The National Public Radio’s podcasting experiment has local affiliates biting their finger nails. ‘’If you thought that the newspaper people were in the grips of a siege mentality, you should come and see the public radio and TV people,” says Rafat Ali of PaidContent.

NPR podcasts make me happy. They made me finally get into this whole podcasting thing (not that I have a 'pod yet), because this is what I really wanted. I wanted TiVo for radio; not for the music, of course, but for the shows I listen to.

I give very generously to my local NPR station, because it is appropriate for the amount I use it, and because I support the overall mission of NPR. I'd probably split that with the podcast division if that was an option, now. And when I finish installing my wifi mp3 player in my car, even more of that would go toward NPR/podcast. Should my local affiliate be threatened -- yes. For my money, I want the NPR content, and for the local station's demographic/history/moneymaking it is about music. I gave money to WVPR when I could receive it, because in the primetime hours I was driving, they were playing Fresh Air not Jazz. I believe in the NPR model so far as I believe in public support of content... let me be selective and heck yeah the locals are in trouble. Adapt or die, and terrestrial broadcast is a dying industry.