Newspapers are looking at Podcasts as a way of reaching out to readers (ie: New York Times now publishes it’s front page and sections of the paper, like science news, as a daily or weekly podcast).

Here’s an article on the next big thinks for Newspapers

… the idea being that people may choose to get their news first thing in the morning from the paper’s podcast rather than the print edition or Web site.

At Florida’s Naples Daily News, a Scripps-owned newspaper, podcasting is well under way, and vodcasting is set to debut in April. For both of those initiatives, the goal is to produce broadcast-quality, professional audio and video work — and to get away from the amateur sounds and sights of some of the newspaper industry’s early experiments with podcasting and vodcasting.

…. typical news podcast, at least five different voices can be heard in addition to the boilerplate professional voice work — an indication of the buy-in from the newsroom. The podcasts also aim to drive listeners to the paper’s Web site and to the print edition.

…danger in getting "too professional" in newspaper podcasting is that it becomes just a clone of traditional TV newscasting — something most newspaper podcast pioneers say they’re trying to avoid. "I think there’s room for something that’s different, and perhaps quirkier, than broadcast news," says Asakawa. "Podcasting is still at a stage where that DIY ethic informs the sound more than the need for strict structure and a bunch of rules."

I find that listening to a Podcast on my IPod - it’s easier to absorb information than if I read the material (most of the time).