Casting a Wide Net

Whether you want news or nonsense, sports or serials, wholesome entertainment or utter escapism, there’s a podcast for that. And it might just be based at UMD. 

The idea isn’t new, with the term coined in the early 2000s as a combination of “iPod” and “broadcast.” But now that smartphones have killed off the once-futuristic Apple devices, the downloadable audio installments seem like they’re popping up everywhere and about everything.

More than 750,000 shows and 20 million episodes are available on Apple Podcasts. And with audio’s influence amplifying, the Pulitzer committee decided in December to introduce a category for audio reporting.

“Part of (podcasts’ growth) is the on-demand aspect, the same reason digital publishing became more popular than print,” said NPR senior investigations editor Robert Little, who edits the true crime podcast, White Lies, and teaches radio/broadcast courses at UMD’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism that often feature podcasts as final projects. “(Podcasts) can also be consumed while you’re doing other things. I remember the first time I listened to ‘Serial,’ I did it while I was painting my bathroom. I couldn’t have read a book while I was painting my bathroom.”

Terps have a firm footing in the thriving medium, with students, faculty, staff and alumni creating and hosting dozens of podcasts on a wide variety of topics. We’ve rounded up an earful below. Take a listen.

ARTS & CULTURE
Daughters of Lorraine Podcast | Doctoral students Jordan Ealey M.A. ’19 and Leticia Ridley M.A. ’17
Ealey and Ridley, who call themselves “your friendly neighborhood black feminists,” explore black theater in the D.C./Baltimore area through production reviews, academic discussions, script recommendations and artist interviews.

The District Channel | Yeny Villalta Villatoro ’19 and Arvin Reyes
Villalta Villatoro, one of the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund’s 2019 Forty Under 40 honorees, joins co-host Reyes to support arts and culture in the DMV with guests like singers, chefs and more.

The Dive | The Diamondback
Writers and editors of the independent student newspaper’s Diversions section dish on the culture that Terps consume and what students are talking about, whether it’s a new album, Oscars contenders or what’s going on in the dining halls.

Pop Off, Sis | Lydia Parker ’20 and Margot Trouvé ’20
The co-hosts “pop off” about pop culture, media and quirks from their own lives, with episodes touching on Taylor Swift, the Super Bowl, “The Bachelor” and more.

Radio Rumi | Fatemeh Keshavarz, professor and director, Roshan Institute for Persian Studies
A published poet, Keshavarz discusses and reflects on the works of Jalal al-Din Rumi, the influential 13th-century Persian poet.

The Two Beer Queers | Tom Hausman ’18 and Josh Hall ’17
This hosting pair chats about movies, TV, awards shows, music and other pop culture with a focus on LGBTQ topics, interviewing guests from Grindr, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and more.

BUSINESS/ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Bootstrapped | Holly DeArmond MBA ’17, managing director, Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, and Joe Bailey, associate research professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Episodes featuring Terp funders or founders delve into startup life, including marketing, team building and customer acquisition.

A Dose of Your Future | Jennifer R. Sherman ’14
Sherman, founder and chief strategist of the consulting firm the Influencer Collective, interviews executives and thought leaders who have social impact-driven missions.

Leave Your Mark, the Podcast | Aliza Licht ’96
Bestselling author and global fashion executive Licht—the former sassy Twitter phenom DKNY PR GIRL—emphasizes building your brand through conversations with successful friends.

Mantra-Preneur | Hirdesh Matta ’11
Management consultant Matta invites entrepreneurs, creatives and other professionals onto his show to share their stories—and the mantras that drive their success.

The Nice Guys on Business | Doug Sandler ’86 and Strickland Bonner
Sandler and co-host Bonner chat with entrepreneurs and experts to provide insights “served with a side dish of shenanigans and a crapload of nice,” they say, hoping to help listeners find success in business—and life.

HEALTH & FITNESS
I AM Healthy & Fit | Steve Jordan ’98
Personal trainer Jordan, who turned to health and fitness after suffering a traumatic brain injury, explains the podcast title as a key motivation mantra and follows it up with tips from those who have made permanent life changes.

Wise Traditions | Hilda Labrada Gore ’83
“Holistic Hilda” embraces ancestral traditions to achieve optimal health, interviewing health and wellness experts like scientists, doctors and farmers to reveal advice for nourishing our bodies.

REAL ESTATE
Move or Improve | Former Terp Debbie Miller
Dubbed “the baby boomer’s guide to housing options,” Miller’s show helps that generation decide whether to move or stay put by presenting pros and cons, debunking myths and interviewing experts.

The Real Estate Time Freedom Show | Carlos Zamora ’13
Zamora chats with authorities on buying, selling, scaling and all aspects of the real estate world to help listeners build an investing business around their ideal lifestyle.

SPORTS
Hear the Turtle | Assistant Media Relations Directors Keith Sneddon ’13 and Taylor Smyth ’14
Sneddon and Smyth give a behind-the-scenes look at all things Maryland Athletics through interviews with coaches, student-athletes and other UMD personalities—from Brenda Frese and Mark Turgeon to Johnny Holliday and Scott Van Pelt.

Jobbing Out | Glenn Clark, A.J. Francis ’11, M.A. ’16 and former Terp Aaron Oster
Former Terps defensive lineman Francis is one of “three grown men who care way more than they should” about pro wrestling, as their podcast intro quips, with the trio talking to some of the squared circle’s biggest stars.

New York Sports and Rhymes | Greg Landorf ’12
Through quickly digestible snippets and the occasional feature-length episode, Landorf provides insights and interviews about the New York sports scene blended with rap and hip-hop.

WMUC Sports: The Ludwig Lowdown | Brendan Hartlove ’21, Tom Hindle ’21 and Joe Malfa ’20
UMD’s student-run sports radio station created a show dedicated to Maryland men’s soccer, which previews and recaps matches and features chats with players and Head Coach Sasho Cirovski.

TECHNOLOGY
The Cloud Native Show | Alexander Raul ’15
Guests join Raul, founder and CEO of software company Rackner, to examine how cloud technologies and IT modernization help organizations further their missions. The alum also hosts another podcast, Contributors, which focuses on open-source software and the people who make it.

The CyberWire | Dave Bittner ’91
Episodes break down cybersecurity news into daily briefings—featuring interviews with industry, academic and research experts—and include other special editions covering what’s happening in cyberspace.

The Inc. Tank | Christina Elson MBA ’15 and Stevi Calandra, media and marketing director, Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets
The Inc. Tank, hosted by Elson and produced by Calandra, invites entrepreneurs, policymakers and researchers to discuss the technologies leading to changing markets and disrupted industries.

Relatively Certain | Joint Quantum Institute (JQI)
Hosted by current and former JQI staff members Chris Cesare, Emily Edwards and Dina Genkina, this podcast covers the latest quantum news—from computing to black holes to artificial intelligence—with UMD scientists.

UMD NEWS/RESEARCH
Benjamin Broadcast | College of Education
Celebrating its centennial, the College of Education launched this podcast to discuss its role in training leaders in the field through conversations with professors, students and alumni.

Offbeat | The Diamondback
Hosted by Nora Eckert M. Jour. ’20 and Anastasia Marks ’20, episodes feature discussions with staffers and subjects involved in Diamondback stories about campus and College Park happenings that go beyond typical beat reporting.

Terrorism 360 | Gary LaFree, founding director, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)
LaFree speaks with the world’s top experts on terrorism, who offer a variety of perspectives as they discuss their research, insights and recommendations for policymakers.

University of Maryland Autism Research Consortium (UMARC) Podcast | Nan Bernstein Ratner and Kathy Dow-Burger, co-directors, UMARC
Episodes include series on neurodivergent students’ transition to higher education and financial planning for special needs families, featuring specialists, educators, students, parents and other experts.

MISCELLANEOUS/OTHER
Diet Starts Monday | Azsaneé Truss ’15, Maya Dawit ’15 and Brandon Schatt ’15
Navigating life can be tough as a recent grad, but this trio tries to figure it out with the help of 20-somethings who have found success.

Elder & Wiser | Betsy Heeney ’75
Heeney invites life coaches, authors, experts and retirees to chat about learning to accept and embrace aging.

Femtastic Podcast | Katie Breen ’12
With the goal of addressing women’s issues, Breen interviews feminist activists, researchers and advocates about topics like reproductive rights, gender equality and breastfeeding.

From Cloud to Cab | Josh Bollinger, communications coordinator, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology,  and Jen Nelson, owner, Resource Smart LLC
This series, produced for farmers on the Delmarva Peninsula and in the mid-Atlantic, features news, updates and perspectives from scientists, policymakers, agribusinesses, conservationists and more.

The Garden Hoes | University of Maryland Extension Agent Associates Emily Zobel and Rachel Rhodes and Senior Agent Associate Mikaela Boley
The hosts talk about “getting down and dirty” in the garden, with tips and timely features like gardening holiday gift guides.

Latinx Intelligentsia | Michelle Espino Lira, associate professor, Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education
Espino Lira converses with students, faculty, administrators and activists with the goal of uplifting members of the Latinx community through higher education.

Moving Oolong | Ming Gault ’20, Linda Kuo ’20 and Sally Feng ’20
Three Asian American women and best friends chat about their experiences as college seniors and how they’re preparing to graduate and enter the “real world.”

Quantitude | Gregory Hancock, professor and program director, Department of Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation, and Patrick Curran, professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina 
Hancock and co-host Curran discuss all things quantitative—including methods, stats and data analysis—without taking themselves too seriously.