Continuing on with our GovLoop 2010 lists of awesomeness, it’s time to give credit where credit is due to the Top 5 Government Podcasts of the year. Podcasts are everywhere. You can literally find a series on practically any topic you can think of! But these podcasts stand out. They are relevant and important to all listeners, and really do provide some terrific insider information. Below is my list of the Top 5 Government Podcasts of 2010. They range from state/local to federal channels and series.
5. State of California Multimedia Podcasts: California knows where it’s at. It has multiple series of podcasts for multiple viewers. From a monthly cast that highlights a different California State Park to narrated audio tours of the Bay Area, including printable maps, California’s podcasting suits any interest. The Museum podcasts take you into the San Diego Zoo and The Monterey Bay Aquarium, or even the California Academy of Sciences. The California podcast site is easy to navigate, and also includes (My favorite part) a listed section of ItunesU media for each public school in the State.
4. NASA- Shuttle and Station Video/Audio Podcasts– We’ve all seen the various “space” movies (Apollo 13 is one of my favorite movies of all time), but who wouldn’t want to learn more about all that goes into a space shuttle launch. NASA’s podcast takes you inside all of the preparation that goes into putting our hardworking Astronauts into space.
3. The Pentagon Channel- Freestyle Iraq– I have a great amount of pride and respect for our service men and women. Having friends and family members who are in the military, but only knowing a few who have served overseas in Iraq, I found the Pentagon’s podcast series “Freestyle Iraq” incredibly interesting. The podcast series takes you into the lives of troops while on tour in Iraq. It is an unconventional look at the hobbies and lifestyles of these women while they are deployed. We get so used to seeing the daily news cycle with stories about the war in Iraq, but rarely do we ever see what is done during down time.
2. Your Weekly Address– I think most of us are used to weekly meetings. We all get together with our fellow staff and supervisors to discuss the latest news and happenings at our respective offices. The goal is to keep everyone informed and on task. I love weekly meetings. How great is it that we can have a weekly “meeting” with our Commander and Chief?! Yes, I’m talking about President Obama’s Weekly Address. We no longer have to wait for the State of the Union to hear from our President. This is what I would consider the ultimate staff meeting.
1. NOAA-Making Waves and Diving Deeper– I’m giving props to NOAA for keeping us updated on the latest Oceanic news in 2010. The podcast channel has featured ‘casts’ on oceanic phenomenons such as Tsunamis and an introduction to hurricane season. However, the reason NOAA made the top spot on my list was because of its attention to the BP gulf oil spill which occurred in April. I know NOAA has a wonderful communications team who did everything they could during the spring and summer of 2010 to inform the public about the spill. The podcasts did the same. They were informative about the spill itself as well as response efforts. Hat’s off to you NOAA, for keeping us in the loop about our precious gulf waters.
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