Arbitron,   a Nielson equivalent for radio stations  using the same cute  diary based format that Nielson ( I can  answer that question re  I've never met a Nielson  family  since we took part about 3 months ago ( I bet our one on air tv show  and the rest was online looked a little thin)  has a new report out re the state of audio, predominantly radio, programming . (The Infinite Dial 2007: Radio’s Digital Platforms,  Oh my a source) 
 
newsroom

“Broadcasters should promote the vitality of over-the-air radio,” said Bill Rose, senior vice president, Marketing, Arbitron Inc. “On a weekly basis, AM/FM radio is used by the overwhelming majority of Americans, and it continues to have a big impact on the lives of consumers.

Would they be promoting that  before the third ,thirty minute,, infomercial appears for that Saturday afternoon?  Local radio in Phoenix is a wasteland on most stations after 7pm at night and  mostly at the weekend  all you will here is a program not intended to diagnose, treat  or improve  any condition other than the seller's bank balance for providing 30 or so pills with .005% active ingredient.  It's pathetic ,I know they make more money from paid spots than most local hacks can pull in, and part of the reason they need to go away and reinvent themselves into something interesting.   I'd play podcasts on my off hours,   free exposure with a rev share , oh yes.. ( that's probably naive but   who the fuck is listening to these pill shills? week after week, no one which doesn't matter since it's not about  audience at the weekend.

Firstly let me start out by saying how much I love radio and have never saw it as the poor man's tv ( poor, really poor and not the American variety of poverty  which seems to involve  appliances, power and cable)   Radio as a business may be in good health but as a destination , an appointment destination,  it's really lost the plot nationally with a few spots of local brilliance.   Immediacy and local knowledge are the two main benefits  I get  from radio but practically that's nothing  I can't gain from it that my PDA can't tell me now, I have the same real time traffic news  , when I request it rather than 10-15 mins away when It's too late to avoid anything. They don't report news, have time to provide context ,and are prone to hawking their TV station's shows since that's where the real news is..  er no  Radio for 90% of stories  bar the visual bs that TV thinks we need (  gas price story show a picture of a pump .. prices or other mundane bs  rather than add  to the story it's wallpaper) You can't be as lazy on radio and sell it.   Car chases, bridge jumpers and  local cheer leading squads maybe the only exceptions to the rule. 

That gets us to here..

While awareness of podcasting is up significantly, usage of audio podcasting is only up slightly.

Podcasting is still not easy for the general populace.  Cynics , possibly like myself have noted, that technology is something that "doesn't work 100% yet"  Take the telephone system vs cellphones  one works and the other's  predominantly sold as technology  and they have to sell it as it's going to sound nice and not drop out which considering that's its basic function makes me laugh akin to car makers saying.."our cars don't roll over and leave you inverted in a ditch"  as a selling point.   Radio has a dial( some still do ) and on/ off volume   not that hard to get your way around.   My 2 year old can  work a radio.  He can't download a podcast and I hate to break it to you  buy my kid's more advanced than 40% of the population.

Awareness is the key.   Once people have a friend ( and I suggest YOU be that friend) burn them a podcast  relating to their passion, hobby or work they'll want more  ,though hopefully not from you burning them a cd every week, which should start to drive  something akin to my wish list.  

Wifi aware unit with attendant software on the optional host pc,  with  a complete directory of current shows and a tivo esque suggestion system so new ones do not escape it can update from your home wifi or public spots if it's tied to a network ( though I hate that idea since people tend to "lose" podcasts that oppose their corporate goals)  

Well that's a lot of itty bitty disconnected thoughts.  I should stick to podcasting.