Free Range Conversations
RISON - The first episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast is now streaming.
The podcast is Cleveland County Herald's first as part of expanding into a new media platform according to publisher Britt Talent.
The first episode is an introduction to the hosts, and features background on how the podcast idea came together.
Talent will serve as a co-host on the podcast along with Rison's own Roy Phillips, dubbed "Man About Town," and Douglas Boultinghouse, who will also handle production on the podcast.
Talent explains his Cleveland County roots and background growing up in Texas before getting into media that brought him back to Arkansas.
Boultinghouse shares how he ended up at the Herald, and how his years of graphic design have expanded to community development projects.
Phillips, a Rison native, shares the things he's seen in town over the decades.
New episodes are expected to be released weekly. The podcast will feature in-depth conversations covering a wide range of local topics and guests. "We were looking for ways to expand into the digital marketplace, and a podcast is one of the ideas we came up with," said Talent. "It's going to be a lot of fun, and listeners will be able to access it through the usual places they get their podcasts." Talent said they spent some time thinking about a name for the podcast before coming up with Free Range Conversations.
"We think it accurately describes the direction we want to go," he said. "Just like free range chickens are free to go where they want, this podcast will have the freedom to go wherever the conversation leads." Talent said.
Among the podcasts scheduled to be released soon is one with Cleveland County Justice of the Peace Pat Keegan, who has floated the entire 200-plus mile length of the Saline River, and Les Walz, the former Cleveland County Cooperative Extension Service agent who also competes in obstacle course and endurance events across the country.
Listeners will be able to access Free Range Conversations through streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and others.
Episodes will also be available to stream on the Herald's website below: