History Of Podcasting Wikipedia

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 28, 2025, 4:52 AM

Podcasts, previously known as "audioblogs", have roots dating back to the 1980s. With the advent of broadband Internet access and portable digital audio playback devices such as the iPod, podcasting began to catch hold in late 2004.[1] Today there are more than 115,000 English-language podcasts available... The Illusion of Independent Radio is a Russian samizdat "radio program" created in 1989 in Rostov-on-Don and distributed on magnetic tape and cassettes. It was the first Soviet Russian prototype of the media phenomenon that was widely developed in the 2000s as podcasting.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Before the advent of the internet, in the 1980s, RCS (Radio Computing Services), provided music and talk-related software to radio stations in a digital format. Before online music digital distribution, the MIDI format as well as the Mbone, Multicast Network was used to distribute audio and video files.

The MBone was a multicast network over the Internet used primarily by educational and research institutes, but there were audio talk programs.[9] Many other jukeboxes and websites in the mid-1990s provided a system for sorting and selecting music or audio files, talk, segue announcements of different digital formats. There were a few websites that provided audio subscription services. In 1993, the early days of Internet radio, Carl Malamud launched Internet Talk Radio which was the "first computer-radio talk show, each week interviewing a computer expert".[10][11] It was distributed "as audio files that... Some websites allowed downloadable audio shows, such as the comedy show The Dan & Scott Show, available on AOL.com from 1996. Additionally, in 1998, Radio Usach,[14] radio station from the University of Santiago, Chile, explored the option to broadcast online and on demand streaming talk shows.[15] However, the development of downloaded music did not reach...

Independent of the development of podcasting via RSS, a portable player and music download system had been developed at Compaq Research as early as 1999 or 2000. Called PocketDJ, it would have been launched as a service for the Personal Jukebox or a successor, the first hard-disk based MP3-player. A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet.[1][2][3] Typically, a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files that users can download to a personal device... Podcasts are primarily an audio medium, but some distribute in video, either as primary content included in the feed, or as an external supplement to audio;[4] popularised in recent years by video platform YouTube.[4]... A podcast series usually features one or more recurring hosts engaged in a discussion about a particular topic or current event. Discussion and content within a podcast can range from carefully scripted to completely improvised.

Podcasts combine elaborate and artistic sound production with thematic concerns ranging from scientific research to slice-of-life journalism. Many podcast series provide an associated website or page with links and show notes, guest biographies, transcripts, additional resources, commentary, and occasionally a community forum dedicated to discussing the show's content. The cost to the consumer is low, and many podcasts are free to download. Some podcasts are underwritten by corporations or sponsored, with the inclusion of commercial advertisements. In other cases, a podcast could be a business venture supported by some combination of a paid subscription model, advertising or product delivered after sale. Because podcast content is often free, podcasting is often classified as a disruptive medium, adverse to the maintenance of traditional revenue models.

Podcasting is the preparation and distribution of audio or video files using RSS feeds to the devices of subscribed users. A podcaster normally buys this service from a podcast hosting company such as SoundCloud or Libsyn. Hosting companies then distribute these media files to podcast directories and streaming services, such as Apple and Spotify, which users can listen to on their smartphones or digital music and multimedia players. As of June 2024[update], there are at least 3,369,942 podcasts and 199,483,500 episodes.[6] Discover how podcasts went from niche 'audio blogging' in 2003 to a global phenomenon, exploring the first podcast, the arrival of RSS, and what's next. These days, you can't scroll through social media without stumbling across someone launching their own podcast.

Podcasting is a several-billion dollar industry that has sold books and mattresses, united former Presidents and aging rock stars, and freed at least one person from prison. Shows range from household names like This American Life to niche podcasts like Living Beeing (which is exactly what it sounds like—all beekeeping, all the time). Simply put, podcasting is huge. But it wasn't always this way. There was a time when this esoteric form of "audio blogging" existed only for the most dedicated tech enthusiasts. This article unpacks the fascinating evolution of podcasting — along with some predictions for where the industry is headed and how you can join the audio revolution with your own show.

With some of the most popular podcasts garnering millions of subscribers (the Joe Rogan Experience gets over 11 million listeners per episode), podcasting has clearly become a cultural phenomenon. But the history of podcasts reveals humble beginnings that are far from today's massive audience numbers. Podcasts, previously known as "audioblogs", have roots dating back to the 1980s. With the advent of broadband Internet access and portable digital audio playback devices such as the iPod, podcasting began to catch hold in late 2004.[1] Today there are more than 115,000 English-language podcasts available... The Illusion of Independent Radio is a Russian samizdat "radio program" created in 1989 in Rostov-on-Don and distributed on magnetic tape and cassettes. It was the first Soviet Russian prototype of the media phenomenon that was widely developed in the 2000s as podcasting.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Before the advent of the internet, in the 1980s, RCS (Radio Computing Services), provided music and talk-related software to radio stations in a digital format. Before online music digital distribution, the MIDI format as well as the Mbone, Multicast Network was used to distribute audio and video files. The MBone was a multicast network over the Internet used primarily by educational and research institutes, but there were audio talk programs.[9] Many other jukeboxes and websites in the mid-1990s provided a system for sorting and selecting music or audio files, talk, segue announcements of different digital formats. There were a few websites that provided audio subscription services. In 1993, the early days of Internet radio, Carl Malamud launched Internet Talk Radio which was the "first computer-radio talk show, each week interviewing a computer expert".[10][11] It was distributed "as audio files that...

Some websites allowed downloadable audio shows, such as the comedy show The Dan & Scott Show, available on AOL.com from 1996. Additionally, in 1998, Radio Usach,[14] radio station from the University of Santiago, Chile, explored the option to broadcast online and on demand streaming talk shows.[15] However, the development of downloaded music did not reach... Independent of the development of podcasting via RSS, a portable player and music download system had been developed at Compaq Research as early as 1999 or 2000. Called PocketDJ, it would have been launched as a service for the Personal Jukebox or a successor, the first hard-disk based MP3-player. Adam Curry and Dave Winer are credited with the invention of podcasting. Who exactly did what is up for dispute, but in the end these are the two guys who got it rolling.

The term podcasting was mentioned by Ben Hammersley in The Guardian newspaper article. Liberated Syndication (Libsyn.com) launches as the first podcast service provider. Podshow is created by Adam Curry and Ron Bloom. The phrase “Quit your day job” is batted around. Some producers are able to quit their day job. Many are not.

Leo Laporte publishes the first episode of This Week in Tech. Later This Week In Tech wins the first People’s Choice Award at the Podcast Awards. Podcasting emerged as a niche format in the early 2000s, gaining recognition in 2004 when the term itself was coined. Derived from "iPod" and "broadcast," podcasting quickly became a digital innovation that allowed users to download and stream episodic audio content. In these early years, podcasts were primarily consumed by tech-savvy individuals who had access to MP3 players and knew how to download RSS feeds. Apple’s integration of podcasts into iTunes in 2005 provided a pivotal moment, making it easier for listeners to discover and consume content without requiring advanced technical knowledge.

Despite its promising start, podcasting remained a relatively obscure form of media throughout the late 2000s. Awareness levels among U.S. adults in 2006 stood at only 22%, and audience growth was slow. The lack of a seamless monetization model and limited mainstream content kept podcasting in the background compared to traditional radio and emerging social media platforms. For a history of the technology behind podcasting, please see the Technical History of Podcasting. Parts of the following podcasting history are excerpts from Podcasting the Do it Your Self Guide with Permission.

Printed initially in 2005 Editors Note: Having been involved in the podcasting space since mid-2004 I wrote the first part of this history when I was writing my book “Podcasting the Do it Yourself Guide.” It was vetted... If you look at the Wikipedia entry you’re going to find deviations to that history and while I am not saying the history on Wikipedia is wrong, one thing that does affect historical write-ups... With this overview, agendas have been left at the door and it is as I see it. For some of you, this short history will be a trip down memory lane. But many reporters have bungled the true history behind the evolution of podcasting.

I want to give you the skinny and set the record straight. Ever wondered where the word "podcast came from? Well, it turns out it has some very interesting origins dating back to the 1980s. Podcasting, previously known as" audio blogging", began to catch on in late 2004 with the advancement of internet access and portable digital audio playback devices such as iPod. Sixteen years later, there are more than 115 thousand English language podcasts available on the internet. The term podcast was coined by Ben Hammersley in a 2004 article for the guardian and ever since it has not stopped growing.

Developed initially by Adam Curry, a former MTV video jockey, and software developer Dave Winer. Coded as a program known as Ipoder, which enabled listeners to download internet radio broadcasts to their iPods. In 2005, big companies started recognizing the potential of turning podcasts into a successful business with Apple leading the way with iTunes 4.9: the first update with native support for podcasts and in the... Bush became the 1st President to deliver his weekly address in the form of a podcast. In 2006, Steve Jobs demonstrates how to record a podcast using Garageband during a keynote speech and sparks the competition for the podcasting industry. In the same year, Ricky Gervais set a Guinness World Record for the most downloaded podcast with over a quarter of a million for the first month.

But a few years later, Adam Carrolla broke the record with his podcast by receiving 59 million unique downloads, and finally, in 2013, Apple announced 1 Billion podcast subscribers.

History Of Podcasting Wikipedia

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