(Full disclosure: J.C. and the creators of the "Morning Call Time" podcast are cross-promoting each other's work; this post is one way J.C. is helping spread the word.)
The thing I miss most about being a journalist is knowing "the news" before anyone else. Working at a news outlet is like riding shotgun in the DeLorean from Back to the Future -- in a way, you can see a few days into the future, and know what's happening in the world before anyone else.
That's one of the main reasons why I dig the "Morning Call Time" entertainment news podcast. This show, hosted by industry vet Chad Gervich, is all about delivering entertainment news from leading trade publications (read: Daily Variety and others) before the mainstream press does.
Chad and his team cull the trades for the best stories, post them on mediabistro's "Fishbowl LA" blog, and create the Morning Call Time 'cast for people who work in the industry — producers, execs, agents, writers, etc. The goal: to deliver each day's headlines in a portable audio format before they get to the office. These pros have a huge leg up on the day ahead, since they've already "read" their industry's headlines.
What does this mean to folks who aren't in the biz? You're getting the news that's most important to the actual insiders of Hollywood ... and that's as cool as having your own time machine, I think. So if you love being ahead of the curve when it comes to entertainment news, Morning Call Time is killer content for your ears.
Check out the Fishbowl LA blog here, or subscribe to the Morning Call Time podcast here. Great stuff.
--J.C.