Podcasting: the revolution that isn't. Yet.

People such as Bob Lefsetz are very excited about iTunes version 4.9, which makes a big deal about Podcasting.

As usual, Apple's embrace of Podcasting isn't unique: they're just a huge company with a huge marketing budget, which allows them to market much more precisely to the masses. That they're bringing attention to a new technology is good news. That Podcasting is anything great is debateable

The Tao of Mac agrees with me. I really don't get the immediate appeal of Podcasting. Yet. It's supposed to be like Tivo for your radio--you can record radio broadcasts and then play them back at your leisure.

But what's new about that, really? And where's the demand for it?

I've been able to stream (and record) "The Morning Becomes Eclectic" for at least five years now, for example. Subscribers to Rush Limbaugh or Jim Rome have had the same opportunity. As for radio, isn't the point of buying your own music to be able to play what you want, when you want to? Other than a handful of notables, are you really excited to hear DJ patter? You think you're gonna be more informed by Nic Harcourt than, say, all the RSS feeds on music websites?

And if you've ever actually listened to a podcast, you'll see that so many of them are bad--the playlist might be passable but the DJ usually is horrible. Yep, for some people "subscribing" via podcasting to Limbaugh or Franken or Stern might be relevatory, but as of now, there doesn't seem to be a "killer Podcast" out there, one that will bring critical mass and a change of paradigm.

Radio, rest safe. You've probably dodged the bullet. Temporarily.