The Canadian arm of professional services firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers today announced a series of business podcasts which explores “key issues” affecting businesses during an economic downturn.

The podcast series, “Strategy Talks,” shares strategies companies can use to address the problems facing companies today. The episodes will feature interviews with PwC “thought leaders” about the recession, and offer insight and practical advice on how companies can weather the troubled economic climate.

The premiere podcast episode, titled “Surviving the Economic Crisis: PwC’s Perspective,” features a discussion with an executive in PwC’s Restructuring and Distress Strategy Group and the Credit Crisis Task Force at PwC, offering what the company calls “real-world coping strategies for businesses in this economic downturn.”

A second episode (already available online) covers the topic of “Restructuring in a Down Economy”, with an official from the PwC Corporate Advisory & Restructuring group, with a discussion of some of the key differences between restructuring a company in good times, and in bad.

The Strategy Talks podcasts can all be found here: pwc.com/ca/strategytalks. The RSS feed is here.

Photo: “Victim of an Economic Downturn?” by Barney.Craggs

The U.S. Small Business Administration has recently upgraded its podcast resources for small business owners. The SBA is an independent federal government agency which works to “aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.”

The SBA podcasts introduce small business topics, and provide business information and advice for entrepreneurs (and for people considering starting their own business). Recent topics include Financing A Business, Getting Your Small Business Ready for Tax Season and a helpful Checklist for Starting a New Business. Upcoming podcasts will detail ideas for staying afloat in a slowing economy, incorporating “green” business practices, and developing your business plan.

The podcasts are “bite-sized” (ten minutes or less), with interviews from experts in government, industry and business. The SBA pledges that it will be adding additional feeds every month on additional small business topics. Podcasts and additional small business resources can be accessed online here. The feed for the podcast series is here.

photo: wili_hybrid

Lifestyle podcast publisher Personal Life Media have added ten new shows to their network, bringing the total to 35 weekly audio programs and one daily vidcast, along with their companion blogs.

The focus of the new shows ranges widely: from hobby-related digital photography, literature and genealogy, to conversations about lifestyle design and holistic health, to indie music discovery. There is also a motivational show for sales professionals in the “business empowerment” category.

New PLM shows include:

• Digital Photography Life - Make Every Shot Count: Digital Camera Reviews and Tutorials
• Camera Dojo: Digital Photography Enthusiasts
• TheDivaCast: Encouragement, Work Life Balance, Girl Talk, Women’s Issues
• Music For Midnight: Downtempo, TripHop, Ambient, Lounge, Chill and Independent Electronica
• Family History: Genealogy Made Easy
• Life Zero: Adventures in Zen and Lifestyle Design
• Sales Magic: Motivations, Meditations and Visualizations to Kick Your Assets Into Action!
• Words to Mouth: Women’s Novels & Non-Fiction, Author Interviews and Book Reviews
• Dear Zanny: Relationship Advice from a Family Therapist
• Modern Immortal: Unleash Your Vitality, Alternative Medicine, Holistic Health, Wellness and Longevity

Camera Dojo, Life Zero and Music for Midnight are produced by podcasters who recently joined forces with PLM. TheDivaCast, Dear Zanny, Modern Immortal and Words to Mouth came to PLM from other content networks. Digital Photography Life and Family History are new offerings from established podcasters. And Sales Magic is a “new concept” show co-created by Susan Bratton, Personal Life Media CEO.

According to PLM officials, web traffic has increased 128% for the year, in addition to more than doubling the content offering since the network’s launch 18 months ago. One thousand episodes have been produced featuring nearly 600 guests, resulting in more than six million downloads.

The University of Florida Warrington College of Business has introduced its first podcast, Tuesdays with Tosi.  Hosted by Henry Tosi, a McGriff professor of management, the weekly podcast features conversations with some of the business college’s leading researchers and entrepreneurs addressing such topics as management, finance, entrepreneurship and marketing.

In the first podcast, Tosi talks with Mark Lutz, J.C. Penney professor of marketing, on the topic of the “recreational shopper.” Schedules for the next three episodes are currently posted on the Warrington College of Business Web site at www.cba.ufl.edu/. Planning for new episodes through April 2007 is under way.

Tuesdays with Tosi is the first ongoing series for the college.

In addition to “Tuesdays with Tosi,” the college plans to create a podcast featuring the dean of the college and guest speakers to the college, who will share stories from their own business experiences.“It is a great way to showcase the alumni and faculty of the Warrington College of Business,” Tosi said. “We want to get as many of them in front of the world as we can.”

StreetIQ.com today announced the official launch of its newly redesigned website and expanded its coverage of business podcasts to include over 250 channels and access to more than 30,000 shows.

“We have…refined our editorial focus in light of the increase in the amount of content created by professionals in corporate communications, public relations and investor relations,” said Stephen Malaster, founder and director of programming of StreetIQ.com.

“The new website represents the first of many initiatives here at StreetIQ.com to help marketers engage their customers while enabling content publishers to reach the widest audience possible,” added Wing Yu, editor-in-chief of StreetIQ.com.

StreetIQ.com offers a wide variety of business programs published by mainstream media companies, radio broadcasters, corporate communications professionals and independent podcasters that can be easily accessed at the website or downloaded as podcasts for replay on portable media devices.

Content is sorted alphabetically and organized by categories and interests, including the latest business news, stock talk, CEO interviews and earnings calls.

Harvard Business School Publishing recently introduce the HBR IdeaCast, a bi-weekly podcast featuring management ideas and commentary from the authors and editors of Harvard Business School Publishing.

Each HBR IdeaCast is approximately twenty minutes in length and is usually comprised of two segments. A recent episode discussed marketing to avatars (MP3), people’s online alter-egos.