Business Week 10/25/2004

What is podcasting? It is a free audio show that anyone can subscribe to for
listening on a mobile device, such as an MP3 player or an iPod (hence the name).
Here's how it works: A show is created using Really Simple Syndication (RSS) --
free publishing software that zaps files to users without their visiting a Web site.
The software is used now by blogs and mainstream companies such as the online
edition of The New York Times to send out news updates. A show is broadcast to
subscribers' PCs, so it can be downloaded at their convenience to a mobile device.

Podcasting is the latest example of how grassroots technology is getting around big media.
Three months ago blogger and former MTV host Adam Curry created iPodder software using
RSS that can download and play audio shows on a music player. Now there are podcasts
on everything from rock 'n' roll to politics. WGBH, an NPR station in Boston, is using podcasts
for an interview show. As more companies adopt RSS, they, too, could turn to podcasting.
"Personalized media is the next frontier," says Charlene Li, an analyst at Forrester Research.
From blogs to podcasting, it's a frontier that keeps expanding.