Podcasts - A wealth of free entertainment

[disneysteve]

Since getting my iPhone last month, I have been gradually exploring the world of podcasts. What's a podcast, you ask? Basically, a podcast is a pre-recorded audio and/or video show that you can download and listen to/watch on your computer, MP3 player or smart phone. They are free (at least all the ones I've found) and are available on every imaginable topic of interest. In just a couple of weeks, I have listened to podcasts of the Suze Orman show, the Dave Ramsey show, Freakonomics, The Onion (online satire site), Disney information, Marketwatch.com, and more. There are podcasts for news, sports, finance, travel, movie reviews, comedy, technology, music, education, government, kids and family, religion and more. And did I mention they are FREE!

I've been downloading them to my phone and listening to them in the car which sure makes the daily drive more enjoyable. I realize not everyone has a smart phone though many more people have MP3 players and almost everyone has a home computer so even if you listen to them at home, they are a great source of free entertainment. Nothing on TV. Listen to a podcast. Since most are audio only, you can easily listen while doing something else, especially if you have a laptop so that you can listen anywhere in the house.

I know I've barely scratched the surface of what is out there but I would definitely encourage everyone to check it out. Go to iTunes and you'll find hundreds of podcasts, something for every interest and taste.

[creditcardfree]

That's great. We love free things around here!

[elessar78]

I love podcasts! Personal faves are: 60 minutes (it's the audio for the tv show which I don't make time to watch), NPR's Planet Money (discusses economics at a lay man's level), Clark Howard Show (consumer advocate), Football Weekly (a soccer show based out of London), and The Tony Kornheiser show.

[Radiance]

Where do I find podcasts?
Do I have to have an IPhone for that?

[elessar78]

iTunes store. But many are free. You don't need an iPhone, just an iPod but any mp3 player will do. Some you can even stream directly off the internet, so you don't need to download.

[disneysteve]

Football Weekly (a soccer show based out of London)

Good point. There are many international podcasts, things that aren't otherwise available in the US.

[disneysteve]

iTunes store. But many are free. You don't need an iPhone, just an iPod but any mp3 player will do. Some you can even stream directly off the internet, so you don't need to download.

Correct. For some, you don't even need iTunes. Many podcasts are available at the websites of the provider. For example, at npr.org, you can get all the NPR podcasts. iTunes is just the best because podcasts from many, many different sources are all there in one place.

[kv968]

Steve,
A couple of the financial ones that I listen to and find informative are:

Taking Stock: Bloomberg
Disciplined Investor
Invest Talk
The Index Investing Show

There are plenty of others, but these are about the best to me. Some are daily and some are weekly so you're always getting something new.

[dannin]

For people out there who don't have an mp3 player ( I know, I know, everyone has one ), you can take those mp3 files and burn them to a CD. Then you can just pop them into your car CD player or your stereo at home.

At one point I had a 2 hour commute each way to work and found that I could use the dead driving time to learn new topics, new languages, and anything else I could find an mp3 for.