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Yes we have a podcast, here’s how to listen

‘We are Lake Placid’ gives insider’s view of LPN editor’s interviews

People can listen to the "We are Lake Placid" podcast produced by Lake Placid News Editor Andy Flynn on their phones, using the Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and SoundCloud apps. It's easy. Search, find, subscribe and listen. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

When I launched the “We are Lake Placid” podcast in 2018, my goal was to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at the way we put together the Lake Placid News every week — by airing the interviews I conduct in order to write my stories.

Listening to the first episode with 1980 Winter Olympic hockey team backup goalie Steve Janaszak, we heard the sounds of the Olympic Center ice rink where he and his 19 teammates won the Miracle on Ice game against the Soviet Union and the gold-medal game against Finland. People were skating. Rink doors were slamming. You’re there with Janny and me, having a conversation during the annual Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp.

These are interviews I’m recording anyway for the newspaper. I thought, “Why not use the audio for a weekly podcast?” So I did. Using the production skills I’ve honed over the years from my radio production degree at SUNY Fredonia and as a reporter and correspondent for North Country Public Radio, I launched the podcast.

We even attracted a sponsor after a few months — Adirondack Health. (We could sign up more, if any businesses are interested.)

After more than two years, I’ve produced more than 100 episodes. We’ve heard from longtime residents such as Ruth Hart and Dmitry Feld, community leaders, musicians, authors, educators, high school students, politicians, athletes and more. This week, we’ll hear from author Sharon Linnea and mixologist Jamielynn Brydalski, from “The Bartender’s Guide to Murder” series, and Nicole Bureau and Amy Quinn of the Zonta Club of the Adirondacks.

What is a podcast?

While podcasts are gaining in popularity, many people still don’t know what they are. Or they don’t know how to listen.

A podcast is like a radio show on the internet. In fact, NPR repackages its radio shows into podcasts, earning extra money from ad revenue. Episodes across the board can last from a few minutes to a few hours. The top five on Apple Podcasts as of Wednesday, Oct. 7 were “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” “Full Body Chills,” “The Daily” from The New York Times, “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “Crime Junkie.”

More community newspapers are producing podcasts. I’ve recently discovered a couple from the New York Press Association family — the Sag Harbor Express and the Altamont Enterprise.

You can find podcasts on many platforms, including the ones we use — SoundCloud, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts (a purple app on your iPhone). I usually send people to Apple Podcasts since that’s how I listen on my iPhone. But you can listen on a computer or an iPad as well as a smartphone — Apple or Android.

How to listen

Listen to “We are Lake Placid” by going to SoundCloud, Sitcher or Apple Podcasts on your computer, iPad or smartphone (using the internet or downloading the free apps) and searching for “We are Lake Placid.” Hit subscribe. Then listen. When a new episode is uploaded, it will automatically show up in your feed, or “library” as it’s called in Apple Podcasts.

It’s as simple as that.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-are-lake-placid/id1388667446?mt=2

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-340941505

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/lake-placid-news/we-are-lake-placid

Fun fact: The photo for the podcast logo is Heart Lake at the Adirondak Loj, taken by LPN Editor Andy Flynn on Oct. 5, 2016.

Nerd alert — My technology

To produce the “We are Lake Placid” podcast, I use Adobe Audition 3, which only works on my home PC with a Microsoft XP operating system, for mixing the audio.

I use an Edirol R-09HR recorder, made by Roland, to record most of my interviews. I bought it in 2009. The in-person recordings are broadcast quality, but the Olympus TP-7 telephone ear microphone picks up the room’s noise, so that doesn’t work for the podcast.

With most of my newspaper interviews being conducted by phone during the early part of the pandemic, I bought a Zoom H5 Handy Recorder to tape broadcast quality phone conversations. I connect it directly to my iPhone to record the caller’s side of the conversation.

I use a professional microphone to record my voice as a separate file and merge my voice and the caller’s in Audition.

After mixing the audio, I upload the mp3 file to SoundCloud, and the RSS feed automatically uploads the episodes to our accounts for Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

The only out-of-pocket cost for the newspaper is the annual hosting fee from SoundCloud. I use my personal equipment and software, even my camera.

Starting at $1.44/week.

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