diff --git a/basis/syndication/syndication-docs.factor b/basis/syndication/syndication-docs.factor
index 5604a94dbd..47bdc3bb36 100644
--- a/basis/syndication/syndication-docs.factor
+++ b/basis/syndication/syndication-docs.factor
@@ -35,9 +35,9 @@ HELP: download-feed
 { $values { "url" url } { "feed" feed } }
 { $description "Downloads a feed from a URL using the " { $link "http.client" } "." } ;
 
-HELP: string>feed
-{ $values { "string" string } { "feed" feed } }
-{ $description "Parses a feed in string form." } ;
+HELP: parse-feed
+{ $values { "sequence" "a string or a byte array" } { "feed" feed } }
+{ $description "Parses a feed." } ;
 
 HELP: xml>feed
 { $values { "xml" xml } { "feed" feed } }
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ $nl
 { $subsection <entry> }
 "Reading feeds:"
 { $subsection download-feed }
-{ $subsection string>feed }
+{ $subsection parse-feed }
 { $subsection xml>feed }
 "Writing feeds:"
 { $subsection feed>xml }
diff --git a/basis/syndication/syndication-tests.factor b/basis/syndication/syndication-tests.factor
index 616ce2723a..3ea037352c 100644
--- a/basis/syndication/syndication-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/syndication/syndication-tests.factor
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-USING: syndication io kernel io.files tools.test io.encodings.utf8
+USING: syndication io kernel io.files tools.test io.encodings.binary
 calendar urls xml.writer ;
 IN: syndication.tests
 
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ IN: syndication.tests
 : load-news-file ( filename -- feed )
     #! Load an news syndication file and process it, returning
     #! it as an feed tuple.
-    utf8 file-contents string>feed ;
+    binary file-contents parse-feed ;
 
 [ T{
     feed
diff --git a/basis/syndication/syndication.factor b/basis/syndication/syndication.factor
index 9901fd4ce4..75c1824c78 100755
--- a/basis/syndication/syndication.factor
+++ b/basis/syndication/syndication.factor
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2006 Chris Double, Daniel Ehrenberg.
-! Portions copyright (C) 2008 Slava Pestov.
+! Portions copyright (C) 2008, 2009 Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
-USING: xml.traversal kernel assocs math.order
-    strings sequences xml.data xml.writer
-    io.streams.string combinators xml xml.entities.html io.files io
-    http.client namespaces make xml.syntax hashtables
-    calendar.format accessors continuations urls present ;
+USING: xml.traversal kernel assocs math.order strings sequences
+xml.data xml.writer io.streams.string combinators xml
+xml.entities.html io.files io http.client namespaces make
+xml.syntax hashtables calendar.format accessors continuations
+urls present byte-arrays ;
 IN: syndication
 
 : any-tag-named ( tag names -- tag-inside )
@@ -106,12 +106,15 @@ TUPLE: entry title url description date ;
         { "feed" [ atom1.0 ] }
     } case ;
 
-: string>feed ( string -- feed )
-    [ string>xml xml>feed ] with-html-entities ;
+GENERIC: parse-feed ( sequence -- feed )
+
+M: string parse-feed [ string>xml xml>feed ] with-html-entities ;
+
+M: byte-array parse-feed [ bytes>xml xml>feed ] with-html-entities ;
 
 : download-feed ( url -- feed )
     #! Retrieve an news syndication file, return as a feed tuple.
-    http-get nip string>feed ;
+    http-get nip parse-feed ;
 
 ! Atom generation