Podcasts have skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years, mostly due to their convenience. Listeners can have a podcast playing in the background as they do other work without being tied to a location by a TV show. Here on Transy’s campus, we are lucky to have an entire studio to record podcasts through the Digital Arts and Media Initiative. In the basement of Cowgill Center, a small room near the DArt 2 Lab is designed for and dedicated to recording podcasts with the best equipment possible. This room has been host to many podcasts made by students and faculty here at Transylvania, and today we will look into 5 of them.
1. The Rambler
As recently as 2019, The Rambler has hosted episodes of podcasts on various subjects around campus. The Rambler podcast focused on topics ranging from interviews with professors and students, to sports, and even to students’ reactions to the recent construction surrounding the new campus center. The Rambler podcast covered all things Transy. This was a great and easy way to get news from campus, and there have been some talks behind the scenes about starting up podcast episodes again.
2. Transy Music Tech Podcast
Transy’s Music Technology program rests under the Digital Liberal Arts Initiative, in which podcasting skills are included. The work-study program overseeing the labs uses our podcast studio to record their own podcast, the TMT Podcast. In this podcast, Leigh Kostenbader interviews other students about their work in the Digital Arts and Technology labs. With episodes highlighting Transy musician Annahelen Croce and discussing ASMR with Astrid Trucks and Carter Murphy, this podcast is going to have something for every Transy student.
3. Scott Whiddon’s Classes
Writing, Rhetoric, and Communication professor, Scott Whiddon, has been including podcast recordings in his classes as a part of his projects for quite a while now. With support from Digital Liberal Arts, students record their final pieces and submit them for a class podcast. These class workshopped pieces fit certain themes, but students are allowed to record any of the pieces they’ve written. At the end of the semester, students can listen to all of the recordings from their classmates.
4. HistoryGrave Podcast
HistoryGrave is an independent podcast recorded by students Melissa Lamb and Cait Druck. Focusing on true crime and history, this podcast is very freeform and conversational. So far, 4 episodes have been posted focusing on various true crime cases that have captivated audiences for many years. The podcast will soon feature a pair of episodes focusing on some of the Cecil Hotel’s most infamous cases. Currently hosted on Youtube, HistoryGrave is working to be hosted via Captivate, allowing listeners to find them on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
5. Carmilla
The pandemic has been one to deter theater productions, and Transy’s theater program was no exception. While the live theater was not an option, Theater Program students recorded a podcast-style production of Carmilla: A Vampiress Radio Play. The three-episode play explores female vampires in the Victorian era. This podcast was very popular around campus and allowed a foray into foley and sound design.
These are not the only podcasts coming from Transylvania’s podcast studio. The faculty-run Discovering Darwin, alumni-run Pantsuit Politics, and alumni and student duo Chillbillies Podcast also tie back to Transy.
With podcasts rising in popularity, why not dabble in recording one yourself? For more information about the Podcast Studio and recording, contact tpolashek@transy.edu
