This is part of my podcast series of posts . Below is a list of the various podcasts (in alphabetical order) and my thoughts on each of them. The name of the podcast is linked to the feed itself. The “(info)” link will take you to the podcast’s homepage. As for ratings, clearly I like the podcast at least somewhat or I wouldn’t have it on the list at all. So I’m going with a 3-star system. Three stars means I look very forward to the next episode and almost always listen to the entire episode. Two stars are ones I still really enjoy, but I sometimes skip at least parts of the episode, maybe even half. One stars are podcasts that I feel are hit and miss. I will routinely skip sections of the podcast and occasionally skip an entire episode.
Again, let me know if you have any questions, and don’t hesitate to make suggestions for other podcasts I should listen to.
- BBC – Global News (info ) - Frequency: twice daily
- Avg. Duration: 30 minutes
- My Rating: 1 star
I really enjoy hearing news from an “other” (read non–North American) perspective. This is a summary broadcast of the main BBC headlines of the past twelve hours. I routinely skip the more “fluff” pieces near the end and will skip entire episodes if nothing new is happening.
- CBC News: Hourly Edition (info ) - Frequency: hourly
- Avg. Duration: 5 minutes
- My Rating: 2 stars
A decent summary of Canadian news every few hours. I usually only catch one or two broadcasts a day.
- The National: Rex Murphy Audio Podcast (info ) - Frequency: weekly
- Avg. Duration: < 5 minutes
- My Rating: 3 stars
I have always enjoyed Murphy’s rants when I used to actually watch TV. It’s nice to have them just pushed to me every week. Even if I don’t agree with his opinion sometimes, I always enjoy his diction.
- NPR Hourly News Summary Podcast (info ) - Frequency: hourly
- Avg. Duration: 5 minutes
- My Rating: 2 stars
This is a quick summary of major headlines from a USA perspective. I usually catch it a few times a day.
- Slate Magazine Daily Podcast (info ) - Frequency: weekdays
- Avg. Duration: 1 hour
- My Rating: 3 stars
This feed contains all the Slate podcasts, so News is not the most apt descriptor, but here it lives. Just about every day of the week there’s at least one podcast released. They have podcasts about politics, culture, women’s issues, parenting, language, education, and more! I really enjoy most of their podcasts and listen pretty religiously.