Podcasting on the ropes?

I just posted an essay on The Industry Standard about podcasting, and why it is failing. I've been meaning to write about this topic for a while, as my experience with podcasting at Computerworld was fun but frustrating, in terms of the ability to engage with listeners and build an audience.

But the tipping point was a comment in this Slashdot thread, claiming that podcasting was a disruptive technology and suggesting that there are lots of listeners. In my response on TheStandard.com, I did a little digging and found some numbers that describe podcasting's reach. I also gave some reasons why podcasting has struggled over the last few years. Check out the essay, and let me know what you think ...