I am on my second tour as a Presenter on the ICQ Podcast team. In my first go around several years ago as the singular U.S. Correspondent, I produced a 30 minute segment uploaded to the ICQ Podcast publishers. It took about 3 hours from soup-to-nuts every two weeks. Time just wasn’t on my side as I couldn’t keep up the fortnightly pace after becoming an Editor-in-Chief at Springer Media. I rotated off but and did some stints with the QSO Radio Show and the W5KUB Amateur Radio Roundtable where I had far less preparation to do.
However, a year or so ago, Martin M1MRB asked me to return since they had changed their format to having enough Presenters to warrant two separate teams. I would only be on one episode per month. At the same time, I was retiring from Springer Media, turning over the Spatial Demography Book Series and peer-reviewed journal to a former PhD student. The monthly schedule gives me time to do more creative and promotional work, especially recording and scheduling interviews. The interview feature segments take me back to my News Director broadcasting days. It’s something that I liken to the “journalism” of amateur radio, something that an endeavor that is worldwide really deserves.
During 2019, most of the ICQ Podcast team from Europe came over to Hamvention in Xenia. We have an absolute blast, getting to meet one another in person, doing beaucoup interviews, and, most of all, meeting many listeners. The latter was a most humbling experience. We all truly appreciate the very kind words and encouragement from all whom we met in Xenia. Thanks to the original idea that Colin Butler M6BOY had with his father, Martin M1MRB, over a decade ago, the ICQ Podcast has never missed a fortnightly episode to date.
