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Getting Your News as MP3s?

Posted by Cliff on from the the-world-does-not-revolve-around-.ra dept.

GreenKiwi asks: "I've been really interested in finding a news source that has MP3s of their brodcasts. I have an iPod and download the news in text form most mornings to it so that I can find out what's going on. However, I would love to download (preferably automatically) news in the form of an MP3 that I could download to my iPod in the morning so that I could listen to the news on my way to work. The BBC has Real Audio output, but no MP3s that I can find. NPR has them for Real and WMP. I guess I could download and then convert the files. If that's possible. I'd love to hear whether anyone is doing this and how."

4 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. DIY :) by joebp · · Score: 4, Interesting
    lynx -dump ${URL} | ${YOUR_FAVOURITE_TEXT_TO_SPEECH_PROGRAM} | ${YOUR FAVOURITE_MP3_ENCODER} > outfile.mp3

    You'll probably need to tweak the voice the TTS program produces to avoid involuntarily wetting yourself laughing when it makes hilarious speak-o's.

    Also, you'll need to find a decent news site with few extraneous words and crap.

  2. Try listening to your local radio station by duffbeer703 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Most AM stations have news every half hour.

    --
    Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
    1. Re:Try listening to your local radio station by bje2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      well, the author didn't specify, where he works, or how he commutes, which is a problem when answering this question...obviously your answer is easy, if a radio is readily available...i'm going to assume that the author must not drive to work, because if he did, he could just listen to the news on his radio as you stated, and not bother asking this question...however, i'm guessing he probably lives or works in a major city, where he takes a subway, etc, making a radio/walkman useless (if he's going to the trouble to ask this)...if this *is* actually the case, then the author does need an alternative to the radio...of course, he could just throw a casette tape in his stereo while he's showering/getting ready for work/eating breakfast in the morning...tape a half hour or hour of the news...and then listen to it with a walkman on the way to work...i dunno, it's just hard to answer without having all the pertinent information....

      --

      "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
  3. Storing streaming audio as mp3 by randylea · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I use a program called Total Recorder, available at http://www.highcriteria.com/ for $11.95 (US). It records the output of Real player, M$ Media Player, or even Winamp digitally, and allows you to save the file as wav or mp3 (using Lame or Blade mp3 libraries). Even includes a timer, so you can leave the audio player running all day, with set start and stop times. Best $12 I've ever spent on software.