I’m back from my first no-kid, no-editorial vacation I’ve had since 2008. I needed an opportunity to clear my head and give some deep thought to what we are doing here at TCI.
When I launched Red Kite Prayer in 2009, reading content about cycling was popular and podcasts were barely a thing. However, in the 11 years hence, podcasting has become a medium by which a great many people digest content about their hobbies and obsessions.
The success of The Paceline Podcast and the feedback we have received sparked a conversation between Robot, Cush and me. We asked the question: What if we delivered more content in sound form than written form?
Look, I get it. Reading, much as I love it, is demanding. When you’re reading, you’re not doing anything else. But a podcast can be listened to while washing dishes, driving to work, wrenching on bikes, heck, even while on a ride. Given the time demand that long-form work imposes on the reader, and our desire to find a way to deliver work of the quality we want, rather than simply resorting to writing nothing longer than 300 words, we have decided to proceed with some new initiatives.
In the coming months, we will be launching some new podcasts. We will offer some limited series productions as well as shows that will be produced as continuing series.
You haven’t seen much content from me for the simple fact that I’ve been working feverishly behind the scenes on our first offering, “Revolting,” which is a new show featuring Robot and Stevil Kinevil of All Hail the Black Market (not to mention his column for us, “Answers from a Bottle”). My background in recording engineering make me the the logical producer, engineer and production intern.
I’m also excited to announce that we will be producing a limited series based on my series of pieces I wrote on the birth of my son, Matthew, called “Enter the Deuce.” For those who didn’t read the original series, it documents his birth and experience of spending some 39 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, prior to receiving a life-saving operation. Readers have often told me it’s the most powerful writing I’ve ever published, and some of the most powerful writing they’ve encountered on the experience of a troubled birth. It seemed an interesting opportunity to explore the medium for long-form work.
We hope you dig the new offerings and would love to hear your perspective. You can check out the first two episodes of Revolting here and here.
Noooo!!!!!! I just can’t listen to podcasts. They don’t work for me at all. I don’t think I have ever listened through an entire podcast about anything. I’ve tried, countless times. I know I must be missing out on some good stuff, but I can’t do it. I can read an article in 2 minutes and get all the information needed out of it. Sitting and listening to people talking for 40+ minutes to eventually impart that same amount of useful information to me? Nope. It’s just not going to happen.
@Dad Cat – I get it. It’s a real conundrum. As a group of writers, we’d love nothing more than to be able to write and write and write. I think it’s frustrating to each of us that humans don’t like to read as much as they used to. But times change, and we adapt. There will still be plenty of articles there. We’re not going to stop writing. But, we do also have to give folks who like to listen, while doing errands, or walking the dog, or whatever, something to listen to.
I remember the “Deuce” essays. At the time, I had a friend with a grandchild going through similar experiences with the child spending a long time in NICU. I was really moved thinking about what you were going through. This sounds like a really interesting project.
Regarding podcasts, I listen to quite a few and always come to the realization during grand tour seasons that I really don’t need to listen to 3 different daily podcasts from the various outlets (Cycling Podcast, CyclingTips, and Velonews) but end up consuming most of them anyway. I’ve enjoyed and am enjoying the various incarnations of the Paceline. The Pull was quite good too. The crusty old and new timers behind the cycling industry have some interesting stories to tell. All the folks associated with TCI are creative in different media, so I will give all your new feeds a listen.
I’m with dad cat. I’ve never finished a podcast. I respect the art of thinking about what to write, writing it, and critically reviewing and re-writing it. I don’t watch post-race/game interviews either; any fool can blabber. (I also don’t read Twitter or Facebook).
Given that most of the (new) podcasts I plan to do are entirely scripted, there’s no real reason not to post the text here for those who read. We’re not looking to cut out audience members, but rather grow our work in a way that allows more people to digest it. That said, I do plan to renew The Pull and I can say that for interviews, no other format makes sense. I can write the questions, interview someone, do the edits, mix it and post it inside of three hours if my attention isn’t broken. To post an interview in print can be a week-long process. Transcription (even when using some of the voice-to-text software) is incredibly time consuming.