When the City of Spartanburg Podcast began more than five years ago, the thinking behind it was relatively simple. First, humanize local government. The podcast created an opportunity for listeners to literally hear the voices and get to know the personalities of the people who spend their days serving the residents of our city, with the hope being that folks would recognize that all these “government bureaucrats” are, in fact, human beings, and that the reasons behind the policies enacted in the City of Spartanburg are human reasons.
Second, the hosts wanted to tell the story of Spartanburg at a time when its transformation was just beginning. They wanted to get to know the people behind that transformation and hear why Spartanburg mattered to them.
Those initial episodes show then City Communications Manager Will Rothschild and then local resident Christopher George finding their footing, figuring out how exactly this podcast thing should be done. Over the years that followed, the rapport strengthened, the questions got better, the local resident became a City Staff member, and the podcast equipment got fancy enough to cut out the amateurish background noise…at least a little bit.
With Rothschild’s departure last year however, the podcast became a one-person show, and while they’ve done some compelling episodes since, the chemistry between two hosts that can make a simple interview more compelling wasn’t there anymore. The essence of what the podcast had been was lacking in some ways.
On this episode of the City of Spartanburg podcast, the podcast hosts are addressing that issue and taking the City News Podcast back to its roots, bringing back the engaged local resident perspective that made the storytelling work in those early days, by introducing a new co-host, Meghan Smith.
Previously appearing as a guest on the podcast, Meghan will take the podcast in directions which haven’t yet been explored, bringing to the show her passion for people and their stories, a deep wealth of local knowledge, and the perspective of someone who truly cares about Spartanburg, not just as a place to invest or a place to play, but as a real community, a place to create a home and raise a family. So join all of us in welcoming the new City News Podcast co-host, Meghan Smith!
Want to listen to the City of Spartanburg podcast on your iOS device? Follow this link to subscribe through iTunes. Android user? Find it on the Google Play store here. Got Stitcher? Follow this link to listen. Podcast theme music provided by Spartanburg singer-songwriter, David Ezell.
(Content by City of Spartanburg.)