Switching Podcast Co-Hosts

Originally, I launched The D Brief with Mike Geeter, an up-and-coming stand-up comedian here in Detroit. Mike and I had met on the local open mic circuit and hit it off. Mike was already hosting a podcast and looking to take it to the next level. We teamed up to produce a podcast based on the Comedy Central television show Detroiters.

We called our podcast Detroit vs. Detroiters (an homage to the popular Detroit vs. Everybody clothing brand). Like the television show it chronicled, our podcast ran ten episodes. This gave us a natural break at which point we could evaluate our efforts and decide if we wanted to continue.

Detroit vs. Detroiters was a fairly simple format: Mike and I along with a notable Detroit guest discussing the plot of the latest episode. The three-person roundtable format was the same that can be found on may radio morning shows. At the end of it, I was eager to try a more structured show. The freewheeling conversation was fun and easy, but tended to ramble. I wanted to produce a show that was tighter, more researched, and covered more topics. Plus, I had been quietly nursing a concept for a podcast that could also work as a radio show.

So Mike and I decided to abandon Detroit vs. Detroiters for a more ambitious show, The D Brief. We met weekly for months to develop the concept and work out the show prep process. I had produced six different podcast series in the past, but they all involved simple one-on-one interviews. The D Brief turned out to be far more complicated.

In fact, it took weeks of practice before we were ready to launch our first episode. Producing a weekly 75-minute episode required about 5 hours every Monday night. Plus, we had to find stories throughout the week and record interviews in the field. Before long, Mike and I realized that this podcast was a far bigger endeavor than either of us originally envisioned.

Because the podcast dovetails with my day job, a digital consultant for radio stations that teaches, among other things, podcasting, this wasn't a problem for me. Plus, I have no kids to look after. But Mike was in a different situation. In addition to a full-time job and a young daughter, Mike was out several nights each week performing stand-up comedy. Adding the podcast on top of his already taxing routine was untenable in the long run.

Eventually, Mike had to bow out of the podcast to focus on his budding comedy career. An appearance on Kevin Hart's Hart of the City on Comedy Central was opening new doors for him, and he had to focus his energy there. We were sad to see him go because Mike and I not only had strong chemistry on the mic, we also enjoyed each other's company behind the scenes.

Fortunately, Jon Gay (aka "Jag"), a former radio Program Director and midday DJ, had voluntarily been assisting us in a producer role for several months. Jon already knew how to do the type of show prep that we needed, so he stepped up and filled Mike's role, which allowed the podcast to continue without missing a beat. Of course, Jon is very different than Mike, and his addition created a completely new dynamic for the show. Any time a show undergoes a lineup change, it disrupts the rhythm for a time. But all things considered, that transition went much more smoothly that it would have if we had to start our search for a new co-host from scratch.

Starting a podcast is sort of like starting a business: what you end up with is never quite what you envision at the outset. In less than a year, The D Brief has already evolved quite a bit. Our fortieth show sounds very different than our first, yet it's still true to the original mission: showcasing the Detroit arts and entertainment scene.

LISTEN: Hear the latest episode of The D Brief podcast.

More Glimpses Behind the Scenes:

1. In Podcasting, What You Say Sticks Around. Is That a Problem?
2. Why It's Important to Think About the Shelf Life of Your Podcast Episode
3. Creating a Facebook Video Ad for a New Podcast
4. How We Learned That Our Listeners Hate Music Beds
5. I Paid Strangers for Feedback on My Podcast. Here's What They Said.