Housekeeping: We Have a Podcast Now

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

One of my hopes as editor of this august site has been to get a podcast off the ground. It was a back-burner idea for years, then Matt and Steph and I recorded a trial run in 2020.

For a variety of reasons, including a bit of a lack of emphasis on my part, that ‘cast didn’t take off. But we’ve tried again, and Matt and Matthew and I now have the first episode recorded and published, with more to come.

We talked about how average transaction prices are way above MSRP, the 2022 Subaru WRX and how we’d spec ours, and the best cars of 1992. Expect a similarly eclectic mix over time — we’ll talk auto-industry news, specific product, old cars, esoteric topics, whatever.

We’re still ironing out kinks such as scheduling and format — expect to see our mugs on video in the near future — and while we’ve set out to make sure the podcast is hosted at all your favorite places, it may take some time before we’re approved for places like Apple and Spotify. We’re in the process of approval now. Other hosting sites seem to have approved our musings but it could take some time for the podcast to appear on their platform.

So, for now, you can listen here. Feedback is welcome. And yes, I know, I need to use a different mic — I already have mine ready to go for episode two.

Stay past the end for a lively discussion about how our furry friends can interrupt a podcast recording.

Check it out here!

[Image: Alex from the Rock/Shutterstock.com]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Ltcmgm78 Ltcmgm78 on Mar 05, 2022

    I thought it was a good first podcast, including the discussion about cat yakking! Used car prices are just insane, but until new car lots get full again that's how it will be!

  • Ajla Ajla on Mar 05, 2022

    Way back in the days when Pontiac still made new cars TTAC had a semi-daily podcast with Farago and whatever editor was available at the time.

  • MitchConner MitchConner on Mar 05, 2022

    Good luck with the podcasts. I don't have the time this weekend to listen to the majority of it -- but did bump through and caught several bits. My suggestions: 1. Assign roles. Have a central "anchor" with everyone else functioning as correspondents. You're pretty much doing it now -- but.... 2. At the beginning of each episode, the anchor introduces himself then introduces the others -- who say something so you can attach the voice and the name of the individual together up front. The anchor could host the first segment -- then correspondent two leads section two, correspondent three section three, etc. If you structure the segments like that -- then each segment lead can provide a brief overview of what they'll be talking about up front. 3. Yes, definitely publish a list of topics with time stamps so listeners can pick and choose the segments they want to hear if pressed for time. 4. As others have noted, keep working on the audio until it's dialed in. 5. Try to get interviews with industry flacks and executives. Manufacturers, suppliers, aftermarket. Those would be fun to hear. John McElroy kind of stuff. 6. Comment about stuff that's going on with the website. If an article gets a ton of comments and there are some good ones -- call them out. 7. Keep the tempo upbeat. Bring in a lot of outside audio. If a CEO gives a speech, get sound bites of it. If there's a new car release like the Maverick you're talking about -- see if there's appropriate audio from the press kit that can be shared. Also use really good music for your segment bumpers. If you're talking about the price of cars -- get somebody from a dealer to talk about what they're up against. Check out some popular blogs and check out how they're structured. A good one is Motley Fool Money. It's a weekly -- and they have a pretty straightforward structure. The anchor introduces everyone, they chit chat about what went on during the week on Wall Street, such as what companies stocks tanked or went up, etc., they'll have an industry interview, then wrap up talking about stocks they're looking at. One thing you could definitely do is find an automotive industry analyst and have them on once a quarter for their take on how various companies are doing. CNBC's Phil LeBeau would be worth a call.

  • Jeff S Jeff S on Mar 06, 2022

    How about special interviews with other You Tubers such as Adam with Rare Classics who worked for GM for years and collects everyday cars from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Adam has some good tips on how to buy a classic car and has a deep insider knowledge as to how car manufacturers design and market cars. Also Scotty Kilmer in what to look for in a good used vehicle. There is Ray and Zack from Your Auto Advocate Ray having over 44 years in Sales and Sales Manager for various brands of cars. There are also various auto experts in the auto industry.

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