diff --git a/digest.js b/digest.js
index 520c3d619..0e50ff4c0 100644
--- a/digest.js
+++ b/digest.js
@@ -485,6 +485,10 @@ function redraw_feedlist(feeds) {
 				"</a>" + "</li>";
 		}
 
+		if (feeds.length == 0) {
+			$('feeds-content').innerHTML = __("No unread feeds.");
+		}
+
 	} catch (e) {
 		exception_error("redraw_feedlist", e);
 	}
@@ -492,13 +496,13 @@ function redraw_feedlist(feeds) {
 
 function parse_feeds(transport) {
 	try {
+		var reply = JSON.parse(transport.responseText);
 
-		if (!transport.responseXML) return;
+		if (!reply) return;
 
-		var feeds = transport.responseXML.getElementsByTagName('feeds')[0];
+		var feeds = reply['feeds'];
 
 		if (feeds) {
-			feeds = JSON.parse(feeds.firstChild.nodeValue);
 
 			feeds.sort( function (a,b) 
 				{ 
@@ -529,12 +533,12 @@ function parse_feeds(transport) {
 
 function parse_headlines(transport, replace, no_effects) {
 	try {
-		if (!transport.responseXML) return;
+		var reply = JSON.parse(transport.responseText);
+		if (!reply) return;
 
-		var seq = transport.responseXML.getElementsByTagName('seq')[0];
+		var seq = reply['seq'];
 
 		if (seq) {
-			seq = seq.firstChild.nodeValue;
 			if (seq != _update_seq) {
 				console.log("parse_headlines: wrong sequence received.");
 				return;
@@ -543,15 +547,11 @@ function parse_headlines(transport, replace, no_effects) {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		var headlines = transport.responseXML.getElementsByTagName('headlines')[0];
-		var headlines_title = transport.responseXML.getElementsByTagName('headlines-title')[0];
+		var headlines = reply['headlines']['content'];
+		var headlines_title = reply['headlines']['title'];
 
 		if (headlines && headlines_title) {
-			headlines = JSON.parse(headlines.firstChild.nodeValue);
-
-			var title = headlines_title.firstChild.nodeValue;
-
-			$("headlines-title").innerHTML = title;
+			$("headlines-title").innerHTML = headlines_title
 
 			if (replace) {
 				$('headlines-content').innerHTML = '';
diff --git a/modules/backend-rpc.php b/modules/backend-rpc.php
index 510a9fd36..59faee7b3 100644
--- a/modules/backend-rpc.php
+++ b/modules/backend-rpc.php
@@ -695,15 +695,18 @@
 		}
 
 		if ($subop == "digest-update") {
+			header("Content-Type: text/plain");
+
 			$feed_id = db_escape_string($_REQUEST['feed_id']);
 			$offset = db_escape_string($_REQUEST['offset']);
 			$seq = db_escape_string($_REQUEST['seq']);
 		
 			if (!$feed_id) $feed_id = -4;
 			if (!$offset) $offset = 0;
-			print "<rpc-reply>";
 
-			print "<seq>$seq</seq>";
+			$reply = array();
+
+			$reply['seq'] = $seq;
 
 			$headlines = api_get_headlines($link, $feed_id, 10, $offset,
 				'', ($feed_id == -4), true, false, "unread", "updated DESC");
@@ -711,18 +714,17 @@
 			//function api_get_headlines($link, $feed_id, $limit, $offset,
 			//		$filter, $is_cat, $show_excerpt, $show_content, $view_mode) {
 
-			print "<headlines-title><![CDATA[" . getFeedTitle($link, $feed_id) . 
-				"]]></headlines-title>";
-
-			print "<headlines><![CDATA[" . json_encode($headlines) . "]]></headlines>";
+			$reply['headlines'] = array();
+			$reply['headlines']['title'] = getFeedTitle($link, $feed_id);
+			$reply['headlines']['content'] = $headlines;
 
-			print "</rpc-reply>";
+			print json_encode($reply);
 			return;
 		}
 
 		if ($subop == "digest-init") {
-			print "<rpc-reply>";
-		
+			header("Content-Type: text/plain");
+
 			$tmp_feeds = api_get_feeds($link, -3, true, false, 0);
 
 			$feeds = array();
@@ -731,9 +733,8 @@
 				if ($f['id'] > 0 || $f['id'] == -4) array_push($feeds, $f);
 			}
 
-			print "<feeds><![CDATA[" . json_encode($feeds) . "]]></feeds>";
+			print json_encode(array("feeds" => $feeds));
 
-			print "</rpc-reply>";
 			return;
 		}