We introduced The Distance podcast in February as a companion to our longform written stories about businesses that have stood the test of time. In just a few months, we’ve learned an incredible amount about creating audio narratives and had a great time doing it—so much so, in fact, that we’ve decided to make the podcast the sole format for The Distance.
By focusing on just one medium, we’ll be able to bring you new stories every other week. Our last written story will run in early July. In the meantime, check out our bonus episode featuring Jason Fried talking to Shaun Hildner about his fascination with all things old and why he started The Distance. We’ll have another new episode next week, and it’s a good one—there are sandwiches involved! So please subscribe via iTunes or the podcast app of your choice. And if you like what you hear, we’d love it if you could rate and review us on iTunes.
The Distance podcast features compact, powerful stories about old-line businesses that you don’t often hear about, like an auto salvage yard with a famously dated TV ad or a floral shop that sells 25,000 roses every Valentine’s Day. The response from readers of The Distance over the last year has been really encouraging, and we’re looking forward to bringing you even more under-the-radar business stories in audio form. Please tune in and let us know what you think!
Jay
on 18 Jun 15I’m really sad to hear that personally – audio/video content is just not something that’s as easy for me to consume and enjoy. Not speaking for others obviously, just me. But that’s really disappointing as I’ve enjoyed many of these stories, I’ve read all of them. Good luck with the change.
Rick
on 18 Jun 15@Jay
Podcasts aren’t easy to consume but they are sure easy to make.
I’m sure what happened was that readership was low and production cost were way high.
Wailin
on 18 Jun 15@Jay, thanks for your kind words and for having read our stories.
As for @Rick’s assertion, we are looking to build a bigger audience by producing stories with greater regularity. It was difficult to create momentum with just one story a month, and it is indeed easier to scale up the podcast than the written stories, which involved more people. Still, I wouldn’t describe the podcast we’re doing as easy to make. The audio stories we’re producing require the same amount of time to report and write, and we’re hoping they carry the same narrative weight as the longform stories did, even if the format changes.
Louis
on 19 Jun 15Podcasts are for idiots with too much time on their hands.
I love SvN because it’s short and to the point.
Glenn
on 19 Jun 15It seems to me that one format should support the other. Sometimes visuals are important, sometimes there is more that you can put into the writing, but audio is super important. Plus, I assume that this is monetized, and isn’t it better to have different options for advertising purposes?
One of my favorite shows is “Country Life” on Radio New Zealand. They have found a perfect balance and they put it together well. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/countrylife/20150403#audio-20173491
Mig Reyes
on 22 Jun 15@Glenn, The Distance isn’t monetized. Wailin is the sole full-time staffer working on the podcast (and formerly, the written stories) exclusively. She gets time and help from other Basecamp team members including myself, Shaun, and Michael for design, videos, and photography. Nate Otto, our resident illustrator, also chips in his time.
This discussion is closed.