LarryInFisher.com is finishing up our third year in producing local podcasts with local people. That was my goal when I began this podcasting quest in early 2016 and it continues to be my focus.
I checked analytic data for the year of 2018 and found the listing below to be the most popular podcasts from the past year.
I first want to sincerely thank all my faithful podcast listeners. Just under 16,000 times during 2018, someone listened to most or all of a podcast episode. For someone aiming at local podcast issues, this is an amazing number.
I have several types of podcasts I produce under the banner of “Podcasts by Larry Lannan,” but let’s start with my LarryInFishers series, which is aimed at local issues and local people.
Here are the Top 10 LarryInFishers podcasts for 2018:
10. Hub and Spoke Coming in at Number 10 is quite an accomplishment for this podcast because it was recorded in late December. Many podcasts pick up audience levels after being posted for a period of time. This episode featured David Decker and Travis Tucker, the co-owners of the planned Hub & Spoke commercial development in Fishers. Samm Quinn, a reporter at the Indianapolis Business Journal, joined me in the conversation. Listen to this podcast at this link.
9. Muzaffar Ahmad Originally from Pakistan, Mr. Ahmad came to the United States in the late 1990s and now lives in Fishers. Muzaffar is a Muslim. He has formed a group of people representing various religious beliefs in the Fishers area promoting peace and what unites all religions. The organization is called the Fishers Multi-Faith Community for Compassion. Listen to my talk with Muzaffar at this link.
8. Mayor Scott Fadness I had the opportunity to speak with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness several times on podcasts during 2018. The episode with the most listeners was the interview I recorded in early January, 2018. The mayor looked back on 2017 and we talked about what the future may hold for the city in 2018. Listen to the podcast at this link.
7. Jennifer Miller and Andrea Davis from HAND These two ladies work for HAND, a nonprofit group promoting affordable housing in Hamilton County. Listen at this link.
6. High School football coaches In August of 2018, the high school football season was set to get underway. Richie Hall, Sports Editor of the Hamilton County Reporter, joined me in these podcast sessions. Listen to the interview with Fishers Coach Rick Wimmer at this link. HSE Coach Adam Morris is featured at this link.
5. Sarah Sandquist When long-time Parks and Recreation Director Tony Elliot left Fishers for the sunny warmth of California, his second-in-command was named to take over the department. Here is my talk with Sarah Sanquist shortly after she assumed the reins of the Parks and Recreation Department in Fishers, at this link.
4. Teacher of the Year John Hochstetler This was my third time to speak with the HSE Schools Teacher of The Year. This year it was John Hochstetler. List at this link.
3. HSE School Board Candidates I decided to lump these all into one position on the list because all ten candidates agreed to sit down for a podcast interview. You can find all the podcasts at this link
2. Former Police Chief Mitch Thompson This podcast was recorded long before Chief Thompson stepped down after an accident on the north side of Indianapolis that resulted in his arrest and later guilty plea. Mitch Thompson resigned from the department after entering the guilty plea. So, understand this interview was recorded long before all this, but still attracted a lot of attention among podcast listeners. Hear it at this link.
1…..HSE Schools Redistricting While the redistricting process was underway for the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, I arranged to record a podcast with the school board president, superintendent and assistant superintendent to talk about the process. In mid-December, the school board voted in favor of a redistricting plan for grades K-8 that will impact just over 2,000 students, starting in the 2019-2020 school year. Listen at this link
During 2018, Adam Aasen and I hosted a podcast called “Hamilton County Goes To The Movies,” featuring our film reviews and local guests with a connection to film. We started the podcast in the summer of 2017, but had to put the production on hiatus due to our respective schedules. We hope to produce some special editions of this podcast in early 2019, with the goal of bring back the weekly series. You can still listen to any of those podcasts at this link.
I also posted several reviews as part of my “Podcasts by Larry Lannan.” under the heading of “Arts&Fishers Podcasts.” They include reviews of films and local theater productions. Here are some of my most popular reviews for 2019:
Review of the film A Star Is Born
Review of the play Critical Recall