WHO & WHAT is WBOI’s daily news podcast of the news that matters most. Released every weekday, it is a short, clear, and reliable update on the news and culture happening in northeast Indiana.
Each episode mixes local and statewide news, helping Hoosiers stay informed and connected to their community without the noise. And with, “What to Know” you get what you need to know in a way that’s easy for you to know it. Every Monday, WHO & WHAT features has a rundown of community events with The Local’s Kara Hackett.
Accessible, modern, and community-focused, WHO & WHAT strengthens local connection through journalism that fits into real life. Host Brianna Barrow spoke with WBOI President and General Manager Travis Pope about the podcast.
Brianna Datta Barrow: I'm joined now by president and general manager of WBOI, Travis Pope. Thanks for being here, Travis.
Travis Pope: Thank you for having me, Bri.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: So, Who & What are we here to talk about?
Travis Pope: We're here to talk about Who & What. The news from northeast Indiana podcast launching today everywhere that you get your podcasts
Brianna Datta-Barrow: and what is Who & What? Why are we replacing Northeast Indiana with Who & What?
Travis Pope: Northeast Indiana Now has been a great name and a great format that served us for a while, but increasingly, what we know from our audience is that they want more sonic-rich storytelling and Who & What gives us an opportunity to do that. It gives us an opportunity to launch a brand that's unique. It gives us an opportunity to give you a podcast with all the news that you need to know and some joy in the process.
So, it felt like the right time to replace Northeast Indiana Now.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: Why should Who & What be a part of someone's daily routine?
Travis Pope: Who & What should be a part of folks' daily routine because, because they can build a routine around it, right? On-demand listening is great because you get to listen to it when you want, that's in the car, that's on a smart speaker, that's from your watch, that, in itself, is great.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: Yeah. So, what can listeners expect from Who & What?
Travis Pope: Well, Who & What launches this afternoon, five days a week, you can expect not just the news that happens on the broadcast, but you can expect it in a way that is unique to podcasting. So for example, there is a different tone, there is a different cadence, there is a structure to it. There are opportunities to tell longer form stories than maybe we would have gotten to in Northeast Indiana Now.
There are also some opportunities for engagement and opportunities for you to get to know the world around you, and frankly, we hope, we believe that this is a thing that's created more for folks who prefer podcasts.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: Yeah, I know we've seen that as a trend that you know, mobile phones are where we spend a lot of our time. We all have smart speakers in our homes these days. Could you speak to that a little bit?
Travis Pope: Sure. So, in the interest of full disclosure, before I came to public radio, I once made a dishonest living as a technology reporter. I am joking for all the technology reporters out there. And so for me, what I want us to be in the habit of is creating audio that is native to the platform that it is on, and thus the audience that it serves.
And so, radio has a specific sound, a specific cadence. The WBOI newscast has a specific sound, and the specific cadence, and creating a thing that is native to a platform like a smartphone, where younger audiences are more likely to interact with that means something different. It's a different sound.
And increasingly, podcasts don't sound like the audio that you would hear on the radio, because that is a different audience. And we're taking those lessons and applying them to what we do, because again, I care that people listen. I do not care where they listen.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: Yeah, great point made. And so we'll give you some more details about the podcast. It'll be a mix of both statewide and local news, and I think that's something that people want more of. This is just kind of a short form podcast to give busy people a rundown of what's happening in their community and across Indiana.
Travis Pope: Yeah, and I'm looking forward to seeing what folks- hearing, what folks think about it. I may see what folks think about it too in my mail inbox, and that's cool, too, but this is a thing that we are doing because it's the right thing to do for so many reasons. And I think people are going to enjoy it.
I think the Morning Edition audience, the All Things Considered audience can tune in, and I think they'll hear all the things that make listening to WBOI on the radio important, but they'll also hear some tonal differences. They'll also hear some longer form features, and I think they'll love that too.
Brianna Datta-Barrow: You can find Who & What on any podcast app-Spotify, Apple or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also find it at WBOI.org/who.
Thank you so much for speaking with me today, Travis.
Travis Pope: Thank you.
