Tim Beeman and I launched the podcast on February 3, 2010. During the first few months, we only had close friends and family tuning in each week, or once a month for that matter. I'm not sure when, or if, there was a "turning point" that bolstered our listener-ship, but our newly redesigned website that launched in mid-November 2010 was a healthy start. Armed with this new website and slick logo (below), the podcast eventually catapulted into a new realm. The Less Desirables were now receiving website "hits" in the hundreds. As 2010 began to wind down, other guests and gurus were introduced to the show. By June of this year, it was rare not to have a guest on the show.
In August and September of this year, when one sums the number of downloads from our website, iTunes, and other "aggregaters," we've surpassed the one thousand-download-per-month mark. This milestone was achieved in a number of ways -- more guests, especially some fantastic musicians playing live songs, enthusiastic gurus, including the Beer Guru (C. Jay Platt), the College Sports Guru (J-Mac), and our TV Guru (Eugene). We've also partnered ourselves with some superb sponsors, such as City Beverage, Cafe Roche, Bob's Big Gas Subs & Pub, Barnhill's, and Finnigan's Wake to name a few. If you've been listening at all during the past two months, you've probably also heard our Official Third Wheel, Mr. Eugene Sims. Eugene, like Tim, adds a ton of "color" to the show, and his knowledge of TV is unparalleled. If we're a true pop culture podcast, we definitely need some insight into the tube world.
This winter, Tim and I are looking to get out "on the road." With our new recording equipment, we will be stopping in and recording live at our sponsors first. Then, we'll hit up some new breweries as we did last January. We will also be launching an "alternate" logo next month. One popular idea that was presented to us was producing a CD of all of the artists during this past year. Well, you're in luck -- available in December we will have the official The Less Desirables' "2011 Choice Cuts; Graded D for Desirable." Be sure to pick up a copy when it's available! All proceeds will be donated to Triad Information Reading Services (TIRS), a group that Tim and I both volunteer our time to once a month.
I've laid out the history and trends of The Less Desirables up until now. To answer the question, where do I see this going -- well, we're a national podcast with a local North Carolina flavor. Obviously, we want this show to hit the national stage at some point. It's going to take a ton of hard work and dedication, and maybe a little luck. However, we need to expand beyond the Piedmont Triad area, but with baby steps. We'll continue to interview people (from anywhere) who are involved in the topics that we discuss; i.e. musicians, artists, brewers, wine makers, sports figures, etc. However, I think most of all, we're going to need YOUR support in order to succeed. The average listener who downloads the podcast weekly, and maybe tells a friend or relative, will be the primary factor in expanding this podcast exponentially. When you comment or submit a mailbag question, you have no idea how much you're augmenting the show -- it shows that you're listening, and in turn, it builds our confidence. On the same token, we love your feedback and suggestions on how to improve the show. We hope that we can provide you with some weekly entertainment that you can listen to at your convenience without the interruption of boring commercials. Further, rather than just reading newspaper articles like your typical morning DJ's, we want to have a conversation and expand on those topics. The podcast is a conversation among friends, and hopefully you can relate to our conversation as we touch on topics that people enjoy -- music, movies, sports, technology, TV, and beer. Is there anything else that we're missing?
Tim, Eugene, and I hope to see you on the road this winter. Drop us a line anytime or request a TLD sticker for your ride, but above all else, we appreciate your support of the show! We're expecting big things this winter and beyond.
