Do you like your news fresh off the Internet and delivered on-demand, in 3-5 minute packets by a perky Manhattanite? If so, then surf on over to Rocketboom.com and see what you’re missing.

Rocketboom is a three minute daily video web log (vlog) based in New York City. It was created and is co-produced by Andrew Baron. Rocketboom is co-produced and hosted by the effervescent Amanda Congdon. According to the site, Rocketboom specializes in covering and creating a wide range of information and commentary from top news stories to quirky internet culture. With a heavy emphasis on international arts, technology and weblog drama, Rocketboom is presented via online video and widely distributed through RSS.

Rocketboom is different from most vlogs in that it is not a single individual’s personal video journal. The word “vlog” represents a video evolution of the text-based “blog”, or web log–also known as one’s personal, daily web journal. Think of it as your teen diary but without a lock, available for the entire planet to paw over. Rocketboom represents a revolution of the genre. It is a hybrid of nightly news and a magazine-type television show. In Rocketboom, the narcissistic, instant-gratification, on-demand nature of vlogging has been refined into an organic, legitimate newsgathering and news delivery experience involving many personalities instead of only one.

The programming relies on the investigation of and presentation of international arts, technology and weblog drama. Like the great news organizations of the Golden Era, Rocketboom employs a global network of reporters. Unlike the great news organizations of the Golden Era, Rocketboom’s network is a coterie of amateur-yet-earnest independent observer/reporters. They gather the interesting aspects of their particular locales and then stream them back to New York City. From there, like an experienced blackjack dealer, host Amanda Congdon, dispenses the news. Imagine Edward R. Murrow meets Mr. Rogers’s Neighborhood, all dolled up in a frilly pink frock!

A key component in Rocketboom’s success is the way Andrew Baron designed it to be distributed. It is available on demand in Quicktime, Windows MediaPlayer, and Torrent (p2p bit torrents) for web streaming. Rocketboom is also distributed on mobile devices through iTunes and Video iPod proprietary software and 3gp for most cell phones that can play video. Additionally, as long as you have one of the aforementioned media players on your computer, Rocketboom automatically launches once you surf to the site.

Rocketboom’s Baron claims that the website is currently targeted at “innovators, technological leaders, futurists, trend-watchers, cutting edge internet users and media observers, including bloggers and journalists.” Despite all his high-falutin’ pretentions, the website is definitely moving toward the mainstream. Evidence of this is a “CSI” episode last season featuring a snippet Amanda Congdon in her role as anchor for Rocketboom.

Rocketboom also made history recently when it entered into an agreement with the Digital Video Recorder pioneer, TiVo. Through that agreement, TiVo airs Rocketboom programming via TV over Internet protocol. In other words, this is the first time that traditional, mainstream television audiences can experience Internet programming on their TV.

To summarize, Rocketboom is easy to use, quirky enough per episode to warrant repeated surfing and offers original programming five days per week.

Finally, Rocketboom rates a “T”, appropriate for teens and older.