Podcasting -- the digital equivalent of the family huddled around the radio, listening to the latest episode of a detective drama in the 1940s -- has never been more popular. A 2018 Edison Research report found that 44 percent of Americans have listened to a podcast -- 124 million people per year, a 12 million increase from last year -- and more than a quarter of Americans listen to podcasts monthly. With a medium that popular, it's no wonder that Arkansas has its fair share of homegrown podcast talent. UA Professor Lisa Corrigan and comedian Laura Weiderhaft's "Lean Back" podcast is a standout and was named one of Paste Magazine's favorite podcasts of 2017. The duo recently answered three questions for What's Up! about launching "Lean Back".
Q. Tell me a little bit about how you decided to do a podcast.
FAQ
Podcasts 101
To stream a podcast, simply visit the podcast website from your phone or computer (for example, leanbackpodcast.com) and click the play button on a podcast episode.
Alternatively, iPhones come pre-loaded with an app called “Podcasts” that you can use to find and subscribe to podcasts. For Android phones, download a podcast app like Stitcher, Spreaker or Pocket Casts to find, organize and subscribe to your favorite podcasts.
In addition to the local podcasts listed here, give popular favorites like “Serial,” “This American Life,” “S-Town” and “Radiolab” a try.
FYI
There’s More!
“Lean Back” isn’t the only impressive Arkansas-grown podcast out there — try these other options from the Natural State.
Walton Biz Talk
Casual conversations about professional things: this podcast explores what it means to be a college student, how to transition into a young professional and all sorts of business, communication and professionalism topics.
Tribe Talk by Tribe of Women
Host Amy Robinson interviews with “inspirational women and men who connect to the mission of Tribe of Women.” Recent guests include Bentonville School Superintendent Debbie Jones and Dr. Tionna Jenkins.
Look What I Did
Daniel Quin and Aaron Dotson call their creation “a podcast for anyone interested in everything.” Their interviews focus on creatives in Northwest Arkansas.
Startup Junkie
This podcast tells the “stories of the people that are afflicted with creating the next great products and services that are going to change lives — not just in America, but worldwide.”
Gateways
The podcast of the World Trade Center Arkansas, this podcast covers the ins and outs of business in Arkansas.
Kindle Curiosity
Host Sarah Shotts says her the purpose of her podcast is “to create conversations that celebrate the creative spirit.”
Self-Work
The podcast of psychologist Dr. Margaret Rutherford, “Self-Work” covers topics of mental health.
A. We were having conversations regularly about how pop-feminism was hiding behind the term feminism without advancing a progressive agenda. We thought "Lean In," in particular, was failing women because it offered no transformative potential; it was basically a reiteration of patriarchal corporate norms. Lisa understands the transformative potential of feminism, and Laura saw so many people who wanted to hear what she was saying, so we wanted to publish the kinds of conversations we were having around town for a broader audience.
Q. Did either of you know anything about podcasting before launching?
A. Laura had been a podcast listener, and I was aware of the fact that podcasting was an affordable form of DIY publishing. There is a broad range of audio production that can go into making a podcast, but our approach is having authentic conversations, and we think adding a lot of advanced production techniques to our recordings would actually detract from our conversations. The hardest part of this project was just getting it started and putting everything in place to continue to record. It's really easy to record and edit after the initial setup, and we love that we're doing this ourselves.
Q. Were you surprised by how quickly you gained followers?
A. We saw how many people were engaged with Lisa's idea generation and Laura knew a lot of folks who would enjoy having access to her perspective about a broad range of social and political issues. It's exciting that we have listeners across the country that don't know either of us personally, and that we even have listeners in dozens of other countries!
-- Lara Jo Hightower
NAN What's Up on 11/18/2018