When it comes to getting news these days, the lines have become blurred as some turn to social media outlets like Facebook while others read the news from media websites.
Radio stations post videos, television stations are doing podcasts and newspapers . . . well, newspapers are trying everything these days.
“It can either be scary, or you can make it into an adventure,” says Review publisher Louise Sproule.
“We are working on so many new projects and new ways of doing things that sometimes, it feels like my very-familiar business is changing right before my eyes,” she says.
One of the newest additions to the newsroom’s workflow is The Review’s weekly podcast. The show, dubbed, “The Review Radio Hour (or less)” contains interviews gathered during the week as part of the regular news process, but also includes clips from public meetings – recorded by journalists.
What’s more, while the weekly podcast production is headed up by news editor Theresa Ketterling, she is recruiting guest hosts to come on the air and talk about what’s making the news and more often than not, what’s behind the news.
It’s all part of presenting news and information in convenient formats, says Sproule.
“It is clear to us that people still want information and they want to connect with what’s happening in their communities. The challenge for us is to re-frame our work and serve it up in many different ways,” she said.
What are some of Sproule’s favourite podcasts?
“I like almost anything on NPR, especially, This American Life, Hidden Brain and Invisibilia and I love listening to CBC programmes that I don’t have time to listen to during the day. I love serials . . . sometimes just listening to a story is so much fun. Your imagination is completely taken up by listening, unlike watching a movie, where there is so much to look at while you are listening to dialogue. The Moth, which is people telling stories in podcasts, is another fantastic thing to listen to,” she said.
“We have an amazingly creative intern named Travis Desjardins who is working behind the scenes to make all of our new initiatives possible. He does the set-up and makes everything connect for us,” Sproule explained.
Last summer, Desjardins replaced staff on holidays in the sales department. This year, the business student who concentrated on marketing and finance is working on many different Review projects.
The Review Radio Hour is available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music and TuneIn Radio.
Some interviews are conducted in part of the newsroom, which has been set up as a kind of mini radio studio. Interviews, music and bridges are assembled by Ketterling, who uploads the podcasts to SoundCloud, which makes it available on all the platforms and tracks listenership.
“We aren’t burning up the airwaves yet, but we’re fine-tuning our interview and production process. It’s a big stretch for a busy little newspaper to bring audio interviews into our daily routine,” Sproule said.
“But we’re doing it.”
Read more about podcasts and connect to some of the best podcasts happening today.