MPR Podcasts
Minnesota Public Radio now has some Podcasts available. The link to the podcast page might take you through a rather irritating and mandatory survey. At least that's where I went when I chose 'podcasts' from the shortcuts menu.

Once the survey was completed (every field mandatory), I was at the podcast page where you cannot download the files nor can you easily subscribe to the feeds. The feed link is plain text. So you can't even use something like the bloglines bookmarklet to subscribe to the link. There is an XML button but it's just a dead graphic.

I did discover that if you go to the XML link, it's a nicely formatted page where you can download the MP3 podcast files whether you subscribe to the feed or not.

There's not much available. They do have Kerri Miller's Midmorning show and an option to subscribe to that as a 'speedcast' which reduces the listening time from 53 minutes to 29 minutes. (This concept was pioneered by Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1958.)

Here's a list of the podcasts along with active links to the xml files.

Skits from The Morning Show
XML http://minnesota.publicradio.org/tools/podcasts/the_morning_show.xml

Musicheads™
XML http://minnesota.publicradio.org/tools/podcasts/musicheads.xml

New Classical Tracks™
XML http://minnesota.publicradio.org/tools/podcasts/new_classical_tracks.xml

Midmorning with Kerri Miller
Hour 1
XML http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/programs/midmorning/podcast1.xml
Hour 2
XML http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/programs/midmorning/podcast2.xml

Midmorning Speedcasts
Our experimental speedcasts reduce listening time for Midmorning podcasts from 53 minutes to 29 minutes. Audio technology speeds up the sound without raising the pitch—be sure to allow a few minutes for your ears to adjust to the rapid delivery. Do you like this option? Let us know in a message to mail@mpr.org.

Midmorning Speedcast hours 1 and 2
XML http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/programs/midmorning/speedcast1.xml
XML http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/programs/midmorning/speedcast2.xml


- posted by Peter Fleck @ Permalink 10:50 PM [to Del.icio.us]