The Taskforce On Waukegan Neighborhoods (TOWN), and waukTOWNradio, has been at the cutting edge of community web based audio programming, more commonly known as Internet Radio.

We are proud to be able to take the next step in bringing the various shows we offer to you in a way you can take waukTOWNradio with you wherever you go and always have new shows waiting for you to listen to at your convenience! It's called Podcasting, and it is revolutionizing the way people receive entertainment, news, and information. What makes Podcasting special is that it allows us to publish (podcast) radio shows that listeners can subscribe to. Before podcasting we would record a radio show and put it on our website, but now people can automatically receive new shows, without having to go to the show site and download it from there.

If you're new to Podcasting, take a few minutes to read through the following material to help you get started. If you are online and click on the red underlined links, you will open a new window in Wikipedia.com, which will give you an overview of the term.

What is a Podcast?

Podcasting, created by former MTV VJ Adam Curry, is a term that was devised as a crisp way to describe the technology used to push audio content from websites down to consumers of that content, who typically listen to it on their iPod (hence the "pod") or other audio player that supports mp3 (like your computer!) at their convenience. The term podcasting is meant to rhyme with broadcasting and is a derivative of the iPod platform. While not directly associated with Apple's iPod device or iTunes music service, the company did contribute both the desire and the technology for this capability. Podcasting is not unlike time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want when you want by recording and storing video, except that podcasting is used for audio and is currently free of charge. Note, however, that this technology can be used to push any kind of file, including software updates, pictures, and videos.

Podcasting uses an XML-based technology called RSS, or Really Simple Syndication. Content publishers describe new content in an XML RSS file, which includes dates, titles, descriptions, and links to MP3 files. This auto-generated file is called an RSS feed. The key to making podcasting work with RSS is enclosures, a feature supported by RSS 2.0.

Where do I get the Podcast software?

As with any function a computer can do, as time goes on, there will be more and more choices of Podcasting software available. Once you start using the service you can experiment with the many flavors of Podcast software until you find the one that is right for you. The most popular Podcast "clients" (fancy term for the software) can be downloaded from the websites listed here. Some are freeware (with the hope of you making a donation), and some enhanced versions require a purchase. We hope you continue to enjoy the entertainment and information brought to you by waukTOWNradio, and we look forward to bringing it to you any time you want, on any platform you choose!