company intends to continue using the myPodder name. ::

Casting to the Next Level: PodCamp Philly 07

By David Beaudouin

You are viewing PLAIN TEXT version of a Blogger&Podcaster article.

View FULL FEATURED version of the magazine.

Hit revise and call it “the City of Podderly Love.” A growing sense of community and purpose was clearly in evidence as Philadelphia hosted its first “unconference,” PodCamp Philly www.podcampphilly.com, September 8-10, on the Drexel University campus.

For the more than 300 campers who attended from as far away as Canada, this PodCamp was an occasion to celebrate the anniversary of the first, PodCamp Boston, staged only a year ago by organizers Chris Brogan and Christopher Penn. (Although Brogan was unable to attend Philly’s PodCamp, Penn, producer of the Financial Aid Podcast www.financialaidpodcast.com was actively involved as a volunteer and session leader.)

While camp after-hours were spent in lively socializing, doing a “Rocky Run” up the Philadelphia Art Museum steps to benefit Children’s Hospital, and chowing down on (what else?) cheesesteaks, more than 40 sessions on Saturday and Sunday provided campers with fresh perspectives on the rapidly growing impact of social media, as well as the latest tools and techniques. (Webcasts of several sessions are available at www.drexel.edu/irt/news/pod philly.html. For many attendees, this year’s camp centered on next steps: how podcasting can shed its marginal image and gain a great commercial presence in mainstream media, while remaining true to its social roots.

“A lot of people here are talking about what happens next,” says Whitney Hoffman, PodCamp Philly’s lead organizer. “Looking ahead, I think a lot of the focus in the coming year will be on how to get out of the fishbowl and not just talk to each other — how to bring new people in.” Hoffman, who was an organizer of PodCampNYC and consults for the PodCamp Foundation, sees PodCamp as a natural fulcrum for building this momentum. “There aren’t just podcasters and bloggers here, but people who are interested in social media as part of their overall digital footprint,” she notes. “The community really is broadening out.”

PodCamp Philly presenter C.C. Chapman agrees. “There’s definitely more merging of the media happening in this community,” he says. “It’s still called PodCamp — but now bloggers, podcasters, Flickr people, video makers, even some of the old media, are all coming together and connecting to this hub. We’re all gathering around the fire!” ::

You are viewing PLAIN TEXT version of a Blogger&Podcaster article.

View FULL FEATURED version of the magazine.