Members of The Strand masthead have unanimously agreed that a podcast would be a great endeavour to undertake, despite the obvious toll this will take on their mental well-being. At a recent meeting, many segment ideas were tossed around with social, political, and cultural themes, exciting the student journalists who would have to give up substantial free time to actually make this thing a thing. Features Co-Editor Geoff Baillie commented that he “[has] decent microphones for recording and [he’s] learning how to edit,” foolishly assigning himself leadership of the project.
Various positive attributes of the podcast idea were noted: the opportunity to get more people involved in The Strand, to facilitate debate over campus issues more easily than in print, to explore what it means to be a student at UofT, etc. The final reason surely tempted fate most, as anyone could attest that the meaning of being a UofT student is pain and stress about excessive work and responsibilities, which management of a podcast could only exacerbate.
Perhaps such folly has merit, however. Surely the podcast is beginning to mature as a medium, and during such periods the time is most ripe for an intersection of success and innovation. Outsiders and junior figures have always found ways to reshape the mainstream and revolutionize fields they tread into, unaware and unassuming. With podcasting, this could be The Strand’s moment. Yes. YES. Late to the newspaper form, The Strand is pregnant with opportunity in podcasting. Our sounds shall be a reckoning unto all bold enough to listen. A blood red dawn crests over a new era, and it is the blood of The Strand that shall colour the skies.
You can listen to The Strand’s podcast, Strandcast, right here!