Ahh, you are saying the Economists app just uses RSS behind the scenes? Why didn't I think of that!?!
This actually solves real problems for me as I have to often drive through areas where I have no coverage, and I listen to the economist (much to the chagrin of my wife who is riding with me).
Thanks!
edit: Found the info, its actually on the Economists site (looks like you have to login):
Basically, you can get an rss feed with credentials imported into podcast app of your choice and just download the episode before going offline.
I prefer this approach since 1) It works offline 2) I can use podcast player of my choice with much better UX than the economist app