Podcast Spotlight: An Interview with the Detroit Sports Podcast Network

The Detroit Sports Podcast Network is a network of daily podcasts dedicated to Detroit sports. The network posts full podcast episodes almost daily, and tries to feature aspiring broadcasters that want to get their name out there while providing quality audio. The network has shows dedicated to specific teams, sports, variety shows in an effort to provide an alternative form of sports entertainment/information in Detroit and nationally. ​

How long have you been podcasting? Can you tell us a little bit about your podcast and why you got started?

     The podcast network started out with a single show, the DocNJock Show that would come out every Thursday. Adam Strozynski and John Maakaron spoke over the summer of 2013 and decided that they should do a podcast because there were not that many podcasts at the time that were uncensored, entertaining, while providing quality audio content.

     The show picked up momentum after about 15 shows when big name guests began to accept invitations to join the show. Since Sept. 2013 DocNJock have released 160 shows with new shows released every Thursday with absolutely zero breaks! In Jan 2015, we added more shows and moved to an office to record shows. 

     The network took off with other hosts messaging us wanting to do podcasts. At this time, we have 6 weekly shows and several other special shows that we post periodically. 

Where do you draw inspiration for your podcast?

     The idea to do a podcast was born in Jan. 2013 when John Maakaron took a flight to Vegas. While dealing with his strong apprehension of flying, he discovered and listened to The Adam Carolla Podcast. After listening, John researched podcasts and spent the next 6 months learning about podcasts including how to do them, how to air them, how to grow an audience, and if it was something that would be popular at the time, because sports radio in Detroit had only 2 stations talking sports!

     After we initially started, we interviewed Dennis Farrell, a prominent fantasy football podcaster, and Dennis was so gracious to share so much information. We just followed his instructions and here we are 3 years later recording and posting shows almost daily. 

What’s your recording set-up look like? Is there a special mic, piece of equipment or software that you can’t do without? Any recommendations?

     We initially started like everybody else, in the basement trying to record into a computer. We realized that to grow the podcast, we needed to step it up and attain quality equipment. Through fan donations alone, we bought quality microphones, a mixer, a digital recorder and we have been recording for almost 2 years out of an office in Sterling Heights, MI. We love the Shure brand microphones and we use the Shure SM58 . They are quality microphones that produce great audio!

     The best piece of equipment we have is the digital recorder! We use the Roland R-05 and it just gives you piece of mind that you will not lose any audio that you record! We have had ZERO issues with lost audio and it makes podcasting so much easier when your not worried about losing material, not worrying about software crashes!

​      I highly recommend that the sooner you can record into a digital recorder the better because its not worth it to use computers or software that are prone to crash! 

What’s been your greatest challenge with podcasting?

     The greatest challenge was initially finding a quality place to broadcast! Broadcasting in your basement is challenging, not ideal and doesn't produce quality shows. So, if I could recommend anything it's to find a quality place to record that is free from ambient noises. Nobody wants to listen to your baby crying, dog barking, the lawnmower in the background of your shows! 

How have you seen your podcast grow?

     We began to notice growth in listenership when we started having interview guests who would retweet via social media that they were appearing on our show! We grew our social media presence on facebook and twitter and others have promoted us as well and that is how we grew awareness that we were doing podcasts. We were lucky that media outlets began to recognize our efforts and wrote articles ranking us as one of the top 3 podcasts in town. It was a great day for the podcast when Adam Carolla actually accepted an invitation to join us on our show so it came full circle where he is the number 1 podcaster ever and he has made an appearance on the podcast! Since then, we have interviewed prominent actors, media members, celebrities and the majority are so gracious that they promote their appearance on our show to their vast audiences regularly. 

In what ways has Podomatic helped you as a podcaster?

     This might need to be edited way down because I have so many nice things to say about Podomatic. I came across a YouTube video in which I searched "Easy Way to Post a Podcast to Itunes" I came across a tutorial video and that is what I was looking for, just an easy method to post our audio and have it be available anytime for anybody to listen to it. Podomatic is just so easy to use, the publishing workflow is quick, easy and the customer service has been awesome when we have come across minor issues. We have exclusively used Podomatic since we started our project and when you post daily, and when you have the ability to post quickly, it helps. I haven't even tried other sites because Podomatic is so easy to use. The stats are quality and useful when evaluating how our shows are doing.

What kind of podcasts do you listen to? Any favorites?

     Comedy podcasts are the best. Besides listening to the other shows on the Detroit Sports Podcast Network, I listen everyday to The Adam Carolla Podcast.

Where do you see the podcast industry 10 years from now?

     Podcasting is huge and has become a serious medium in which to broadcast. You can take a show from your basement and grow it into a show that draws a huge listenership and can even be revenue generating. More and more networks are popping up and the quality of broadcasts is so high its amazing. I see continued growth in the next 10 years and more and more mainstream advertisers will want to spend marketing dollars with popular podcasts!

When you’re not podcasting, what do you like to do for fun?

     Watching movies, going to a baseball game, chasing the kids around the house, texting the other hosts about how bad their takes are and sharing jokes back and forth. 

Any advice or tips for someone just getting their podcast off the ground?

     Make sure you have fun, pick a topic that you can talk about and are passionate about. Also, an important thing to consider is the length of your podcast. The majority of people do not have 2-2.5 hours to listen to one show. My recommendation is anywhere between 30 mins and an hour max when you are first starting out. The most important aspect to consider when first starting out is audio quality. If the quality of audio is terrible, the person will stop listening and probably never listen again. You want to provide a nice listening experience for anyone who downloads your show. 

What advice would you give your 21 year old self?

     Dont burn bridges, have fun,  surround yourself with people who are way smarter and funnier than you, and be a great listener, be a curious person.