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January 16, 2005
Podcast Review: WebTalk Radio
This entry posted in:
4 stars
, I subscribe
, Podcast Review
Format: radio show
Content: technical talk
Rating: 
What I'm going to do: subscribe
Typical Length: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Rob and Dana Greenlee have been staples of the technical audio realm for some time, having spent time in broadcast radio (where their show still plays on several stations through the US via Talk One Networks) and on CNET radio (and thereafter, their own Internet Radio/Streaming webcast production). Now they've broadened their distribution base by adding podcasting to the mix.
Rob and Dana are dedicated to bring you up-to-date and relevant technical news regarding the internet and issues from the business of the web to connected technologies. The 'cast is structured as a conversation beween the two of them and their occasional in-studio guests, albeit a conversation that consists of short bits of technological news. Their rapport is good, and they've been doing this long enough that the podcast/webcast succeeds at the informal feel of a conversation for the most part.
Their conversation ranges widely from discussions about technology issues such as the value of smart phones or of wifi in your car to web/culture issues like blog sponsorship and the Internet Tax Ban. They typically feature an interview in each show, and their choice of interview subjects covers a tremendous variety, including politicians, technologists and officers of tech companies, bloggers, and writers. The content is timely and interesting
WebTalk Radio has a (very visible) sponsor. In fact, this is the first time that I've felt advertised to in a podcast. In other cases where there's a sponsor for a podcast, it's seemed very much like the text ads on google.com or in gmail, but these ads were very much like a radio ad. Not that surprising since, after all, they are radio ads. I mention this not as a positive or a negative feature, but simply as an observation.
Audio quality is generally good and production levels fairly high in WebTalk Radio podcasts. Voice and music balance is fine, and the fades to and from the musical breaks between segments and between the content and the advertisements are well executed. Even the interview audio quality was universally good in the episodes I listened to. Rob and Dana don't play any complete musical tracks and their file- and track-naming model is both consistent and easily parsed. Their delivery is relatively smooth with few hesitations or false starts, and the vocal quality is pleasant and easy to listen to. The show is produced weekly and is completely work- and family-safe.
Subscribe to mp3s.
Tagged: podcast podcasting review
Posted by cori at January 16, 2005 12:19 AM