My two cents on NPR deciding not to promote podcasts.

1. It makes sense when you realize that the radio stations and the sources of programming are often independent of each other.
2. I think it's good, because this will let independent channels of distribution develop that build on the realities of the net, not radio broadcasting. 
3. We still haven't broken through the journalism barrier. Reporters and analysts mainly listen to each other. Trying to get good ideas on the agenda of professional news people, even if they have Twitter accounts and email addresses, is virtually impossible if you aren't one of them or don't use a PR firm to approach them. We need to break this barrier. 
4. NPR is a silo, an old one. Silos, by design, stifle communication. Too much of the current news system is built around that.
5. Upton Sinclair: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
6. We talk about breaking free of The Establishment when it comes to political parties, but what we really need to do imho is break free of the media. They openly brag that they profit from the destruction of the US political system. I think that's true to some extent of NPR too. 
7. So if we want new politics, we must have new media. 
8. Honestly, I think we have an oversupply of new podcast content, and along with it we have an inadequate discovery system. We need to try out new ideas there. Ones that aren't limited by the limits of radio. 
9. I'm a blogger, and one of the creators of the podcast medium, and I don't mind promoting new podcasts. You might try broadening your reach to influencers. Right now I get zero new ideas from the industry, I only hear about their podcasts when I ask friends for recommendations. 
10. Be creative, and also listen more. Radio is basically one-way. The secret is the podcast medium doesn't have to be.