Rockin’ New libsyn Podcasts: Tuning in To ScifiTV

This series is all about libsyn’s newest podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as well as share their podcasting insight to empower the community!


Q & A with Brent, Wendy and Kevin from Tuning in to SciFi TV


When did you start podcasting?

Kevin: I joined the crew of the “The Signal” back in the summer of 2005.  I worked on that Firefly podcast for about 5 years in several capacities.  That got me hooked on podcasting and led to me joining “The ScapeCast” in 2006 and eventually Tuning in to Scifi TV in 2008. At this point I’ve done over 500 podcast episodes across all the shows I’ve been involved in.

Wendy: In 2006 I joined the crew of the Scapecast as a writer/editor. I wrote and produced articles and occasionally voiced bits for the show.

Brent: I cut my teeth in the podcasting world in 2004 with some solo newscasts about the television show Farscape and its cast and crew. That quickly developed into a gig as part of the crew of the Parsec Award winning ScapeCast (another libsyn hosted podcast) in 2006, where I still contribute today.  My current role as one of the co-hosts and editor of the Tuning in to SciFi TV series of podcasts began in 2008, when Kevin and Wendy asked me to join in the fun of creating this new show.

Why did you start podcasting?

Kevin: It was an opportunity to connect with other genre TV fans.  I didn’t have a lot of friends in my physical area who were into scifi and fantasy TV.  Podcasting gave me an opportunity to meet and get to know similar fans from all around the world.

Wendy:   I first started podcasting to help celebrate Farscape, a show I loved, and to share it with more people.  As a writer/producer for the Scapecast I exercised my creative side in a new way.  I also learned the podcasting-related tools and to effectively collaborate online with our eclectic crew.  I moved on to Tuning in to SciFi TV to continue talking with friends about the great shows, stories and characters in genre TV currently available.  Oh, and because Kevin pushed the idea of podcasting instead of keeping up with my lengthy emails about Supernatural, Lost and BSG.

Brent: Initially, it was because I had news to share and thought that plain old text blogs were boring.  People told me that I had a good “radio” voice, so I figured I’d make use of it and share what I had. Since then, it’s more the fun of creating content with my friends and sharing with everyone who wants to listen.

What’s your show about?

Kevin:  We cover news about virtually all the genre TV shows currently airing in the US and in other countries around the world.   We also have weekly in depth discussions about the best episodes each week.

Wendy: It’s a way for folks who intensely love genre TV stories to join in conversation about the shows that are capturing our imagination in any given week.  I appreciate the different points of view we have, plus the input our listeners (who named themselves “Tuners”) bring to the community.

Brent: If you watch science fiction, fantasy, or horror on television or the web in any form, we’re probably talking about it on TIST. We’re a weekly show, so we like to discuss what happened in the last week in US, Canada and UK genre television and what we see coming up in the near future.  On top of this, we like to ask question of our listeners (called “Tuner Minutes”) where we discuss industry or genre trends, innovations, and other junk.

What’s your podcasting set-up? Hardware, software, CMS, etc.

Kevin:  I use a standard PC along with Audacity for recording and an inexpensive USB headset.  I’m not an audiophile by any means.  I leave that kind of stuff to Brent who does an awesome job of making me and Wendy sound good.

Wendy: I record on my Dell laptop using a basic GE headset mic I got at Target.  I use Audacity to record our weekly show.  For my special bonus podcasts, I use Skype to bring together the guests and record the audio.  Brent works his magic on all of our TIST audio, which is why the show consistently sounds so good.

Brent: I record to my PC through a Behringer Eurorack UB802 mixer connected to an MXL V63M XLR microphone connected to a desktop stand with spider-mount and an adjustable pop-filter to complete the package.  I like to record to GoldWave software and mix with Multiquence.

How have you promoted your podcast?

Kevin:  I’m a big believer in the podcasting community so we exchange podcast promos with many other podcasts.  I regularly listen to many podcasts and contact them to see about cross promoting each others podcasts.  We have almost 100 podcast promos in our queue that we regularly rotate through and play on our podcasts since we release several episodes each week.

Wendy: Mostly online and through social networking – our blog, Facebook, and Twitter.  I am @WendyHembrock on Twitter. I do some bonus podcasts discussing specific shows in depth for Game of Thrones and Supernatural. I’ve been a guest on a few podcasts – SofaDogs Podcast, Fringe Benefits Inc, and the Scaper Chronicles.

Brent: The usual ways, I suppose… Twitter, Facebook, forums, conventions, and word of mouth.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

Kevin:  Nothing really.  I’d just like to encourage other people who are thinking of starting a podcast to just jump in and do it.  Learn as you go.  We all did.  You might be amazed at home many people you can meet and become friends with without leaving your house!

Wendy: I wish I had known to give up my perfectionist tendencies sooner, as it’s not worth the time on things that nobody else notices but me.  I still want to learn to curb myself from using repetitious filler words like uh, ya know uh.

Brent: How much fun it is to do this thing…


Tuning into SciFi TV has a little bit for everybody, so why not subscribe? If you want to get some feedback to the show or have any questions for the threesome, send your emails off to feedback(at)tuningintoscifi(dot)com.

You heard it from Kevin, if you’re thinking of starting a podcast, just jump in and do it!

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