A radio station and podcaster all in one

Thinking about podcasting but are nervous about investing in thousands of dollars of hardware?

Russell Johnson, a 30 year veteran of commercial, public and Internet broadcasting and international media projects has come up with his all-in-one box dubbed the WorldVibrations Radio Station & Podcaster--also known as the WVRS-P.

Credit: WorldVibrations

The company is taking orders now starting at $2,850 and expects to ship the product around the globe on August 22.

The box includes all the hardware and software that a person would need to start up an Internet-based radio station as well as an automated podcast studio, including streaming media encoding and production tools in a studio-quiet server box. Co-created by chipset manufacturer Via Technologies, the WVRS produces and uploads podcast MP3 files and XML files with podcasts embedded.

The Web site says, "the device is simple to operate, making it easy for people with no previous radio experience to schedule and broadcast anything from local arts performances, sporting events, church services or town council meetings to a professional 24 hour a day music or information radio station while producing on-demand podcasts."

Johnson's box does come with a couple of disclaimers. One is a reminder that you need to own or have licensed rights to your music or programming. The other is that you need to have access to a streaming server--your own or your Internet service provider's--as a few ISPs will not allow streaming on their systems and will automatically shut you down.

And if you hadn't heard, CNET News.com also has its own daily podcast.