Television has the Emmys, the Silver Screen has the Oscars, and on the Internet we have the Podcasting Awards. Unlike the millions of dollars that it often takes to produce and market a successful movie or television show, the majority of podcasters get by on shoestring budgets or even no budgets at all. This year the 2009 Podcast Awards gave out notable mentions to dozens of aspiring and experienced broadcasters, all of which are available for anyone in the world to listen to for free. With categories that run the gamut from food and drink to movies and technology, nearly every niche topic is covered in the nominations. A few notable podcasts stand out from the rest however, and definately bear consideration the next time you load up your iPod with new material.
App Slappy Podcast This podcast hosted by Scott Johnson has only been around for a couple of months, yet has already drawn a large enough following to win the category dedicated to mobile phone related topics. App Slappy is a podcast dedicated to the iPhone and its 80,000+ applications that can be purchased or downloaded for free from the iTunes store. Each week Scott and his crew walk listeners through the most notable iPhone news stories as well as reviewing various new apps and answering questions sent in by email from loyal viewers. The Daily GizWiz Hosted by long time technology broadcaster Leo Laporte and Mad Magazine's Dick Debartolo, The Daily GizWiz is a mix of off the cuff comedy mixed in with reviews of tech gadgets both new and obsolete. The show has a huge following and was nominated for the People's Choice category while bringing home the gold in the Comedy category.
Laporte's shows in general did very well at the awards, with other TWIT network shows such as This Week in Tech and This Week in Fun also receiving nominations in various categories. This American Life The venerable broadcast from National Public Radio also finds its home in the world of podcasting, recieving a nomination for Best Produced Podcast and winning in the General Interest category. This American Life has even extended into the television genre, spawning a popular television show that airs on the Showtime movie network. If you are looking for a feast of audio podcasts to listen to on the long commute to work each day stop over at the Podcast Awards web site to see all of the nominations and hand pick from those that interest you.
