CBC Podcasts For Search Engine And Spark Define The New Audio Channel

When did the CBC get cool?

Matching up with the TV show The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, the CBC – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – also has slews of Podcasts. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with some of the professionals at the CBC who produce the Podcasts (hi Angela and Judy), and while you would think that the easiest thing to do would be to repackage already aired radio programming, they’re actually mixing it up. There are two notable shows that – if you like the content of Six Pixels of Separation – you should not be missing.

Spark with Nora Young "is your guide to the Next Big Thing. On-air and online, join Nora Young for a surprising and irreverent look at tech, trends, and fresh ideas." I was actually interviewed by Nora for Spark a couple of weeks ago in conjunction with the Microsoft Live media tour that I was involved with (Blogged about here: Online Personal Branding – The Next Wave Of Branding And Marketing Gets Personal). You can check out the unedited Spark interview here: Full, Unedited Interview: Mitch Joel On Online Identity Management, but that has nothing to do with the fact that this is one awesome Podcast.

Search Engine hosted by Jesse Brown "is your open source to all the surprising and significant ways the Internet is transforming our world. Join us each week for a look at politics and culture through the lens of the Net." I listened to the last three episodes of Search Engine today (no, this is not a Podcast about Search Engine Optimization or Search Engine Marketing) and it was like listening to an episode of 60 Minutes only all about the Web (and much more young/fun). It’s gone right to the top of the cue in my Podcast pecking order.

The most beautiful part? A global audience and reach. The content is not at all what you have come to expect from CBC Radio and covers global topics that affect all of us. The hosts sound like Podcasters (ok, maybe a lot more polished than Podcasters like me) and the Blogs are really open communities and platforms to help add value to the show.

No matter what country you live in, check out the Spark and Search Engine Podcasts from the CBC this weekend.

Happy Podcasting.

Hat to David Jones from the Inside PR Podcast for introducing me to Search Engine.