News podcast aims to connect listeners to Madison
If you're lost, get a tour guide to show you around. That's what a new podcast wants to do: help show you Madison. It's a news podcast that you can listen to when you're not watching Fox 47 News at Nine. The team behind it is partnering with another local news source you've met before. You could say they're two peas in a pod...cast.
"Ok, so, I'm going to start with the newscast," Bianca Martin said into a large microphone at her desk.
Bianca Martin needs a few moments to get warmed up. She stretches, moves her mouth, and talks a tight tizzy of terrifically textured tongue twisters. She does all this because she has a lot to say.
"And here's what else Madison is talking about," Martin said.
It's a good thing she can talk to anyone about anything.
"Yeah! Let's talk to them!" Martin said.
Martin the host of the newest podcast in town, City Cast Madison.
"We are going to be amplifying local journalism," Martin said.
Martin and executive producer, Molly Stentz, are two of the people behind the microphone. The goal is to focus on what's going on here in Madison to inform, educate, and entertain listeners.
"There really isn't a daily local news podcast every day of the week, weekdays, here in Madison that focuses on us; on what's happening here," Molly Stentz said.
The pod launched a few weeks ago. The City Cast company is national, but every team in every city is local and has a local focus. City Cast Madison is partnering with another team we've introduced you to before, Madison Minutes; a local online newsletter.
"I think, a year ago, the question we would've been asking ourselves was are we going to be here in three or six months," Sam Hoisington, a founder, said in a previous story on Fox 47.
The answer is, yes, and then some. Madison Minutes launched in 2021, and continues to grow. City Cast Madison will use news content from Madison Minutes, and essentially turn it into a podcast. Stentz says its a great fit.
"They actually talk to you like a friend. Right? It's well-written. It's got that voice. It's funny. It strikes a balance between things you ought to know and things that make your life easier," Stentz said.
The pod wants to help listeners connect to their community. Martin recently interviewed a Madison alder, and answered the question: What does an alder do?
"Funny enough, someone told me, 'I want to run after listening,'" Martin said.
If you live in Madison, there's a lot to talk about.
"We're going to introduce you to your neighbors. We're going to introduce you to people doing cool things. People doing good work in our community," Stentz said.
City Cast Madison is just getting warmed up.
"I hope people come along and we can be a resource for them and also fun. We're going to bring the important serious issues and the important joyful things. The things that connect us and make us proud, right?" Martin said.