Rise of the Pod People

"On the one hand, you're giving people the freedom that they deserve--the very concept of what broadcasting was supposed to be about," says Rob Barnett, president of programming for Infinity. "On the other hand, and quite selfishly, we may find some great talent out of this thing. Radio is constantly looking for new people to become the next Howard Stern, and you never know where or when you're going to find someone."

It's too early to tell if this will fly, but for the podcasters, the only thing that matters is exposure. Podcasts can mention sponsorships and keep that revenue themselves, but KYOU does not pay for content and has no plans to pay in the future. That may be a raw deal or a great opportunity for the podcaster--and also for Infinity. After all, if podcasts catch on strongly enough to launch the next Howard Stern, John Peel or Terri Gross, then why bother listening to the radio? Soon there will be an MP3 player in every car and kitchen in America--and perhaps a podcast out of every home.