Rants N’ Jibes

You don’t really have to miss an important news or highlight if you subscribe to a podcast on the station web site. Offering a mix of traditional and new media sources.

For example, here are the top sources for online news, ranked by the number of visitors (from Ars Technica):

Yahoo News
MSNBC
CNN
AOL News
New York Times
Gannett
ABC News
Google News
USA Today
CBS News

While most of these sites are offering short video and/or audio clips, some media sites are now offering premium content that they normally reserve for television or radio (together with new advertising). Did anyone see the NCAA Basketball finals on CBS.com? Did you miss seeing who was eliminated from American Idol on Fox? (you can also see their recent performances on their web site)

Most of these sites are using Adobe Flash streaming technology (like YouTube), but others are starting to use HD video plugins such as those created by American Fork, Utah company, Move Networks, including ABC, Discovery, FOX, ESPN, and Oprah.com.

BYU Television, also using Move Networks’ HD video plugin, is one of the first stations that has around the clock broadcasting content on their site.

In comparison, the lds.org site will host transcripts, video, and audio downloads of LDS General Conference once they become available, but BYU.tv promises to include live HD video of for all morning and afternoon sessions. LDS Church members in Utah may not appreciate how rare it is to be able to watch Conference in your own home around the world as it is being broadcast.

Authorities are considering charges in the bizarre case of a woman who sat on her boyfriend’s toilet for two years in Ness County, Kansas.

The 35-year-old Ness City woman’s skin had seemingly grown around the seat, said Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple. The Woman who initially refused any effort to move her was finally convinced by the police and her boyfriend.

“We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar, and the seat went with her to the hospital,” Whipple said. “The hospital removed it.”

The investigators plan to present their report to the county attorney on wednesday, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the boyfriend.

“She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body,” Whipple said.

Police initially declined to release the couple’s names. However, the boyfriend, Kory McFarren, agreed to be interviewed Wednesday by the Associated Press. He identified his girlfriend as Pam Babcock.

McFarren, 36, told investigators he took Babcock food and water and asked her every day to come out.

“And her reply would be, ‘Maybe tomorrow,’ ” Whipple said. “According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom.”

McFarren told the Associated Press that it was solely Babcock’s choice to remain in the bathroom. He said Babcock had a phobia about leaving the room because of childhood beatings.

“She is an adult; she made her own decision. It was my fault I should have gotten help for her sooner; I admit that. But after a while, you kind of get used to it,” McFarren said.