ClickZ marketing guru Pete Lerma has some interesting thoughts on the state of placing podcast sponsorships.

“If ever there was a next big thing in online advertising, this is it. We’ve recently helped one of my agency’s clients, Travelocity get in on the podcast sponsorship movement, redirecting online ad dollars to this promising alternative channel,” writes Lerma.

“The first thing you need to know is, at this point, this is a very manual process,” he adds.

Verio has introduced a hosted podcasting tool to help small business customers publish podcasts.

Verio’s new podcast function lets customers set up and manage RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feeds, a kind of XML format file that is needed to deliver audio and video podcasting from their site. Customers create and record the podcast audio or video content separately – the Verio tool is designed to make it easy for business users to more easily post and distribute the podcast files.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs offers his recommendation for keeping current with technology:”You know, you keep on innovating, you keep on making better stuff,” notes Jobs. “And if you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year.”

A California state appeals court ruled in favor of the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF’s) petition on behalf of three online journalists Friday, deciding that the online journalists have the same right to protect the confidentiality of their sources as offline reporters do.

“Today’s decision is a victory for the rights of journalists, whether online or offline, and for the public at large,” said EFF Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl, who argued the case before the appeals court last month. “The court has upheld the strong protections for the free flow of information to the press, and from the press to the public.”

The Chrysalis Group, a UK media firm, is vowing to push into podcasting. CEO Richard Huntingford said that he had a team of employees investigating online opportunities in an effort to exploit Chrysalis’s key radio brands, which also include Galaxy and LBC.

The comments came as Chrysalis reported a sharp fall in interim profits to £1.4 million, from £4.3 million a year earlier, amid challenging times for the advertising market.

Defeated Singapore Democratic Party candidate Ms Chee Siok Chin has filed a summons in the High Court asking it to declare the results of the 2006 General Election null and void. She also wants the High Court to declare the ban on podcasting during the general election as unconstitutional.

“The banning of podcasting and blogging in GE 2006 amount to intimidation, vote-buying, and censorship which contravenes the Parliamentary Elections Act,” said Chee Siok Chin.

In 2005, the Singapore Democratic Party adopted podcasting as a tool for political speech. Earlier this year, political podcasting, video podcasting and streaming video were banned in Singapore.

This weekend, the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, better known as the Indy 500, will celebrate its 90th running. The auto race, considered to be the largest single-day sporting event worldwide, is held annually over Memorial Day weekend.

The IndyCast is the official podcast of the Indianapolis 500 and will feature extensive race coverage through May 28th.