75-498: Harmontown is a comedy podcast that aired weekly from June 16, 2012 to December 3, 2019. It was hosted by writer Dan Harmon , best known as the creator of the television series Community and the co-creator of Rick and Morty , along with actor Jeff B. Davis , best known for his work on the improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? Harmontown began as a monthly live comedy show in Los Angeles , California, at
150-627: A VISOR worn over his eyes. La Forge began as the USS Enterprise 's helmsman , and as of the show's second season, had become its chief engineer. At the time, Burton was considerably better known than Patrick Stewart in the United States, due to his roles in Roots and Reading Rainbow . When the show premiered, the Associated Press stated that Burton's role was essentially the "new Spock ". In
225-565: A "scripted podcast" or "audio drama") is similar to a radio drama , but in podcast form. They deliver a fictional story, usually told over multiple episodes and seasons, using multiple voice actors, dialogue, sound effects , and music to enrich the story. Fiction podcasts have attracted a number of well-known actors as voice talents, including Demi Moore and Matthew McConaughey as well as from content producers like Netflix , Spotify , Marvel Comics , and DC Comics . Unlike other genres, downloads of fiction podcasts increased by 19% early in
300-472: A 2019 interview, Burton laughed in disbelief at the idea, stating "that speculation never came to fruition." Burton also portrayed La Forge in the subsequent feature films based on Star Trek: The Next Generation , from Star Trek Generations (1994) to Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). He directed two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager , and Star Trek: Enterprise . He reprised
375-432: A 24-hour Extra Life, a fundraising organization for Children's Miracle Network hospitals, stream by Rooster Teeth . Burton has also taped a recycling field trip for YouTube. In November 2020, he appeared as himself on The Eric Andre Show . His segment was a callback to Lance Reddick's interview (2013) in which he mentioned LeVar by name and dressed as an amalgam of Kunta Kinte and Geordi La Forge . Burton served as
450-704: A Motion Picture , and Martin Luther King Jr. in Ali (2001). Burton received the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards for his narration of the book The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1990, he was honored for his achievements in television with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . From 2017 until 2024, Burton created and hosted the podcast LeVar Burton Reads , often described as " Reading Rainbow for adults". Burton
525-558: A PC or MP3 player. The service was available for about a year until i2Go's demise in 2001. In October 2000, the concept of attaching sound and video files in RSS feeds was proposed in a draft by Tristan Louis . The idea was implemented by Dave Winer , a software developer and an author of the RSS format. In August 2004, Adam Curry launched his show Daily Source Code , focused on chronicling his everyday life, delivering news, and discussions about
600-574: A central list of the files on a server as a web feed that one can access through the Internet . The listener or viewer uses special client application software on a computer or media player, known as a podcast client , which accesses this web feed, checks it for updates, and downloads any new files in the series. This process can be automated to download new files automatically, so it may seem to listeners as though podcasters broadcast or " push " new episodes to them. Podcast files can be stored locally on
675-433: A community forum dedicated to discussing the show's content. The cost to the consumer is low, and many podcasts are free to download. Some podcasts are underwritten by corporations or sponsored, with the inclusion of commercial advertisements . In other cases, a podcast could be a business venture supported by some combination of a paid subscription model , advertising or product delivered after sale. Because podcast content
750-537: A documentary about the podcast, also called Harmontown , premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The original premise of Harmontown began with Harmon's and Davis's attempts to discuss how to successfully eliminate the flaws of society and create a utopia (which they claimed could be addressed with the creation of a lunar colony) in front of a live audience. The show evolved into what Harmon and Davis call "live therapy sessions" for Harmon, as he discussed with Davis
825-428: A free podcast version of their book as a form of promotion. On occasion such novelists have secured publishing contracts to have their novels printed. Podcast novelists have commented that podcasting their novels lets them build audiences even if they cannot get a publisher to buy their books. These audiences then make it easier to secure a printing deal with a publisher at a later date. These podcast novelists also claim
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#1733271366548900-474: A guest host on Jeopardy! from July 26 to 30, 2021. This came after a petition asking the show's producers to select him was signed by more than 250,000 fans. The ratings during his appearance were below average due to tapering audience curiosity and forced viewership competition with NBC's coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which trampled syndicated shows across the board. He has been very critical of
975-449: A journalist (sports writer), in the third season of Murder, She Wrote , episode 16 – "Death Takes a Dive", starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher . Burton accepted an invitation to host Rebop , a multicultural series designed for young people aged 9–15, produced by WGBH for PBS . On television, Burton has helped dramatize the last days of Jim Jones 's suicide cult in Guyana ,
1050-617: A live audience. Ticket sales allow the podcasters an additional way of monetizing. Some podcasts create specific live shows to tour which are not necessarily included on the podcast feed. Events including the London Podcast Festival, SF Sketchfest and others regularly give a platform for podcasters to perform live to audiences. Podcast episodes are widely stored and encoded in the mp3 digital audio format and then hosted on dedicated or shared webserver space. Syndication of podcasts' episodes across various websites and platforms
1125-479: A microphone, and a USB audio interface is needed to mix them together. If the podcast includes video, then a separate webcam might be needed, and additional lighting. LeVar Burton Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in
1200-415: A million [other guys]." The A.V. Club wrote that "The podcast is for fans only, but for that undervalued group, it's essential listening." CraveOnline wrote of the podcast: "If you're a Community fan, you're not going to want to miss the brains behind the show. If you're a comedy fan, you're not going to want to miss the show because it is, in all seriousness, the best comedy podcast out there. Harmon
1275-506: A national tour, posting new episodes from different cities. The tour was the subject of a documentary, also called Harmontown , which was produced by Neil Berkeley. The documentary premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 8, 2014. In 2016, Harmontown toured Australia. Harmon's openness on Harmontown frequently proved controversial. Following season 3 of Community , Sony fired Harmon as show-runner, and many fans noticed
1350-453: A party thrown by Sheldon (before swearing off Twitter), in November 2012 in the episode " The Habitation Configuration ", in which he appears on "Fun With Flags" in exchange for lunch and gas money, and again in the November 2014 episode " The Champagne Reflection ", in which he returns for the 232nd episode of "Fun With Flags" in exchange for Sheldon deleting his contact details. In 2012, he had
1425-476: A podcast in the last month. 12.5% of the UK population had listened to a podcast in the last week and 22% of the United States population listens to at least one podcast weekly. The form is also acclaimed for its low overhead for a creator to start and maintain their show, merely requiring a microphone, a computer or mobile device, and associated software to edit and upload the final product. Some form of acoustic quieting
1500-499: A record for the show at that time and the largest amount won in any Celebrity Edition of the show (it was later surpassed by a $ 188,500 win in a "Tournament of Losers" episode). He has made appearances in such sitcoms as Becker . Burton is the host and executive producer of a documentary titled The Science of Peace , which was in production as of 2007. It investigates the science and technology aimed at enabling world peace , sometimes called peace science . The film explores some of
1575-591: A recurring role as dean Paul Haley on the TNT series Perception . For the second season (2013), he became part of the regular cast. In 2014, he had a guest appearance in an introduction section for the 200th episode of Achievement Hunter's show, Achievement Hunter Weekly Update (AHWU). In May 2014, he appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel SciShow , explaining the science behind double , tertiary , and quaternary rainbows. Late in 2014, he had another guest appearance on
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#17332713665481650-528: A role as a visitor to Fantasy Island , guest star on The Love Boat , was a participant in Battle of the Network Stars , a guest of The Muppet Show ' s televised premiere party for the release of The Muppet Movie , and a frequent guest on several game shows. In 1986, he appeared in the music video for the song " Word Up! " by the funk / R&B group Cameo . In 1987, Burton played Dave Robinson,
1725-618: A supplement to audio; popularised in recent years by video platform YouTube . A podcast series usually features one or more recurring hosts engaged in a discussion about a particular topic or current event. Discussion and content within a podcast can range from carefully scripted to completely improvised. Podcasts combine elaborate and artistic sound production with thematic concerns ranging from scientific research to slice-of-life journalism . Many podcast series provide an associated website with links and show notes, guest biographies, transcripts, additional resources, commentary, and occasionally
1800-509: A variety of topics, from anecdotes about his family and work to commentaries on movies, social issues, and scandals. Harmontown was not scripted; it was largely improvisational. The show frequently featured many guests to help drive the discussion. On its fifth airing, the show began having a regular Dungeons & Dragons ( D&D ) session at the end of each episode. This led to the introduction of Game Master Spencer Crittenden, who led their D&D segments, having extensive knowledge of
1875-443: A website, blog, or other syndication method. Episodes can be released on a regular schedule, e.g., once a week, or irregularly as each episode is completed. In the same manner as audiobooks, some podcast novels are elaborately narrated with sound effects and separate voice actors for each character, similar to a radio play or scripted podcast, but many have a single narrator and few or no sound effects. Some podcast novelists give away
1950-481: Is a portmanteau of " iPod " and " broadcast ". The earliest use of "podcasting" was traced to The Guardian columnist and BBC journalist Ben Hammersley , who coined it in early February 2004 while writing an article for The Guardian newspaper. The term was first used in the audioblogging community in September 2004, when Danny Gregoire introduced it in a message to the iPodder-dev mailing list, from where it
2025-470: Is a fantastic talker and storyteller and Davis is just as fantastic to listen to." Podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet . Typically, a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files that users can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing. Podcasts are primarily an audio medium, but some distribute in video, either as their primary content or as
2100-472: Is also often utilised. Between February March 10 and 25, 2005, Shae Spencer Management, LLC of Fairport, New York filed a trademark application to register the term "podcast" for an "online pre-recorded radio program over the internet". On September 9, 2005, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected the application, citing Misplaced Pages 's podcast entry as describing the history of
2175-501: Is at the very end of the song, in which Burton can be heard saying: "Whoa, wait a minute." He has also lent his voice to several animated projects, including Kwame in the cartoon series Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990–1993) and The New Adventures of Captain Planet (1993–1996), Our Friend, Martin (1999), Family Guy , Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles . Burton
2250-451: Is based on RSS feeds, an XML -formatted file citing information about the episode and the podcast itself. The most basic equipment for a podcast is a computer and a microphone . It is helpful to have a sound-proof room and headphones . The computer should have a recording or streaming application installed. Typical microphones for podcasting are connected using USB . If the podcast involves two or more people, each person requires
2325-417: Is likely to change as new types of content, new technology to consume podcasts, and new use cases emerge. An enhanced podcast, also known as a slidecast , is a type of podcast that combines audio with a slide show presentation. It is similar to a video podcast in that it combines dynamically generated imagery with audio synchronization, but it is different in that it uses presentation software to create
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2400-688: Is often free, podcasting is often classified as a disruptive medium , adverse to the maintenance of traditional revenue models . Podcasting is the preparation and distribution of audio or video files using RSS feeds to the devices of subscribed users. A podcaster normally buys this service from a podcast hosting company such as SoundCloud or Libsyn . Hosting companies then distribute these media files to podcast directories and streaming services, such as Apple and Spotify , which users can listen to on their smartphones or digital music and multimedia players. As of June 2024 , there are at least 3,369,942 podcasts and 199,483,500 episodes. "Podcast"
2475-699: Is on the audio version of books such as The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis . Burton has been cast as voice actor for Black Lightning in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies DVD. Burton appeared several times as a celebrity guest on the Dick Clark -hosted $ 25,000 and $ 100,000 Pyramids , from 1982 until 1988. Burton also was the strongest link in the special Star Trek episode of The Weakest Link . He defeated his final opponent Robert Picardo and won $ 167,500 for his charity, Junior Achievement of Southern California,
2550-409: Is quoted as saying: "It expanded the consciousness of people. Blacks and whites began to see each other as human beings, not as stereotypes. And if you throw a pebble into the pond, you're going to get ripples. I think the only constant is change, and it's always slow. Anything that happens overnight is lacking in foundation. Roots is part of a changing trend, and it's still being played out." Burton
2625-618: The HowStuffWorks podcast. In October 2013, the EFF filed a petition with the US Trademark Office to invalidate the Personal Audio patent. On August 18, 2014, the EFF announced that Adam Carolla had settled with Personal Audio. Finally, on April 10, 2015, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office invalidated five provisions of Personal Audio's podcasting patent. A podcast generator maintains
2700-718: The ABC miniseries Roots (1977), and was the host of the PBS Kids educational television series Reading Rainbow for 23 years (1983–2006). Burton received 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow . His other roles include Cap Jackson in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Donald Lang in Dummy (1979), Tommy Price in The Hunter (1980), which earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in
2775-669: The Directors Guild of America in 2005 and re-elected in 2007. In 2023 for his commitment to public service, Burton was awarded the Common Wealth Awards of Distinguished Service. LeVar Burton married Stephanie Cozart, a professional make-up artist, on October 3, 1992. Burton has two children, son Eian Burton Smith and daughter Michaela "Mica" Jean Burton . The family lives in Sherman Oaks, California . Burton does not identify with any religion, saying: "I walked away from
2850-784: The NerdMelt Showroom on May 23, 2011, but the show became weekly after Harmon was fired from Community . Since mid-2012, each episode of Harmontown had been recorded and released as a podcast, first by Feral Audio through 2017, then Starburns Audio starting in 2018. The podcast featured many guest appearances, including Game Grumps , Emily V. Gordon , Kumail Nanjiani , Greg Proops , Aubrey Plaza , Bobcat Goldthwait , Rob Schrab , Curtis Armstrong , Patton Oswalt , Jason Sudeikis , Dana Carvey , Felicia Day , Robin Williams , Mitch Hurwitz , Joel McHale , Rob Corddry , John Mayer , Eric Idle , Logic , and Steve Agee . On March 8, 2014,
2925-522: The University of Southern California , he won a starring role in the 1977 television miniseries Roots . Burton made his acting debut in 1976 with Almos' a Man , a film based on the Richard Wright short story " The Man Who Was Almost a Man ", in which Burton stars alongside Madge Sinclair . Burton's breakthrough role was as the young Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots (1977), based on
3000-504: The novel of the same name by Alex Haley . Burton has described his first day playing Kunta as the start of his professional career. As a result of his performance, he was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series category. He reprised the role of Kunta Kinte in the 1988 television film Roots: The Gift . When asked about the societal influence of Roots , Burton
3075-481: The "Power of Storytelling" in the MasterClass . Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Burton directed episodes for each of the various Star Trek series then in production. He has directed more Star Trek episodes than any other former regular cast member. He has also directed episodes of Charmed , JAG , Las Vegas , Scorpion , and Soul Food: The Series , as well as the miniseries Miracle's Boys and
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3150-687: The COVID-19 pandemic , the number of unique listeners in the US decreased by 15% in the last three weeks of March 2020. Podcasting has been considered a converged medium (a medium that brings together audio, the web and portable media players ), as well as a disruptive technology that has caused some individuals in radio broadcasting to reconsider established practices and preconceptions about audiences, consumption, production and distribution. Podcasts can be produced at little to no cost and are usually disseminated free-of-charge, which sets this medium apart from
3225-409: The COVID-19 pandemic. A podcast novel (also known as a "serialized audiobook" or "podcast audiobook") is a literary form that combines the concepts of a podcast and an audiobook . Like a traditional novel , a podcast novel is a work of literary fiction; however, it is recorded into episodes that are delivered online over a period of time. The episodes may be delivered automatically via RSS or through
3300-548: The Reading Rainbow brand in marketing the new iPad app and other online media. RRKIDZ later became known as LeVar Burton Kids and the iPad app, Skybrary. In 1986, Gene Roddenberry approached Burton with the role of Lieutenant Junior Grade Geordi La Forge in the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. The character is blind but is granted "sight" through the use of a prosthetic device called
3375-528: The biopic The Tiger Woods Story . He also directed the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House starring Katey Sagal , Kevin Kilner and Jessica Steen . In August 2020, it was revealed that Burton will sit in the director's chair for Two-Front War from Lou Reda Productions, a multi-perspective docuseries will give "an emotionally raw look at the connection between the fight for civil rights in America and
3450-675: The concepts of shared noetic consciousness, having been sponsored in part by the Institute of Noetic Sciences . He appeared in an April Fool's episode of Smosh pretending to have taken over the channel and making various edits at popular Smosh videos. He makes occasional appearances on This Week in Tech , where he is a self-proclaimed "nerd", and also participated in the Consumer Electronics Show 2010. In 2010, Burton made an appearance on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as
3525-528: The development of podcasting. Curry promoted new and emerging internet audio shows in an attempt to gain traction in the development of what would come to be known as podcasting. Daily Source Code was initially directed at podcast developers. As its audience became interested in the format, these developers were inspired to create and produce their own projects and a community of pioneer podcasters quickly developed. iPodderX, released in September 2004 by August Trometer and based on earlier work by Ray Slakinski,
3600-746: The end of the episodes and for a similar length as the D&;D segment. Crittenden was also the gamemaster for this segment, with guests optionally filling the roles of some characters in the campaign. From October 2017 to June 2018, the podcast was recorded without an audience due to permit issues at Starburns Studios. The show was recorded at the Starburns Castle, a studio owned by Starburns Industries. Harmontown returned to live audience format in June of 2018 at Dynasty Typewriter at The Hayworth, in Westlake, LA. When Davis
3675-494: The exposure that releasing a free podcast gains them makes up for the fact that they are giving away their work for free. A video podcast is a podcast that features video content. Web television series are often distributed as video podcasts. Dead End Days, a serialized dark comedy about zombies released from October 31, 2003, through 2004, is commonly believed to be the first video podcast. A number of podcasts are recorded either in total or for specific episodes in front of
3750-461: The game. Crittenden happened to be an audience member when Harmon and Davis asked for assistance from the crowd with how to play D&D . Crittenden gradually became a part of the main cast. He was then hired as an assistant to Dan Harmon. Beginning in 2015, with episode #131 "Dirty Little Potato People", the Dungeons & Dragons segment was replaced with a Shadowrun game session, placed towards
3825-588: The generic term 'podcast' to accurately refer to podcasting services" and that "Apple does not license the term". However, no statement was made as to whether or not Apple believed they held rights to it. Personal Audio , a company referred to as a " patent troll " by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), filed a patent on podcasting in 2009 for a claimed invention in 1996. In February 2013, Personal Audio started suing high-profile podcasters for royalties, including The Adam Carolla Show and
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#17332713665483900-471: The ghost of himself in the episode "Greene Machine". In February 2011, he made an appearance as himself on NBC's Community in the episode "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking", and then again in January 2014's " Geothermal Escapism ". Burton has appeared as a fictionalized, humorous version of himself on The Big Bang Theory , first appearing in the episode " The Toast Derivation ", in which he almost attends
3975-660: The imagery and the sequence of display separately from the time of the original audio podcast recording. The Free Dictionary , YourDictionary , and PC Magazine define an enhanced podcast as "an electronic slide show delivered as a podcast". Enhanced podcasts are podcasts that incorporate graphics and chapters. iTunes developed an enhanced podcast feature called "Audio Hyperlinking" that they patented in 2012. Enhanced podcasts can be used by businesses or in education. Enhanced podcasts can be created using QuickTime AAC or Windows Media files. Enhanced podcasts were first used in 2006. A fiction podcast (also referred to as
4050-405: The life and times of Jesse Owens , and the life of the nine-year-old Booker T. Washington . He portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2001 film Ali . He also portrayed Detroit Tiger Ron LeFlore in the television movie One in a Million, The Ron LeFlore Story . In 1992, a clip of Burton's voice was sampled by DC Talk for the track "Time is..." on their album Free at Last . The sample
4125-591: The number-one educational application within 36 hours. At RRKIDZ, Burton serves as co-founder and curator-in-chief, ensuring that the projects produced under the banner meet the high expectations and trust of the Reading Rainbow brand. On May 28, 2014, Burton and numerous coworkers from other past works started a Kickstarter campaign project to bring back Reading Rainbow . To keep with the changing formats to which young children are exposed, his efforts are being directed at making this new program web based, following
4200-504: The podcast is often described as " Reading Rainbow for adults". Since its launch, LeVar Burton Reads has won favorable reviews, in The New Yorker and elsewhere and numerous awards, including the 2023 Webby Award for Best Art and Culture Podcast. Burton's five-word Webby acceptance speech was: "Be a better person. Read." In 2023, Burton launched a second podcast, this time for children, called Sound Detectives . Burton played
4275-521: The podcasting industry still generated little overall revenue, although the number of persons who listen to podcasts continues to grow steadily. Edison Research, which issues the Podcast Consumer quarterly tracking report estimated that 90 million persons in the U.S. had listened to a podcast in January 2019. As of 2020, 58% of the population of South Korea and 40% of the Spanish population had listened to
4350-501: The role of LaForge in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard (2023). In 2017, Burton began a podcast, LeVar Burton Reads . Each 30-45-minute episode features Burton reading a piece of short fiction and sharing his thoughts on it. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he continued to read on his podcast and also gave live readings three times a week during a Twitter livestream focused at different times to different children, young adults, and adult audiences. In reviews,
4425-483: The seminary, I walked away from Catholicism, I walked away from organized religion because I felt that there was more for me to explore in the world, and that I could do that without adhering to one specific belief system or another." In 2012, Burton joined the board of directors for the AIDS Research Alliance , a non-profit, medical research organization dedicated to finding a cure for AIDS. In 2016, Burton
4500-416: The show's guest host process, stating that the show's then executive producer Mike Richards expressed disbelief about Burton wanting the job. According to Burton, Richards also claimed to have no interest in hosting the show himself even though this was disproven by later events. However, he would later say that the experience taught him that there is a "perfect nature of all things". Burton also teaches
4575-441: The show's tonal shift in season 4 with displeasure. Harmon avoided watching season 4 of his former show for some time, but after finally viewing it, he expressed his opinion of the season during a Harmontown episode. Harmon made comments referencing Jeffrey Dahmer (a convicted serial killer and cannibal), and described his experience of watching the season as "like flipping through Instagrams and watching your girlfriend just blow
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#17332713665484650-536: The struggle for equality of Black soldiers in Vietnam". His first theatrical film direction was Blizzard (2003), for which he received a "Best of Fest" award from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival , and a Genie Award nomination for his work on the film's theme song, "Center of My Heart". Burton was an alternate board director in 2000 and was elected to the board of directors for
4725-469: The success of the tablet application he helped create in recent years. His desire is to have the new Reading Rainbow be integrated into the classrooms of elementary schools across the country, and for schools in need to have free access. The Kickstarter campaign has since raised more than $ 5 million, reaching triple its goal in only three days. In 2017, Burton was sued by the public broadcasting company WNED-TV for alleged copyright infringement for use of
4800-428: The term "iPod" or "Pod" in their products' names. By 2007, audio podcasts were doing what was historically accomplished via radio broadcasts, which had been the source of radio talk shows and news programs since the 1930s. This shift occurred as a result of the evolution of internet capabilities along with increased consumer access to cheaper hardware and software for audio recording and editing. As of early 2019,
4875-500: The term "pod" has been used by the public to refer to Apple's music player so extensively that it falls under Apple's trademark cover. Such activity was speculated to be part of a bigger campaign for Apple to expand the scope of its existing iPod trademark, which included trademarking "IPOD", "IPODCAST", and "POD". On November 16, 2006, the Apple Trademark Department stated that "Apple does not object to third-party usage of
4950-627: The term. The company amended their application in March 2006, but the USPTO rejected the amended application as not sufficiently differentiated from the original. In November 2006, the application was marked as abandoned. On September 26, 2004, it was reported that Apple Inc. had started to crack down on businesses using the string "POD", in product and company names. Apple sent a cease and desist letter that week to Podcast Ready, Inc., which markets an application known as "myPodder". Lawyers for Apple contended that
5025-865: The traditional 20th-century model of "gate-kept" media and their production tools. Podcasters can, however, still monetize their podcasts by allowing companies to purchase ad time. They can also garner support from listeners through crowdfunding websites like Patreon , which provide special extras and content to listeners for a fee. Podcasts vary in style, format, and topical content. Podcasts are partially patterned on previous media genres but depart from them systematically in certain computationally observable stylistic respects. The conventions and constraints which govern that variation are emerging and vary over time and markets; podcast listeners have various preferences of styles but conventions to address them and communicate about them are still unformed. Some current examples of types of podcasts are given below. This list
5100-434: The user's device, or streamed directly. There are several different mobile applications that allow people to follow and listen to podcasts. Many of these applications allow users to download podcasts or stream them on demand. Most podcast players or applications allow listeners to skip around the podcast and to control the playback speed. Much podcast listening occurs during commuting ; because of restrictions on travel during
5175-424: Was adopted by podcaster Adam Curry . Despite the etymology, the content can be accessed using any computer or similar device that can play media files. The term "podcast" predates Apple's addition of podcasting features to the iPod and the iTunes software. In September 2000, early MP3 player manufacturer i2Go offered a service called MyAudio2Go.com which allowed users to download news stories for listening on
5250-797: Was an African-American state legislator in Arkansas after the Reconstruction era that enfranchised African Americans in the South after the American Civil War; he was elected to represent Jefferson County in 1887. As a teen, Burton, who was raised Catholic , entered St. Pius X Minor Seminary in Galt , California, intending to become a priest. At the age of 17, questioning the Catholic faith, he changed his vocation to acting and, at 19, while an undergraduate at
5325-593: Was born in Landstuhl , West Germany. His mother, Erma Gene (née Christian), was a social worker, administrator, and educator. Burton and his two sisters were raised by his mother in Sacramento , California , United States. Burton's father, also named LeVar, was a photographer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps stationed at Landstuhl at the time of his son's birth. His paternal grandparents were both educators in rural Arkansas . His great-great grandfather, Hal B. Burton ,
5400-511: Was one of the five inaugural honorees to the Sacramento Walk of Stars. In 2019, Councilmember Larry Carr, representing the Meadowview neighborhood, led the renaming of Richfield Park to LeVar Burton Park in his honor. The park is in the Meadowview neighborhood, near the house where Burton and his sisters grew up. In 2024, while on the show Finding Your Roots , Burton discovered that he has
5475-514: Was the first GUI application for podcasts. In June 2005, Apple released iTunes 4.9, which added formal support for podcasts, thus negating the need to use a separate program in order to download and transfer them to a mobile device. Although this made access to podcasts more convenient and widespread, it also effectively ended advancement of podcatchers by independent developers. Additionally, Apple issued cease and desist orders to many podcast application developers and service providers for using
5550-432: Was the host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow starting in 1983 for PBS . The series ran for 23 seasons. After Reading Rainbow went off the air in 2006, Burton and his business partner, Mark Wolfe, acquired the global rights to the brand and formed RRKIDZ, a new media company for children. Reading Rainbow was reimagined as an all new application for the iPad in 2012, and was an immediate success, becoming
5625-587: Was unavailable, guest comptrollers included Rob Schrab , Erin McGathy , Kumail Nanjiani , Duncan Trussell , and Brandon Johnson, who eventually became Davis's regular replacement near the end of the podcast's run. Occasionally, special guests would serve as comptroller, including Mitchell Hurwitz , Bobcat Goldthwait , and—on the Harmontown movie tour— Gilbert Gottfried , Dino Stamatopoulos , Steve Agee, and LeVar Burton . From January 10–30, 2013, Harmontown went on
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