40 Minutes: The 60 Minutes Podcast

60 Minutes isn't exactly known for speaking to the youth of the world. The show has always struck me as something a more conservative and older person would watch. When I think 60 Minutes, I think of my grandparents; no offense.

However, in a weird move to me, 60 Minutes became available as a podcast. Podcasts are still a niche that hits an audience that I don't think would care for the type of journalism that 60 Minutes provides. Is it a grab at a younger demographic? Maybe they knew something I didn't or maybe I'm just getting old, but as a subscriber to the podcast, I actually enjoy it.

The 60 Minutes podcast is the same television broadcast with two differences:

1) There are no commercials, so it's not actually 60 minutes
2) It's an audio only show

At certain points, the impact of the show is lost without the visuals. Overall though, I enjoy listening to 60 Minutes podcast while I'm on the go. I like it most because the show isn't made for me.

We oftentimes get trapped looking at the world strictly from our own perspective. We consume only what we want to consume and we close ourselves out of the big picture. There are certain people in my life that I have been around that were so closed-minded to the world that I thought they were from another planet. I never wanted to be one of those people that didn't know what was happening in my own back yard, and one way I like to do that is to change my perspective.

60 Minutes is definitely a perspective-changer for me. I normally don't consume investigative newsmagazine-style content about any subject matter, let alone about subjects like the role of the FDIC, but some of it I find genuinely fascinating. I didn't even know what the FDIC was until I listened to the story on the process that happens when a bank closes. Since the banking system is different in Canada than the US, I never really thought about what happens when a bank closes. Now I know.



I posted the video above in case you were interested.

I just listened to story from this week's show about the rise of gun sales in the United States. It's a really powerful piece that strikes a chord to anyone that has an opinion on gun control. In the economic downturn, gun sales are booming. Why? And there's more to this story than just the stockpiling of guns and ammo.



I'm glad I saw that story and I never would have found that had I not taken the chance on the 60 Minutes podcast. I feel a very certain way about gun control, but there's another side to the story that I wouldn't have even thought about until I saw this. Consider me enlightened.

Even though I still find Andy Rooney's nonsensical psychobabble maddening and reminiscent of Grandpa Simpson, the show is still worth my 40 minutes.