Podcasts

Lately I’ve been listening to podcasts while working. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed lately:

Fresh Air (NPR) - I always liked this show back when I used to listen to NPR. Actually, I liked it about 3/4 of the time, and a nice advantage of podcasts is that I can just skip the ones I don’t care about. Terry Gross has interviewed several of the actors from The Wire lately, which has been especially interesting.

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - Maher and his audience are unquestionably liberal (with a bit of libertarianism), but the show’s panels often have some really interesting and entertaining debates. The show usually resists the urge to bring on straw-man opponents (instead opting for people who will legitimately defend the President, such as Tony Snow). Even when I disagree with Maher, his show is really fun to watch. The show only seems to be available via itunes, but it is free.

Meet the Press (NBC) - I never used to watch this, but I’ve seen the last couple of weeks and found it to be pretty interesting. Looking at next week’s guests, perhaps I’ll switch to the audio version from here on out:

Bill Moyers Journal (PBS) - I really like Moyers’ style in interviewing and reporting. Being on PBS, he can speak a bit more freely about media consolidation, which is an important topic that is often ignored for obvious reasons.

The Onion News Network (warning: video plays on load) - The Onion’s videos are surprisingly funny. I’m not sure why it’s surprising, but maybe it’s because I never thought much of the Onion’s audio content. My favorite clip is this one:

Also like the style of The Onion’s ‘morning show’: Today Now. This is the intro video: