Every blog now and then has to cave and do a top ten list. I don’t know who started the trend but I’m sure it wasn’t David Letterman who’s now the man I always associate with top tens. So in keeping the tradition of arbitrary list of things people like, I’m starting off with a list of about something I spend at least an hour a day consuming; Podcasts.
Sara Bynoe’s Top Ten Podcasts (in a slightly particular order -but really, I love them all)
10- KCRW’s The Business. It’s everything you need to know about the film and TV industry. The show is produced in LA and features weekly banter with journalists with their fingers on the pulse of Hollywood industry gossip. If you like this you’ll also like KCRW’s The Treatment.
9-Savage Love Podcast. It’s Dan Savage from Savage love in a podcast. Nuff said.
8- The Nerdist. Relatively new to the podcast scene, at the time of writing this article they’ve produced only 14 episodes. It’s a podcast by nerds and for nerds. Only they’re comedy nerds. Jim Gaffigan (Hot Pocket!), Eugine Mirman (some e-cards) and The Muppets have all been guest thus far.
7- Slate’s Culture Gabfest. By listening to the gabfest I found out about Chat Roulette weeks before my friends even heard of it thanks to the very well informed culture writers from Slate. I like to steal their opinions and use them as my own to make myself appear smarter at parties.
6- CBC Radio’s – Q. You may know about this radio show because it was the place where Billy Bob Thornton pulled a diva and called Canadians “mashed potatoes without the gravy.” Host Jian Ghomeshi is a fantastic interviewer who does his research covering arts and the media from Canada and the world beyond.
5- The New Yorker Out Loud – It’s a shortconversation with a writer from one of the weekly feature articles from the New Yorker. I like it because I don’t always have time to read the articles or buy the magazine but I can still get a great amount of information in a brief period of time.
4- The Moth – The best stories told from their live storytelling events in the USA. Always engaging, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking. Sometimes storytellers are well known writers or performers other times they’re NYPD retires or social workers.
3- Stop Podcasting Yourself. Even though I’ve been a guest on this podcast twice I would listen to it even if I didn’t know the hosts. In the style of Jordan, Jessie, Go! (another awesome comedy podcast with the host of a fantastic podcast I should have put on this list The Sound of Young America) Vancouver comedians Dave Shumka and Graham Clarke hang out with a funny guest and shoot the shit. It’s like hanging out with your friends, if your friends were really funny people. My favorite part of the podcast is their overheards. Warning this podcast has caused me to laugh out loud on crowded subways where people shoot me glares and think I’m crazy.
2- RadioLab. They make science fun! It’s as if This American Life (see #1) focused on science and not stories, except that RadioLab tells science stories. Always engaging. Very well produced. Often LOL.
1- This American Life. Predictable choice for those of you that already follow podcast but TAL is a show that will stay with you for ages. There are stories on this show that have caught in a tractor beam of wonder standing still with my laundry in my arms. My most favorite episodes are: #339 The Break Up- especially the part where Starlee Kine works with Phil Collins to make the most perfect break up song and #355 Giant Pool of Money – explains the housing crisis in the US in the most effective way I’ve heard it explained.
Sara Bynoe 
Are you telling me that you don’t listen to, and love, Wiretap?
Je suis surprised.