Podcasting goes from indie to mainstream overnight

Mainstream media companies are starting to dominate podcasts — topping in popularity the quirky independents that created the trendy online radio genre. Podcasts from ESPN, CNN, ABC News and the TV show Queer Eye are among the most popular this week on iTunes, Apple's download site.

That's a huge change. Until recently, podcasts were largely pirate-radio-style broadcasts, often produced by one person on a home PC. Now, podcasts are anchored by such staid celebrities as Rush Limbaugh and Ted Koppel.

Podcasting "went from underground to mainstream overnight," says Ted Schadler, digital media analyst at Forrester Research.

Customers signed up for more than a million free podcast subscriptions in just two days when iTunes started featuring them last month. That includes independent podcasts, such as The Dawn and Drew Show. But the soaring popularity of mainstream podcasts on iTunes may make it tough for indies to find an audience — and profitability.

"Apple and the mainstream media are making a monumental mistake," says Richard Bluestein, who podcasts on YeastRadio.com. They're "repackaging the same boring, heartless and anti-human garbage" instead of focusing on alternative programs, he says.

Podcasting began appearing last year, when its pioneers figured out that talk radio programs could be downloaded with a click of a mouse, just like digital music files. Podcasting gets its name from Apple's iPod digital music player.

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