14 regional podcasts in Kansas to add to your playlist
I’ve been looking for local or regional podcasts to listen to while spending more time around the house during the stay-at-home order.
I found a few podcasts with current content through a keyword search (“Wichita” or “Kansas”) in Stitcher, the free app I use to listen to podcasts. Looking for more, I set off on a search for what’s out there. Crowdsourcing on Facebook didn’t get me too far, either, leading me to believe I wasn’t alone in listening to mostly national podcasts and celebrity-hosted shows.
Podcasthosting.org estimates that as of last month, there are more than 900,000 podcasts with a combined 28 million episodes. So I was sure there had to be more in the region than I was finding.
Searches through Google and Facebook finally gave me a catalog of options with connections to Wichita, Kansas and a much larger selection if I included Kansas City. I’m sharing 14 I found below. Inclusion is not an endorsement of the podcast’s content but that the creator has posted recent content. You’ll have to listen to a few episodes to determine what goes on your playlist.
“Uncovering Kansas”
Native Kansan and well-traveled Rachel Berbiglia hosts this monthly podcast from Lenexa to inspire fellow residents to get to know their state better. Now in its third season, the show uncovers the people, places and events of the state. Among 2020 installments is a conversation about loving where you live with the owner of Leavenworth-based Kinfolk Created, which sells Kansas apparel and small goods to instill pride in the state. uncoveringkansas.com
“Deviate with Rolf Potts”
Wichita North graduate Rolf Potts launched his podcast in 2017 and is currently producing episodes 109 and 110 from his home office in Saline County. See the accompanying feature on Potts for more details on his podcast, which hits on travel, literary and lifestyle topics. rolfpotts.com/deviate
“Beethoven Walks into a Bar”
The Kansas City Symphony started a podcast March 19 to give music lovers a chance to have a virtual drink while hearing three members of the orchestra family talk about music, cocktails and a symphony’s inner workings. Despite the name, not every episode will be about Beethoven. The inaugural episode, however, honors the importance of Ludwig van Beethoven, whose 250th birthday is this year. In the second installment (recorded with each host in their own home), the podcast covers one-hit wonders of classical music, along with a couple of pop wonders, and a look at contemporary American composer Adam Schoenberg. kcsymphony.org
“The Homecomers with Sarah Smarsh”
South-central Kansas based journalist Sarah Smarsh’s first book ”Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth,” was a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award. She followed that book, written through the lens of a fifth-generation Kansas farm girl, with “The Homecomers,” a limited-series podcast featuring rural and working-class community advocates.
“As an avid podcast listener, I got sick of there being so few shows speaking about rural, let alone from or for it—so I made one,” Smarsh said in a news release when the first episode aired in September 2019.
Each of the six episodes has aired and includes a conversation between Smarsh and a “homecomer,” a champion fighting for a community that headlines say are dying. The six guests span the country, including former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who served as President Barack Obama’s secretary of Health and Human Services. thehomecomers.org
“Dose of Leadership with Richard Rierson”
Among the most experienced podcasters based in Wichita is Richard Rierson, who is closing in on his 400th episode of “Dose of Leadership.” He created the podcast to share educational leadership topics and access to inspiring mentors.
On some episodes, Rierson shares his common sense leadership skills learned from life experience as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, professional pilot and entrepreneur. On many installments, he interviews guests from all walks of life: business leaders and entrepreneurs to military heroes, authors, speakers and faith based leaders. He gained national attention with his engaging interview style and well-known guests such as Steve Forbes and Barbara Corcoran. This year, guests have ranged from Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore to former Navy SEAL Mark Divine talking about his recently published leadership book. doseofleadership.com
Thirsty Thursday”
ICT Radio launched in January 2018 as an online-only station playing original songs by Wichita musicians. They also have what they describe on their site as “totally raw podcasts interviewing area artists with no filter.” The weekly Thirsty Thursday show records the station’s crew featuring music from local bands and artist interviews. You’ll also find links to other local music-related podcasts on this site. ict-radio.com
“Hindsight: Looking Back at 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage”
KMUW, Wichita’s National Public Radio affiliate, marked Women’s History Month by launching a limited-series podcast March 2 to explore the history of the women’s suffrage movement while commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote.
Robin Henry, a women’s history professor at Wichita State University, hosts “Hindsight.” There will be six episodes that blend historical context and conversations with scholars, politicians and activists. kmuw.org
“Marginalia”
A handful of locally produced podcasts are hosted by KMUW staffers. Beth Golay interviews authors and offers editorial commentary to enhance the reading experience. One of her latest episodes includes an interview with Diana Arterian, the Spring 2020 visiting emerging poet at Wichita State University and author of “Playing Monster :: Seiche,” a book-length poem. kmuw.org
“You’re Saying It Wrong”
This podcast started in July 2019 to explore the English language by looking at mispronounced and misused words. “Crazy Spellings” and “Words in the News” are among the latest installments hosted by KMUW’s Fletcher Powell. kmuw.org
“Cooking with Fire”
Josh Cary, of local retailer All Things Barbecue, and chef Tom Jackson explore barbecue with a global scope. 2020’s episodes have focused on chocolate lava cake, southern German specialty leberkase and green chile chicken poppers – all cooked on the grill. kmuw.org
“Ceiling Breakers”
Two Wichita entrepreneurs use this podcast to highlight women doing extraordinary things in the city. Recent ceiling breaking leaders on season two of this show hosted by Renee Duxler, executive director of the Douglas Design District, and Stacy Ward Lattin, co-owner of Hopping Gnome Brewing Company, include documentary filmmaker Caitlin Slemp and Ebony Clemons-Ajibolade, the economic development manager at Evergy. facebook.com/ceilingbreakersict
“Saunders & Cash”
Co-hosts Floyd Saunders, a retired technology management executive, and Sean Cash, a business professor at Friends University, promote entrepreneurship across Kansas by interviewing business and technology leaders about their business success stories. They are more than 30 episodes into their second season. Guests range from coffeeshop owners to the leaders of networking organizations. The show is the podcast partner for FlagshipKansas.Tech, a statewide collective of tech companies, so many guests come from that industry. facebook.com/saundersandcash
“The Veterans Advocate”
Wichitan Seth Brees wants to help other veterans transitioning into civilian life avoid the mistakes he made when leaving the U.S. Air Force. His podcast has changed names several times and the current iteration, “The Veterans Advocate,” focuses on interviews with veterans sharing their transition stories. veteransmentorship.com
“Wichita Life ICT”
Husband and wife team Landon and Candace Huslig started an Instagram account @WichitaLifeICT in 2017 to highlight interesting people and places in Wichita. Landon, an engineer at Flint Hill Resources, started a podcast with the same name in 2018 where he could give area artists, musicians, photographers, entrepreneurs and businesses a way to share more of their stories on his favorite medium. This week he debuted episode 31 featuring Kansan Makayla Brownlee, who was competing on this season’s American Idol.
Landon also is an administrator of the Wichita Podcast Network group on Facebook that is private yet allows listeners to join and connect with area podcasters, who use the group to network and share their newest episodes. wichitalifeict.com
This story was originally published April 5, 2020 at 8:00 AM.