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On trips, I tend to scan the radio dial looking for talk radio offerings. It's not that I don't like music, it's just that, while in the car, I like to keep my brain engaged. For me, talk does that in a way that music just doesn't.

Now, with an iPod, I can listen to unique talk offerings on a number of different subjects. Better yet, I can listen on demand, so I can listen to what I want, when I want. I'm entertained and educated - I'm edu-tained!

Here's a list of my favorite podcasts:

• The Onion Radio News
  The Onion
  Okay, this one probably isn't too educational, but it certainly is entertaining. Unlike the other podcasts I listen to, The Onion Radio News is short form, more like a minute in length on most occasions. Added into a playlist of other podcasts and music, these little vignettes are a welcome bit of levity. The bizarre little news clips are well produced. If you didn't know it, you might think a lunatic and broken into the radio station you're listening to.


• The BS Report with Bill Simmons
  ESPN
  I'll admit it, most of the talk radio I listen to is sports talk. I like sports talk, but I want more. The BS reports gives me more. It's full of sports, but it's really a mixed bag and various subjects are covered. An episode could be about the NBA, but it could just as likely be about Beverly Hills 90210. A former writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Simmons has a bit of a pop culture" in." Celebrity guests are common, but Simmons is as likely to be joined by friends like Joe House or Jacko. Regardless of the guests or subject, this podcast is a good listen. Its irregular schedule would make it frustrating to listen to if it were a daily radio program. As a podcast, though, it works perfectly.



• Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me
  NPR
  The beauty of radio podcasts is just how topical you can be. Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me is a quiz about the week's news stories. If that sounds dry to you, you haven't heard the show. If it were just a Jeopardy! style news quiz you'd be right, it would be dry. But it's hands down, one of the funniest things on radio and makes a fantastic diversion while driving or doing anything boring. And frankly, I learn a lot of great stuff from it each week.



• The Tony Kornheiser Show
  WTAM 980

Like Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser is sports talk. And like Simmons it can spiral off wildly into any topic. Taken from his radio program, the Tony Kornheiser Show Podcast is typically two daily installments of about 40 minutes each. So it's three hours of radio distilled down to about 80 minutes of podcast. But you still get some of the same cool stuff you'd get if you were listening to the radio, you could ad readers, you get Mr. Tony shilling for free food, you get a lot of good stuff.


• This American Life
  PRI

A one hour show of audio essays. Other than that I can't explain it, you'll just have to check it out for yourself.


• The Nerdist Podcast
  The Nerdist.com

I found this podcast purely by accident. As a fan of "Weird" Al Yankovic on Facebook, I get updates on some of Al's doings. When I received one that Al would be appearing on The Nerdest Podcast, I thought I would check it out. Hosted by Chris Hardwick (currently of G4 network, but you may remember him from MTV's Singled Out, I know, how could something cool come from anybody who was involved with Singled Out?), The Nerdist is a strange mix of comedy and tech news. I suggest you check it out.


• ONN - The Onion News Network
  The Onion
  The one video podcasts to make my list, The Onion News Network is a lot like The Onion Radio News. They both come from the twisted geniuses at The Onion, and they're very similar in content, a satirical look at the news. More than that though, The Onion News Network is a satirical look at the way we get our news. The mannerisms of the anchors, this sets, the graphics, every thing is spot on. I tune in for the content, but I'm always amazed by the simulation of an actual news network. And, good news! The sports portion of The Onion News Network will be its own show on Comedy Central this fall.

BOJ

Labels: Lists