One of the main themes of Web 2.0 is the shift in content production from a few large distributors to the average web user. One form of this is the ease of creating a personal podcast, a series of audio or video files that can be subscribed to, making them available on demand. 
This phenomenon has been exacerbated by many factors, including the rise of microblogging, self-promotion and viral marketing on social networks, and the invention of RSS, or Rich Site Summary.
With traditional media, such as TV and Radio, if you missed your favorite show, you would have to wait for the next time it aired on TV to see it. With RSS, users can follow a blog or a podcast with just a click, automatically downloading the content when it becomes available, allowing followers to consume it at their leisure.
Although I do not personally follow any podcasts, the podcast market is huge and is still expanding, with 45 percent of Americans have listened to or watched a podcast, or roughly ~70 million Americans ages 12+. This is up from 43 percent in a study conducted the previous year.
Another statistic from the Edison Research Institute states that roughly 2/3 of podcast listeners listen to them in their vehicles via an MP3 player or equivalent device. This suggests that one of the main advantages to a podcast is being able to consume news and information without fully distracting your concentration. Someone who has an hour long commute to work in their car will not have time to read the Wall Street Journal, but they can listen to the podcast discussing the daily news on their car speaker system.
If presented with the choice, I do not believe podcasts are a good way to consume news online. One of the main advantages of consuming news in web 2.0 is that you can interact with the material and with fellow readers. If you feel strongly after reading a post, you can share you opinion in the comments, and if you get lucky, begin a conversation with other readers or the original author.
Dualsurvival 