Podcasting wish: rewind your radio & great sound

I have become over-dependent on the rewind and pause buttons through too much PVR and iTunes usage. I now want to pause conference calls and radio shows to make sure I heard correctly or because I had to pay attention to something else for a minute.

The latter may not be just a wish as more radio shows record for downloads. I admire how CBC caught on quick.

Since I'm going on about wishlists, how about podcasters who don't include their title and succinct note on what the episode is about? When I'm browsing my podcast subscriptions in iTunes I find I don't listen to them as often as those who do. Mitch posts his shownotes on his blog, but I wish they were in his iTunes info like Michael's.

Speaking of the latter, I'm enjoying Michael's ClientSide podcast -- it does what a good marketer should, which is respect the audience by editing and including valuable content. [rant] Nothing bugs me more than excess chatter, it's just rude! You want to talk to your friends, IM or call them, or label your podcast a "chat show with people I know", so I can stay clear of it. [/rant]

The latest ClientSide episode includes a chat with Rob Walch and they get into a discussion on sound quality and editing. Rob says that the podcast listener isn't as picky about sound quality, but I disagree. I like to equate podcasting today to desktop publishing in the 80s. Remember all that crap that came out when everyone and their dog thought they were a designer? Professional designers were aghast.

Same with sound engineers and broadcasters today. Generally I think the masses want good sound quality. This was a point made by someone at Podcamp Toronto and younger audiences having a low tolerance for crappy sound. And my sister who is an avid podcast listener. But she, and I admit I, mostly listen to professionally produced podcasts.