There have been countless articles and discussions by media folks talking about the digital transition that’s fast occurring to legacy media like newspapers and radio whether they like it or not, and what media outlets are going to do about it. Large companies have spent millions with limited success, and many haven’t made it or have had to make large cuts.
Then, there are those when it comes to digital that just “get it” and make moves from the grassroots.
A local example of that is the IT in the D show. Launched in June of 2013, it has hit a major milestone, having reached over 10 million listens over the course of the past 103 episodes. It’s downloaded in all 50 states and 41 countries.
“We were happy when five people were listening, but to think that over 250,000 a week listen to our show is mind boggling to say the least,” co-founder Dave Phillips said.
The show’s hosts are Bob Waltenspiel “The Sales Guy” and Dave Phillips “The Geek.” If you’re uninitiated, the best way to describe the tone of the IT in the D is that it’s Detroit’s weekly geek morning show that you can listen to any time. Their topics are varied and definitely have a local flavor, covering both national and local stories and having a litany of guests that include everything from IT executives to comedians to entrepreneurs to roller derby girls.
Expansion Plans
Not content to rest on their success, as unlike many other digital outlets they’ve actually been able to find sponsors (some national) and support, earlier this year the duo teamed up with Neil Nosakowski of Trinet Corporation and Activ8 Gaming to build out the Detroit Sound Studios in Ferndale.
The team has now launched Podcast Detroit, a network that offers a wide variety of shows – some new, some adding in those have been around for awhile, but includes local voices you might know like technology writer Mike Wendland. The network is still coming together but is already up and going.
“With the amazing studio that was built, plus the capacity to run multiple shows at once, the possibilities are literally endless. If you would have asked me two years ago this is where we would be, I would have laughed in your face,” said Waltenspiel.
The flagship IT in the D show is broadcast from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday nights. Interested listeners can grab the stream from http://www.itinthed.com/listen via an embedded flash or HTML5 player, through the TuneIn radio app, searching “IT in the D,” or through their own app like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.
Disclosure: Daily Detroit contributors regularly appear as guests on IT in the D, and Dave Phillips has occasionally guest contributed to our site.
