New media uptake is problematic. When it comes to podcasts, the percentage of the American population consuming such media through its present distribution channels is under 25%. The Pew Internet & American Life Project pegs such at 19%. The full report paints a trend that male college graduates are primary consumers of such content.
What if this could change? It presently seems axiomatic that those that want Internet access have it and three out of five have broadband at home. In the midst of economic woes like now, what if the distribution channel for podcasts could be changed to allow for communal experience without everybody paying to download the same content at the same time?
There are historical precedents for such communal content consumption. How could they be modified for today?