In your opinion, what constitutes a good paranormal podcast/broadcast?

SilentRunning

Honorable
I'm asking for reasons of the future project, so I'm sure you can put two and two together and come up with what said future project is...would this count as doing market research?

Personally, aliens to me aren't that big of a deal. I believe they're out there. I believe we've had some form or other of contact. I also don't believe that there will be any sort of official declaration one way or the other for at least one more generation, and I think that all of the old stuff has been gone over ad nauseam, ad infinitum -- and these days, video and photo evidence is just far too easily faked.

I've got kind of the same issue with cryptids/Sasquatch -- my kid could probably make the Patterson film now in a day or two, and we don't even have Photoshop. I do still find them fascinating, I'm just not sure how provable anything is anymore.

Ghosts have always and always will fascinate me, the concept of consciousness surviving after death in one form or another is something that piques the curiosity of mankind in general, I think.

Elementals/Faerie Folk/Forteana/Portals/Witchcraft & Sorcery/Alternative History (the Ratline, weird Americana like Robert Schneck writes about, etc)/Unexplained Mysteries are all topics that I think deserve their own place as well on a paranormal themed podcast.

But what do you think?
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
I'm asking for reasons of the future project, so I'm sure you can put two and two together and come up with what said future project is...would this count as doing market research?

Personally, aliens to me aren't that big of a deal. I believe they're out there. I believe we've had some form or other of contact. I also don't believe that there will be any sort of official declaration one way or the other for at least one more generation, and I think that all of the old stuff has been gone over ad nauseam, ad infinitum -- and these days, video and photo evidence is just far too easily faked.

I've got kind of the same issue with cryptids/Sasquatch -- my kid could probably make the Patterson film now in a day or two, and we don't even have Photoshop. I do still find them fascinating, I'm just not sure how provable anything is anymore.

Ghosts have always and always will fascinate me, the concept of consciousness surviving after death in one form or another is something that piques the curiosity of mankind in general, I think.

Elementals/Faerie Folk/Forteana/Portals/Witchcraft & Sorcery/Alternative History (the Ratline, weird Americana like Robert Schneck writes about, etc)/Unexplained Mysteries are all topics that I think deserve their own place as well on a paranormal themed podcast.

But what do you think?
I too have become less and less interested in regular ufology (and cryptozoology for that matter). I think there's just something inherently unsatisfying about it.

I now find the high strangeness stuff and weird stories (into which I'd place most of the things you mention there) way more interesting - partly because I think it speaks to the fluidity of human perception and how the brain (or mind if you prefer) creates reality.

I also think there is something more frightening and hence fascinating about normal "regular" reality being broken. It is one of the reasons why psychotic illness can be so devastating to a person.

BTW Robert Schneck is always a fantastic guest. I love the weird stories he finds and I believe he has been on Project Archivist at least twice - well worth a listen if you are a fan.

Also just wanted to add about the original question here are the things that I think make a good podcast show:

1. Variety. Too many shows stick to just one topic or specialised area (e.g. just UFOs, or just bigfoot) and it gets boring fast. This also includes not doing just interviews all the time or stories. A good mix helps. When it comes to guests it is also important to interview new people. It gets tiresome when the same handful of people appear on every show.
2. More than one host. Although some hosts are good enough to drive a show on their own I find in most cases the shows that have at least two people on easier to listen to. It gives a more conversational style and if they have guest interviews having an extra person often brings up things that one person may miss.
3. Production quality. A lot of shows have terrible audio quality and this is perhaps one of the easiest things to get right these days. You can buy good quality mics for not very much money and there is also lots of inexpensive software. There is no excuse for a show that sounds like BlogTalkRadio back in the day (if you didn't hear it you are lucky).
4. Hosts that don't blather on about themselves all the time. This is something that I think is an instant turn off when it comes to anything be it radio, TV or anything else. Most of the time when people love to talk incessantly about themselves they are dreadful bores. There are a number of people like this in the paranormal and Gene Steinberg is the perfect example. He loves to talk about himself to the detriment of the whole show.
5. Too many adverts or other interruptions. This is another thing that is squarely in the podcast crimes of Gene Steinberg guidebook. The odd advert or plug for another show is acceptable but when it happens too often it completely destroys the flow of the show and makes any real kind of interview or conversation impossible. This is probably the no.1 thing that destroyed the Paracast and also destroys most of talk radio. You don't want to end up annoying anyone that listens to your show by making it impossible to follow.

Anyway these are the main things I can think of right now but I suspect there may be more I think of later.
 

humanoidlord

ce3 researcher
I'm asking for reasons of the future project, so I'm sure you can put two and two together and come up with what said future project is...would this count as doing market research?

Personally, aliens to me aren't that big of a deal. I believe they're out there. I believe we've had some form or other of contact. I also don't believe that there will be any sort of official declaration one way or the other for at least one more generation, and I think that all of the old stuff has been gone over ad nauseam, ad infinitum -- and these days, video and photo evidence is just far too easily faked.

I've got kind of the same issue with cryptids/Sasquatch -- my kid could probably make the Patterson film now in a day or two, and we don't even have Photoshop. I do still find them fascinating, I'm just not sure how provable anything is anymore.

Ghosts have always and always will fascinate me, the concept of consciousness surviving after death in one form or another is something that piques the curiosity of mankind in general, I think.

Elementals/Faerie Folk/Forteana/Portals/Witchcraft & Sorcery/Alternative History (the Ratline, weird Americana like Robert Schneck writes about, etc)/Unexplained Mysteries are all topics that I think deserve their own place as well on a paranormal themed podcast.

But what do you think?
the key not only in podcasts but in all types of medias is: obscure cases and research
i don't want to see interviews with people wanting to sell books, i wanna see people telling obscure stories from the worlds of ufology,cryptozoology and forteana
so if you want to do a podcast keep that in mind
 

SilentRunning

Honorable
I too have become less and less interested in regular ufology (and cryptozoology for that matter). I think there's just something inherently unsatisfying about it.

I now find the high strangeness stuff and weird stories (into which I'd place most of the things you mention there) way more interesting - partly because I think it speaks to the fluidity of human perception and how the brain (or mind if you prefer) creates reality.

I also think there is something more frightening and hence fascinating about normal "regular" reality being broken. It is one of the reasons why psychotic illness can be so devastating to a person.

BTW Robert Schneck is always a fantastic guest. I love the weird stories he finds and I believe he has been on Project Archivist at least twice - well worth a listen if you are a fan.

Also just wanted to add about the original question here are the things that I think make a good podcast show:

1. Variety. Too many shows stick to just one topic or specialised area (e.g. just UFOs, or just bigfoot) and it gets boring fast. This also includes not doing just interviews all the time or stories. A good mix helps. When it comes to guests it is also important to interview new people. It gets tiresome when the same handful of people appear on every show.
2. More than one host. Although some hosts are good enough to drive a show on their own I find in most cases the shows that have at least two people on easier to listen to. It gives a more conversational style and if they have guest interviews having an extra person often brings up things that one person may miss.
3. Production quality. A lot of shows have terrible audio quality and this is perhaps one of the easiest things to get right these days. You can buy good quality mics for not very much money and there is also lots of inexpensive software. There is no excuse for a show that sounds like BlogTalkRadio back in the day (if you didn't hear it you are lucky).
4. Hosts that don't blather on about themselves all the time. This is something that I think is an instant turn off when it comes to anything be it radio, TV or anything else. Most of the time when people love to talk incessantly about themselves they are dreadful bores. There are a number of people like this in the paranormal and Gene Steinberg is the perfect example. He loves to talk about himself to the detriment of the whole show.
5. Too many adverts or other interruptions. This is another thing that is squarely in the podcast crimes of Gene Steinberg guidebook. The odd advert or plug for another show is acceptable but when it happens too often it completely destroys the flow of the show and makes any real kind of interview or conversation impossible. This is probably the no.1 thing that destroyed the Paracast and also destroys most of talk radio. You don't want to end up annoying anyone that listens to your show by making it impossible to follow.

Anyway these are the main things I can think of right now but I suspect there may be more I think of later.



GoB, I think I love you.

That's exactly the sort of feedback I'm looking for. Sadly, I really don't have anyone else to host it with me, and right now I'm trying to raise the scratch necessary for the equipment you're talking about -- rest assured, however, I will do my very best to ensure it's not BTR type audio. I did live through that, it was horrid, just no.

I'm actually Facebook friends with Robert Schneck, and he's already agreed to come on the show when I get all my eggs in their basket. So I'm really looking forward to that. And yeah, I've heard all his appearances on P:A. He's a great guy.

I'm not the focus of the show. The focus of the show should always be the topic at the time, whether that be time slips, the guest if there is one, Sasquatch, high strangeness of whatever kind. If I do happen to have an experience that goes along with the topic, that's one thing. If I don't, then it's not for me to make it about me. It's about the topic.

Adverts -- one at the beginning for Audible or some crate thing, one at the end to push Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/Patreon. That's it.


Humanoid, I agree that having guests on who are just there to push their books or whatever is a PitA to listen to. I think the main drive of the show should be about cases.

I'm also probably going to throw some true crime, specifically serial killer and weird true crime in there. Thoughts?
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
i think the best podcast is the one that only tells stories, interviews are overrated and don't bring interesting stuff to the table

I actually do agree with you but I think it is personal taste. Some people do like interviews too. That is why I think a mix helps. If it is just interviews you basically end up with the same handful of people who have a new book out and it gets boring fast. This is why I like Mysterious Universe a lot they do 90% or more interesting stories and about 10% interviews. Also they have a tendency to find people other shows haven't interviewed.
 

humanoidlord

ce3 researcher
Humanoid, I agree that having guests on who are just there to push their books or whatever is a PitA to listen to. I think the main drive of the show should be about cases.
yes, exactly, interviews are never interesting, mostly because its hard for the podcast host to control the interviewed, and interviews will almost always enter book ad territory ,no exceptions
so yes a case only podcast is the way to go, maybe even find a co-host wich is also knowing about obscure paranormal topics to make stuff a bit more interesting
I'm also probably going to throw some true crime, specifically serial killer and weird true crime in there.
with the exception of crimes that could have been influenced, helped or caused by the paranormal, NO
i already hear too much about those assholes on the TV, i don't want them in my computer too
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
GoB, I think I love you.

I love me too! Sorry couldn't resist I can't remember where I heard that (think it was a tv show or movie but the line stuck in my head because it made me chuckle).

Sadly, I really don't have anyone else to host it with me, and right now I'm trying to raise the scratch necessary for the equipment you're talking about -- rest assured, however, I will do my very best to ensure it's not BTR type audio. I did live through that, it was horrid, just no.

That's fine you may not even need one and to be honest most shows that do have a co-host (that I know of) at least start out as one man operations. Please let us know if you want to do a Patreon, I would be happy to contribute. I think we could easily get the money together to get you a decent set of mics and mixing board and stuff.

I'm not the focus of the show. The focus of the show should always be the topic at the time, whether that be time slips, the guest if there is one, Sasquatch, high strangeness of whatever kind. If I do happen to have an experience that goes along with the topic, that's one thing. If I don't, then it's not for me to make it about me. It's about the topic.

Exactly as it should be.

Adverts -- one at the beginning for Audible or some crate thing, one at the end to push Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/Patreon. That's it.

That is fine and how most good shows do it.

I'm also probably going to throw some true crime, specifically serial killer and weird true crime in there. Thoughts?

It's another subject I like particularly if you can find the more obscure cases!

Also if you need any tips in getting started Micah Hanks is a great person to ask. He is always really helpful. He also has a book on getting started and avoiding some of the pitfalls.
 

humanoidlord

ce3 researcher
I actually do agree with you but I think it is personal taste. Some people do like interviews too. That is why I think a mix helps. If it is just interviews you basically end up with the same handful of people who have a new book out and it gets boring fast. This is why I like Mysterious Universe a lot they do 90% or more interesting stories and about 10% interviews. Also they have a tendency to find people other shows haven't interviewed.
i know, its just that its pretty hard to do a good interview and frankly i think unless you are a journalist or someone that knows a lot about the subject, its a bad idea
 

GhostofBiedny

Celestial
i know, its just that its pretty hard to do a good interview and frankly i think unless you are a journalist or someone that knows a lot about the subject, its a bad idea

I agree. People who are bad at interviewing should not do it at all. That is why Noory annoys me so much.
 

SilentRunning

Honorable
yes, exactly, interviews are never interesting, mostly because its hard for the podcast host to control the interviewed, and interviews will almost always enter book ad territory ,no exceptions
so yes a case only podcast is the way to go, maybe even find a co-host wich is also knowing about obscure paranormal topics to make stuff a bit more interesting

with the exception of crimes that could have been influenced, helped or caused by the paranormal, NO
i already hear too much about those assholes on the TV, i don't want them in my computer too


Okay, first for Humanoid -- I understand that not everyone's into true crime, so if I do anything with that in this, it would be every so often. It would be a recurring feature, maybe once a month, maybe bimonthly, not every week.

I love me too! Sorry couldn't resist I can't remember where I heard that (think it was a tv show or movie but the line stuck in my head because it made me chuckle).



That's fine you may not even need one and to be honest most shows that do have a co-host (that I know of) at least start out as one man operations. Please let us know if you want to do a Patreon, I would be happy to contribute. I think we could easily get the money together to get you a decent set of mics and mixing board and stuff.



Exactly as it should be.



That is fine and how most good shows do it.



It's another subject I like particularly if you can find the more obscure cases!

Also if you need any tips in getting started Micah Hanks is a great person to ask. He is always really helpful. He also has a book on getting started and avoiding some of the pitfalls.

GoB, re: Patreon -- I won't actually make it live until after probably the first three or four shows. It's not fair to start out with my hat out, if you get me. Glad you agree with my other points! I'll have to get Micah's book, too, thanks for letting me know that's out there!
 

humanoidlord

ce3 researcher
Okay, first for Humanoid -- I understand that not everyone's into true crime, so if I do anything with that in this, it would be every so often. It would be a recurring feature, maybe once a month, maybe bimonthly, not every week.
but do it very rarely
there is nothing interesting or misterious about human depravity
 

goblin

Noble
I feel like these days most of the paranormal podcasts I listen to break down into either storytelling style, or interview format.

I do think a show can just be a mix of both approaches; I imagine some shows do this already, while others adhere to one or the other formula all to nearly all of the time.

I think if it is an interview / discussion type host, two hosts are good. More than three hosts just gets confusing and can bog things down.

Hosts need to be intelligent and do their homework; ideally also be funny (I can think of exceptions to 'funny' that I'll still listen to though). It's a rare host or hosts though who are entertaining enough that people turn in 100% just for them.

Just hearing the hosts week after week can get old no matter who they are so at least occasional guests are good. I do not think you need guests every week however. It is hard to get good interesting guests for a paranormal themed show. The people who are most interested in being guests are those who have something to sell, and they're not always that worthwhile as guests.

So far as topics go... I prefer shows that feature a mix of things. All UFOs or all ghosts I think would wear me down. Give me a little variety.

I personally am in favor of shorter shows. I think the first wave of paranormal podcasts often tended to be 90 minutes to 2 hours long. I'm more in favor of, keep it under an hour.

I think doing a 'season' of shows as seems to have become common makes sense. Weekly shows can get into a rut or lead to burn out too easily. Also if you're doing a weekly show guests flaking out at or near the last minute can really put you in a bind.

I know this is probably not kind of me but I tend to tune out when shows do things like read and respond to listener feedback on earlier shows.
 

Standingstones

Celestial
I’ve tried to listen to KGRA Radio podcasts from time to time. They have a problem of not being able to get decent guests. What ends up happening is that the host will end up interviewing one of the other KGRA hosts. This is boring as all get out and becomes very annoying when it happens repeatedly.
 
Well this is an interesting thread. SilentRunning, I like your idea and I think you are getting some good advice. I am anything but an authority on this topic, but I do have some thoughts. In general, a lot of the advice offered here can be summed up as, Avoid the dreaded formula.

Lots of hosts get comfortable with a set format and don't like to change. I think their shows suffer for it. If you have a guest who you think could do a good interview, then give it a shot. If you know of a couple of people with interesting stories that couldn't really fill up an hour of discussion without a lot of boring padding, then do a couple of short segments. Stories and their tellers are all different.

We seem to be programmed for half-hour increments of shows, and there is no need for that on the interwebs. If you have a guest who tells a fascinating story, and it goes for 40 minutes, then great. If the story is complicated and needs to be carefully told, with some background for clarity, and that takes 70 minutes, who cares?

A little "true crime" goes a long way. As the world shrinks and we have nearly instantaneous access to news from everywhere, we are subjected to vastly more gruesome and disgusting human behavior than any of our ancestors would have believed possible. Like humanoidlord, I don't want more. That said, there are some fascinating mysteries out there that aren't really Fortean or paranormal, that you could focus on.

The guy who does the Esoterx blog (I forget his name) does a good interview, and he's funny.

Listen to some NPR interviews. I love the way they (usually) allow someone who has survived a disaster, for example, to just tell their story without interruption or "guidance". It's a vastly more civilized way to do things.

Do your homework! Far too many show hosts can't be arsed to learn enough about a guest to even ask a few intelligent questions, or even have a coherent conversation on the topic at hand.

Good luck. I'm looking forward to listening, even though my interest in this sort of thing has pretty well fallen off a cliff in the past several years.
 

SilentRunning

Honorable
I feel like these days most of the paranormal podcasts I listen to break down into either storytelling style, or interview format.

I do think a show can just be a mix of both approaches; I imagine some shows do this already, while others adhere to one or the other formula all to nearly all of the time.

I think if it is an interview / discussion type host, two hosts are good. More than three hosts just gets confusing and can bog things down.

Hosts need to be intelligent and do their homework; ideally also be funny (I can think of exceptions to 'funny' that I'll still listen to though). It's a rare host or hosts though who are entertaining enough that people turn in 100% just for them.

Just hearing the hosts week after week can get old no matter who they are so at least occasional guests are good. I do not think you need guests every week however. It is hard to get good interesting guests for a paranormal themed show. The people who are most interested in being guests are those who have something to sell, and they're not always that worthwhile as guests.

So far as topics go... I prefer shows that feature a mix of things. All UFOs or all ghosts I think would wear me down. Give me a little variety.

I personally am in favor of shorter shows. I think the first wave of paranormal podcasts often tended to be 90 minutes to 2 hours long. I'm more in favor of, keep it under an hour.

I think doing a 'season' of shows as seems to have become common makes sense. Weekly shows can get into a rut or lead to burn out too easily. Also if you're doing a weekly show guests flaking out at or near the last minute can really put you in a bind.

I know this is probably not kind of me but I tend to tune out when shows do things like read and respond to listener feedback on earlier shows.


No, Goblin, it's not just you re: feedback. I think that's why most hosts keep the feedback portion towards the end of the show. I think I may keep that to either just a couple of short letters/tweets per show, or do a massive "feedback roundup" extra show once a month or so.

Regarding show length -- I think that's just going to depend on the topic and how interested I am in it and how much interest there seems to be from the audience regarding it, because one thing I am going to do is pop up a Twitter feed and ask for suggestions. I definitely agree regarding doing seasons; originally I was going to try to do this as a Twitch show, and that just doesn't seem like it's going to pan out, so I'm looking at other options now. I think 12-15 "regular" shows with a few "extras," such as feedback shows or if something super wild/weird breaks in the mainstream news that needs to be brought up.

Variety is the spice of life, and I definitely intend to keep things mixed up and weird.




I’ve tried to listen to KGRA Radio podcasts from time to time. They have a problem of not being able to get decent guests. What ends up happening is that the host will end up interviewing one of the other KGRA hosts. This is boring as all get out and becomes very annoying when it happens repeatedly.

I'm probably going to ask some folks from other shows that I know like Roe and Lobo from P:A to come on as guests at least once to try to get some crossover viewers/listeners. I don't know that that's what you mean?


Well this is an interesting thread. SilentRunning, I like your idea and I think you are getting some good advice. I am anything but an authority on this topic, but I do have some thoughts. In general, a lot of the advice offered here can be summed up as, Avoid the dreaded formula.

Lots of hosts get comfortable with a set format and don't like to change. I think their shows suffer for it. If you have a guest who you think could do a good interview, then give it a shot. If you know of a couple of people with interesting stories that couldn't really fill up an hour of discussion without a lot of boring padding, then do a couple of short segments. Stories and their tellers are all different.

We seem to be programmed for half-hour increments of shows, and there is no need for that on the interwebs. If you have a guest who tells a fascinating story, and it goes for 40 minutes, then great. If the story is complicated and needs to be carefully told, with some background for clarity, and that takes 70 minutes, who cares?

A little "true crime" goes a long way. As the world shrinks and we have nearly instantaneous access to news from everywhere, we are subjected to vastly more gruesome and disgusting human behavior than any of our ancestors would have believed possible. Like humanoidlord, I don't want more. That said, there are some fascinating mysteries out there that aren't really Fortean or paranormal, that you could focus on.

The guy who does the Esoterx blog (I forget his name) does a good interview, and he's funny.

Listen to some NPR interviews. I love the way they (usually) allow someone who has survived a disaster, for example, to just tell their story without interruption or "guidance". It's a vastly more civilized way to do things.

Do your homework! Far too many show hosts can't be arsed to learn enough about a guest to even ask a few intelligent questions, or even have a coherent conversation on the topic at hand.

Good luck. I'm looking forward to listening, even though my interest in this sort of thing has pretty well fallen off a cliff in the past several years.


Awww. Double Nought...I appreciate your feedback so, so much. Yeah, the whole point is to keep it weird, have fun, and invite other folks to have fun with me. It's going to be a while yet, but I'm hoping (crosses fingers) to at least start the YouTube channel by October.
 

wwkirk

Divine
A podcast that is all stories, no guests is The Saucer Life by Aaron Gulyas, solo. It's short, too. Most episodes are only a half hour. It covers famous and not so famous UFO cases and contactees. From the show description:' The Saucer Life is a podcast which explores the history and lore of flying saucers (or UFOs, if you like) through the lens of individual stories of encounters, sightings, concepts or events. “Stories” is the key word: we’re not interested in either proving or debunking anything. Rather, we’re treating flying saucers as folklore."

The regular season of I Want to Believe by Nomar Slevik and co-host covers UFOs and cryptids without guests (most of the time). It is unusual in that an entire season is released all at once, Netflix style. Unfortunately, the bonus episodes have interviews with musicians and the like. Despite the title, they don't always commit to the existence of the events or entities.
 
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Shadowprophet

Truthiness
Some tips to make a decent podcast. Even a spoken version of an interview can't be a naturally flowing thing. one must understand when you are doing an interview, The conversation flow is not that of a natural setting, So to idealize an interview as a natural or casual setting is to set up the interview to be stale and watered down.

Write out a script, But don't use the first draft, Write out a script and then make it better, Remember that people are listening, So be engaging ask the audience questions, to provoke comments, Make sure to let some humour shine both toward the interviewed person and the subjects at hand. Don't beat around the bush and save the best questions for last. Ask those best questions right out of the gate. It lends to the engaging aspect of the content.

Your Tone and delivery aren't just important, Use high energy to motivate the listener's curiosity. Who wants to listen to how depressed droopy Dog is? So energy and delivery are important.


Trust me, I've done my fair share of podcasts and such. If you follow this advice you won't be able to fail.
 

goblin

Noble
Also I guess it goes without saying these days but... decent audio. I can't make it through a show with annoying audio. Fortunately I think that's become less of an issue as podcasting has become such a thing.

I think some music is good but could be a challenge.

Don't assume it will make you rich (see a certain 100+ page thread elsewhere here), but that said you never know where it may lead.
 

Shadowprophet

Truthiness
Also I guess it goes without saying these days but... decent audio. I can't make it through a show with annoying audio. Fortunately I think that's become less of an issue as podcasting has become such a thing.

I think some music is good but could be a challenge.

Don't assume it will make you rich (see a certain 100+ page thread elsewhere here), but that said you never know where it may lead.
If one is going to use music, I'd recommend it be played in low volume so beats snares and yelling don't bleed over the conversation, Also, Use something from this guy, Ross Bugden, all of his stuff is copyright free and made for such uses, Ross Bugden - Music

Remember, Music can set the atmosphere, but you can't depend on it to carry a show, It should be a low volume ambience thing at best.
 
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