[swaddon1903]

Is it not something to do with the 'pod' in 'podcast' making listeners think of Apple's mobile music player? 'Free download' sounds better than 'Genericmp3playercast'.

[richbrown]

The term podcast was used because of the popularity of Apple's iPod but it was never something tied to them. Some sites use the term 'netcast' but that's nowhere near as popular. Whilst most people know what a podcast is, it is surprising how many believe you have to use an iPod to listen or need to download via iTunes.

I agree that more people would visit the site and listen to the mp3, especially if it can be embedded in a player on the Chris Moyles pages if branded as a 'free download' which extended as a podcast for those who like to listen that way. I personally prefer to just play an mp3 rather than subscribe.

[Yudster]

I'm not sure what people are upset about. Free Download describes the "product" far more accurately and understandably than Podcast, which isn't really a word at all.

[swaddon1903]

I'm not sure what people are upset about. Free Download describes the "product" far more accurately and understandably than Podcast, which isn't really a word at all.

I'm not sure either. It's like when Opal Fruits became Starburst, Marathon became Snickers and Jif became Cif. Everyone moaned, but the products were exactly the same.

People just don't like change.

[dimtimjim]

That'll never catch on, just ask my mates at Snickers/Cif/StarBurst.

It's like when Opal Fruits became Starburst, Marathon became Snickers and Jif became Cif. Everyone moaned, but the products were exactly the same.

Oi, get ya own examples!!

[swaddon1903]

That'll never catch on, just ask my mates at Snickers/Cif/StarBurst.

It's like when Opal Fruits became Starburst, Marathon became Snickers and Jif became Cif. Everyone moaned, but the products were exactly the same.

Oi, get ya own examples!!

Sorry, I never noticed that before. I usually just skip past your posts on here...

[bmstinton93]

I wish I could...

[Chris]

You can

[Heald]

The term podcast was used because of the popularity of Apple's iPod but it was never something tied to them. Some sites use the term 'netcast' but that's nowhere near as popular. Whilst most people know what a podcast is, it is surprising how many believe you have to use an iPod to listen or need to download via iTunes.

I agree that more people would visit the site and listen to the mp3, especially if it can be embedded in a player on the Chris Moyles pages if branded as a 'free download' which extended as a podcast for those who like to listen that way. I personally prefer to just play an mp3 rather than subscribe.

With Netcast, the only way that it'll change is when the majority of the big podcasters decide on one name. Leo Laporte was probally the biggest advocate for the change of name to netcast, but only his 20 odd shows used the name and because of that it look perculiar.

Personally I think there should be a diffrent name, because the name just sounds amaturish.

[Temple]

Does everybody agree with me when I say that we pay the license fee, we are the listeners of the show, we keep them in a job so surely we should have at least a say on what they're called? I mean fair enough they can change the name if it really matters to them that much, but I still have over 100 PODCASTS and they will still be under Podcasts on iTunes.

[McGuinness-89]

Does everybody agree with me

No.

[Yudster]

Does everybody agree with me when I say that we pay the license fee, we are the listeners of the show, we keep them in a job so surely we should have at least a say on what they're called? I mean fair enough they can change the name if it really matters to them that much, but I still have over 100 PODCASTS and they will still be under Podcasts on iTunes.

So what are you complaining about? If you still want to refer to them and file them as podcasts, I can't see how the BBC calling them something different will make the slightest bit of difference.

[Nicola_Red]

Yep, frankly I don't care that much what they call them. I agree that "free download" sounds clunky, but meh.

[swaddon1903]

Does everybody agree with me when I say that we pay the license fee, we are the listeners of the show, we keep them in a job so surely we should have at least a say on what they're called? I mean fair enough they can change the name if it really matters to them that much, but I still have over 100 PODCASTS and they will still be under Podcasts on iTunes.

Hell yeah! I'm refusing to pay my license fee until they rename them back to podcasts. I'll also boycott all of the BBC's output and watch only ITV and Channel 4 instead. If I haven't died of boredom after that, I might go down to London and chain myself to Broadcasting House or wherever it is Radio 1 is these days in protest. We must all rise up and fight this evil corporation at all costs.

Who's with me?

[Yudster]

I think I must be the only person who thinks that "Free download" is a much better, more accurate, descriptive and understandable term than "podcast".

[bmstinton93]

Scott Mills is still calling it a podcast

[neilt0]

Download the download.............................NOW!

[bmstinton93]

Scott Mills is still calling it a podcast

... and Steve Wright.

Well I'm still young, hip and cool so i wouldn't know...





In fact, who's Steve Wright...?

[MK Chris]

He's about 15,000 times better than Mills for a start.

[jsnsmith]

I use to love Mr Angry, why not call it a free cast or a down cast or some other combination or words.
Pod cast is a mixture or playable broadcast or something or other. Im sure the brains at the BBC can
come up with a new funky meaning for somethink thats free and is basicaly the best bits of the show.

Free cmscast?

[monkeyperth]

I have been listening to podcasts from 2007 and they tried calling it a free download then too.

[John22]

Used to love the podcasts but gradually stopped downloading them as I started being busy in the evening when I usually listened, this thread however has reminded me how good they are and I think I shall re-subscribe to the 'free download'.

[LordMonkcheese]

"Free download" doesn't state what the download is - it could be a free download of a music clip, a picture, a video, a text file, etc.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 10 years, a "podcast" immediately conjurs up an audio file. In fact, the dictionary definition of a podcast is along the lines of: "A multimedia digital file made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player, computer, etc"

So because some people are a bit dense and assume you must have an iPod to listen to them, the BBC has reach out to the lowest common denominator and at great lengths rebrand the naming of audio downloads of shows.

Or do they.......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/help

Well done Radio 1