National Geographic Offers Podcasts To Tell World’s Stories

Trek through wilderness, discover Africa on foot, take virtual tour of a great city and get weekly audio and video news reports from National Geographic on iPod or portable MP3 player

WASHINGTON (Aug. 8, 2006)--National Geographic now makes it possible for consumers to take a guided walk through the streets of Venice, experience an African safari and hear the week’s top science and nature news, with audio and video podcasts for free download. Available at www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts as well as on iTunes and Yahoo!, the first offering of podcasts aims to inspire audiences to care about the planet by tapping into a wide range of newly produced and existing content from National Geographic. Of the 10 National Geographic offerings on the iTunes storefront, eight are in the top 75 downloads for this week.

“For more than a century National Geographic has crossed borders in its storytelling,” said Betsy Scolnik, vice president, content operations, National Geographic Digital Media. “Podcasting is shaping up to be the ultimate tool for crisscrossing the globe, making it easy for everyone -- from the armchair traveler to the on-the-go adventurer -- to access great stories through video, audio, music and still photos.”

Free audio podcasts from National Geographic include:

- National Geographic News -- The week’s top science and nature news, world music features, interviews with innovators, audio quizzes and a “Photos on the Radio” feature

- Afropop Worldwide -- Lively, in-depth reports on the music and culture of Africa and the Americas and their transatlantic connections

- Traveler Magazine’s “50 Walks of a Lifetime” -- Some of the greatest walking tours, including San Francisco, Tribeca (NY), Paris and Venice, selected by editors of National Geographic Traveler and narrated by radio and television travel authority Rudy Maxa

- National Geographic World Talk -- Interviews with the world’s most compelling scientists, explorers, photographers and thinkers

- The Best of National Geographic Magazine --The best of 118 years of adventure, cultures and creature features, including the award-winning Sights & Sounds

- National Geographic Minutes -- Minute-long reports on nature and science


Free video podcasts include:

- Wild Chronicles -- Rare access to unknown places and in-depth reporting from the public television series “Wild Chronicles,” hosted by Boyd Matson and made possible by National Geographic Mission Programs and Lindblad Expeditions and presented by WLIW New York

- National Geographic Video Shorts -- Videos from National Geographic, including “Mysteries of Lost Civilizations,” “The World’s Most Unusual Foods,” “Extreme Healing,” “The World’s Toughest Jobs” and spotlights on countries around the world

- National Geographic Atmosphere -- Features video with ambient sound that exposes users to exotic settings and locations

- National Geographic Spotlight -- Featuring one-on-one interviews with superstars from around the globe. From Brazilian crooners to Senegalese superstars, Spotlight lets the musicians speak for themselves.

National Geographic Digital Media (NGDM) is part of National Geographic Ventures, the wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest educational and scientific nonprofit organizations. NGDM publishes Nationalgeographic.com; manages marketing and content partnerships across broadband, mobile, gaming, and other consumer digital platforms; and provides video and film footage to commercial, theatrical, education and other digital footage markets.

Contact Information

Alexandra Nicholson

National Geographic

Contact via E-mail