Podcast
A podcast is a series of audio programs that listeners can download and listen to. The purpose of most podcasts is informational and similar to a radio broadcast. The difference is that the listener decides when to listen to a podcast(on-demand).
Usually there is a regular presenter (or presenters). Many podcasts take the form of an interview or conversation between two or more people. A podcast can be a literal recording of this, but there are also many (semi-)professionally edited and produced podcasts, complete with their own jingles and recognizable tunes.
To make it easier to follow a podcast, most podcasts offer a feed in containing all episodes. Certain apps and online services, such as iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Soundcloud, allow you to subscribe to podcasts. You will then be automatically notified as soon as a new episode becomes available. Some apps allow the podcast to be downloaded automatically so that it can be listened to on a mobile device even when an Internet connection is not possible.
The podcast concept, an RSS feed of media files, was invented in 1997 by American developer Dave Winer. The term podcasting is a contraction of iPod and broadcast and first surfaced in 2004. An important role in the rise and popularity of podcasting was played by Dutch DJ and presenter Adam Curry. The emergence of mp3 players, particularly Apple's iPod, also enabled the rise of podcasting.
A podcast in video format is also called a vodcast.
