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Possibility And Podcasts
Mommy Musings 08-24-22
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There’s some fun stuff happening around our building these days.

I thought about that most recently as a few of us happened to all be in the office on the same day. It’s a rarity post-COVID, as a number of us have settled into remote work and what that now looks like.

The “re-open” of the world, as it were, had some anticipating that indeed things would return to “normal” in our office space, yet as we’ve all come to learn, normal just looks different now.

There’s also the fact that our building has been for sale for quite some time, as its vast space is no longer needed for the eight to 10 bodies which occupy it. To clarify for the umpteenth time, the business is not being sold, just simply the building. Like many Americans, we too are downsizing. A smaller space (still local) makes more sense for us now, most especially when you factor in this remote work stuff.

Personally, I’m grateful that we work for a Publisher that is pro-active in a number of ways. The sale of the building/moving elsewhere, will not come easy. Many of us have reported here for well over two decades. Change isn’t always easy, but often times necessary.

This brings me to an awkward yet exciting segue, as colleague Virginia Still and I embark on another change by way of bringing information to our readers.

Before diving into that, I feel it’s first important to mention our 209 Magazine. Many seem still unclear on who exactly produces this product and is it a “side gig.” While it might be for some from other publications, for those of us calling 209 Multimedia home it is all one and the same. Simply put, the company owns all of our newspaper publications, as well as the magazine.

The magazine has been a really fun addition to our publication family. Allowing our ad reps a beautiful space to sell product into, as well as us journalists great experiences throughout the 209.

A few years back Virginia and I found a way to capitalize on the opportunity, often making it more of an adventure taking one another along on assignments. If being honest, more times than not it was V (Still’s nickname) inviting me along for dining assignments as she’s sometimes a bit more hesitant to try unfamiliar foods and well, I’m game. It’s all in the name of serving our readers, right?

I chuckle as I type that, as it makes me think of something I might say during taping of one of our recent 209 Podcasts.

That’s the fun, I want to share, which seems to be coming from a long winded build up. Earlier this summer V and I began taping a monthly 209 Podcast, which highlights the current issue of the 209 Magazine.

Now with two episodes under our belt and the third coming in early September, I can honestly say it’s been both fun and rewarding.

I shared a bit about it in this very space a few months back. The difference now versus then has to do with both confidence as well as education.

Episode two of 209 Podcast with V&T, now out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and You Tube, is definitely more than highlights from the current issue. It’s two girls, sitting and not just chatting about the 209 pages, but sharing relatable stories as well.

Admittedly it’s still very much a work in progress, the feedback we’ve received thus far however has been both positive as well as encouraging. Shoot! Even our spouses, who are not an easy sale, have shared they enjoyed this recent episode.

Truth be told, just between us, V and I are new at this Podcast world. Like many of you, we haven’t hopped into the Podcast world, so it was a bit foreign.

Now however, as I listen to others, I can’t help but think how genius this forum is. Shorter than books on tape, yes I just dated myself, more convenient than talk radio, unscripted and personal. It’s amazing.

To say it’s been fun, would be an understatement. We are both enjoying the platform and opportunity to connect with our readers/followers on a much more personal level. Even more exciting are the ideas which colleagues more savvy in this area are presenting us with for episodes to come.

I share all of this now because I almost feel as if we’ve discovered a gem of a platform which many have embraced, while others of us have not.

Us two girls are really pretty simple, opposites in some ways and similar in others. Our hope when we sit for each episode is never to get it right, but rather to simply connect. Connect with one another, entertain our producer and bring the audience not just facts and information but a smile and some fun as well.

Believe me when I say, you just simply don’t know what you’re going to get when you hit “play” on that 30-minute segment. And you know what … neither do we and therein lies the fun wrapped in sharing some facts.

Cheers to the next one, more to come and bringing the best of the 209 to each of you.

 

Teresa Hammond is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. She may be reached at thammond@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.