9:04 pm
Filed under:
Dailies
Best Podcasts of 2009
We don’t have a tv, so we listen to and watch a helluva lot of podcasts. This list comprises our picks for the “best of” podcasts from this year. They’re our two-thumbs up recommendations. Here’s how ‘best’ is defined for the purposes of this list, there are two criteria:
1. The episodes get listened to by us with regularity.
2. The podcast consistently publishes new episodes. A brilliant podcast that hasn’t had a new episode since spring won’t be included on this list.
my list:
The Minimalist (video) – New York Times food writer Mark Bittman’s podcast about preparing food. The focus is shifted to quality ingredients, personal preferences, and guestimating measurements rather than strict adherence to recipes.
FRONTLINE/World | PBS – Incredibly well-produced documentaries seen for years on PBS. I haven’t missed an episode since Frontline first made its appearance on my iPhone.
CNN In Case You Missed It – In these brief daily podcasts, CNN simply uploads raw camera footage of the day’s news events. No host and no analysts and certainly no Lou Dobbs. Just raw footage. If only the rest of CNN’s programming were like this I might actually want to watch it.
BBC Documentaries – These episodes are outstanding, period. I highly recommend the two-part series reporting on Rwanda blood diamonds and Oana Lungescu’s account of returning to her native Romania to read, for the first time, the State’s files that were kept about her.
BBC From Our Own Correspondent - These vary from the lighthearted to the serious and everywhere in between. The episodes feature the Beeb’s reporters discussing their personal experiences of being stationed around the world and the humor and sentiment that goes with that.
APM: Robert Reich Commentaries from Marketplace – I’ve been a fan of Robert Reich’s perspectives since he was the Labor Secretary in the Clinton Administration. That probably makes me a socialist. Anyway, at Marketplace, he pops up each week to deliver a brief, concise, and focused viewpoint on a topic of economic importance. In each, he quickly identifies the problem at hand, the choices to be made, and which solution he recommends.
Best of YouTube- This podcast is actually produced rather poorly, but the videos they find are, well, you can imagine.
The Moth – Modern storytelling in front of a live studio audience.
Monocle – Although these can be trite, the production is second to none. Beautiful to observe on the surface level, just don’t go any deeper than that.
NBC Nightly News - Brian Williams is the man.
President Obama’s Weekly Address – These are a bit too scripted to truly enjoy, but the president gets a high-five from me for embracing all forms of media including the internet and iPhones.
TEDTalks (video) – Because it’s TED and it’s on my phone.
Today in the Past – John Hodgman’s daily dose of made up history. Never not funny, mostly.
Washington Post HD Video Podcast- Really well-produced documentary segments. Better-produced than the NYT’s. Only complaint is that they need to publish with more regularity. Skip the ‘Scene In’ fashion segments.
Wine Library TV – Best use of podcasting on the intertubes? Almost certainly.
New York Times US News (video) - The NYT videos are always interesting. Every single one.
and here are Kate’s:
“because it’s not just entertainment people who come in to to pick their songs. From chefs to drag racers to actors to architects. And because the “five songs” is such a horrible question”
“i like Radiolab because it reminds me that I actually do like science. It’s exerising a part of my brain that’s not usually engaged on a daily basis.”
“I like the moth because I like the restrictions. I like it that they’re in front of an audience and they can’t use any notes. It’s kind of carrying on the storytelling tradition. I like it that they’re not all smooth and polished and perfect.”
“I really like Bob Boilen and Carry Browstein and I feel like those shows are curated really well.”
“Because Terry is awesome and I usually miss it when it airs live because I’m always busy at those times.”
“It’s great listening to people who are passionate about music. And they have great in-studio guests”
“Dan Savage is just so smart yet totally inappropriate and also he’s just really good at dealing with people that call in with totally fucked up sex stories.”
“I’ve been listening to This American Life since before there were even podcasts, I listened to the stream from the website. For me at least it sets the standard for storytelling on the radio.”
Browse Timeline
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
