Author: fcastaneda

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podcast

659- Podcasting studios for hire — another appearance

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter Show, we discuss the possible resurgence (after the virus crisis of 2020-2022) of podcast studios (where you see from their picture you do NOT have to wear a face-diaper or mask).

The ad that caught my attention was from the Third Wheel Podcast Studio in West Los Angeles, California. By the way, they also have a location in Hollywood, California, and Seattle, Washington.

In the past, I did examine and pursue other podcast studios that were close to my area. Surprisingly, none of them had anyone inside their address, and soon their web sites had disappeared, in addition to the location of their studios.

But here, this studio is available at what appears to be reasonable fees:

PRO AUDIO RECORDING – $85/HR

west los angeles podcast studio

1 CAMERA AUDIO & VIDEO – $150/HR

Podcast Studio in LA

2 CAMERA AUDIO& VIDEO – $195/HR

From the initial $85 per hour rate to the $195 rate (depending upon whether you want pure audio or the selection of one or two cameras for video recording), the amount seems reasonable to even a newer or aspiring podcaster.

As you can see from their web site, they provide a screen backdrop so that you can have an image in the background (for video). And from the photos of the studio, it seems that they are using quality microphones for a podcaster and guest in a co-host setting or for guesting your episode in your podcast.

And, of course, they will record and deliver your files to you.

Now, why do I hesitate in giving them a great deal of promotion?

Well, it seems that podcast studios spring up, grow, and then finally shut down (possibly due to the lack of business and growth). The virus crisis shut down all the studios that I knew about (because of the mask mandate requirements and the physical separation mandates, etc.). But now, it seems that they may spring up again to service those podcasters who want quality from a good studio — from the novice and aspiring podcasters to even seasoned podcasters that want a studio setting and studio services (especially for guesting).

Now, we do not know how long this studio will last in either Southern California or Seattle, but perhaps they can gather enough podcasters to use their facilities for good audio podcasts, as well as for recording videos for both podcasts and youtube videos.

We shall see.

But, for myself, I would be a bit cautious and depending upon the studios for the success of my podcast episodes. I still think that most podcasters have now been used to the post-virus-crisis setting of using their homes or other locations in their settings (e.g., garages converted to studios, extra bedrooms or even closets, etc.) for recording their episodes or videos — and they have also become accustomed to editing and producing their final audio files and video files for upload in their home environment.

In my experience, I had one of my daughters use a studio near her location for recording podcast episodes and delivering final audio files to her — all the way to January, 2021. I even went to see her podcast interview recorded live at a downtown grill and restaurant. But that has all but disappeared — and, again, this may be the fate of podcast studios in this city where the span of existence may be limited.

However, if you happen to be in the California or Seattle area, perhaps you may want to do a quality recording (more for video than audio) for your episodes or videos in the comfort of a reasonably priced studio.

Thank you for listening and for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and thirdwheelpodcaststudio.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

658- Future of Podcasting– brand safety and suitability

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter Show, we discuss a theme related to perspectives on the future of podcasting which was published by 2 co-hosts in a show titled Future of Podcasting. The co-hosts are Daniel J Lewis from his show called The Audacity to Podcast, as well as Dave Jackson, podcaster of The School of Podcasting.

In a recent episode of the renamed podcast show now called The Future of Podcasting, the theme of podcast brand safety and brand suitability and relevance was discussed in a thoroughly professional manner from a factually-based platform, especially in the area of brand appropriateness.

What we have seen in the recent past is the radical left and democrats trying to assert that some podcasts (mainly conservative and Christian podcasts, as Daniel points out) attempt to censor and steer away both advertisers and supporters from podcasts that they don’t want to promote — and thus, they feel that no one else should even support them or listen to them. Daniel gave an excellent example with the expo center and the booths in the last Podcast Movement conference. This was a typical radical left activist experience that wanted to throw out a podcast show that had paid $20,000 dollars for a booth at the conference about a certain podcast by Mr. Shapiro.

Now, this recent episode discusses how the future of podcasting will have the radical left continue their blatant divisiveness by asserting that some podcasts and their content should not even be promoted, nor even listened to by others (the latter being blatant censorship).

So, while the radical left feels anger when they are triggered by the conservative viewpoints, instead of a conversation or dialogue, they seem to be wanting everyone in the world to follow their own snotty noses and desires when they do not agree with a differing point of view. In this case, where is the respect for diversity in thought and ideas? Where is the inclusiveness of everyone’s opinion and a fair conversation in a balanced forum?

As you can surmise, the radical left wants to quash any and all differing points of views with censorship while protecting its own views. A clear example of this was the behavior and attitude of Twitter before Mr. Musk obtained ownership and finally started promoting free speech.

However, we feel that both Dave and Daniel are exercising the right discussion of appropriate advertising and sponsorship with podcasts by sticking to the correct themes. As Daniel said “Tell me about your product (in this case a good hot dog or burger) by stuffing your food down my throat, but do not try to stuff your political agenda down my throat…”

“Recreational Outrage and appropriate sponsorship”

Now, I feel that the best part of the 43-minute episode was the section where they differentiated the popular triggered mechanism by the activity radicals (the recreational outrage) that is so easily available where one tries to censor the podcast and de-platform the actors, as well as the rational views of what is (and is not) appropriate sponsorship for a podcast.

Thus, I highly encourage you to consume this episode #16 of the podcast show called The Future of Podcasting (previously known as Leading the Bleeding). The balanced approach to AI, appropriate sponsorship, brand suitability and brand safety (with rational and logical thinking and conversation) is very well done. Kudos to Dave and Daniel for that.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Daniel J Lewis and Dave Jackson of The Future of Podcasting podcast show. All rights reserved.

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657- Future of Podcasting — perspective on trends and tips

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter show, we deliver some thoughts about the FUTURE OF PODCASTING. Now, we do this from both the perspective of myself as a podcaster, as well as include some thoughts from a post. We introduce that later we will reflect ideas from a podcast show with both co-hosts of Dave Jackson from The School of Podcasting show, along with Daniel J Lewis from The Audacity to Podcast show.

But here, in this episode, we look at the internet post from jupitrr.com dealing with the trend to the future of the podosphere and podcasting is called “What is the future of podcasting?”

This post presents and discusses both current trends and 5 tips for a podcaster to prepare for the second half of 2023 and beyond. And there is a bit of content to elaborate on each of these in the post. We recommend that you review each of these for their relevance in your world of podcast shows.

Here are the TRENDS:

  • Creators have more control over their audience;
  • Private podcasting with a subscription model;
  • Short-form audio;
  • Social media as a distribution or hosting channel;
  • Podcasting as a means of marketing.

By looking at the explanation given for each trend in the article, you may see if your show will be ready for the future and able to withstand any changes that may come forth to challenge you in podcasting. One of these is the FORMAT of the show, both in length and tone.

For myself as a podcaster, I firmly stand on the micro-cast model of having an episode be 10 minutes or less — and that is most of the time, for there are no absolutes in podcasting. The article states: “Future of Podcasting is about bite-sized content, and shareable video formats.”

The future growth of this medium will also skyrocket, especially as more people now understand podcasting and can easily begin their own shows to promote their content — whether as a hobby or in trying to monetize:  “Studies show that the number of active podcasts and available episodes are continuing to climb, with over 2 million podcasts and over 48 million episodes available as of 2021 (Podcast Insights, 2021).”

Podcasting has already earned a spot in both communication and distribution of content for companies, and now is highlighted as a medium for marketing. And they usually begin with producing what are called “intra-casts” — that is, producing podcasts for their employees and stakeholders:  “A recent survey found that 70% of companies are already using or plan to use podcasts for internal communication. With the rise of remote work, podcasts offer a convenient and engaging way for teams to stay connected and informed.”

In addition to the trends, these are the 5 tips that are given to you about podcasting’s future for you as a content creator:

  1. Always have an email list of your audience: a key to building strong relationships and promoting your content across different formats effectively. 
  2. Interact more with your power users or audience: Engage with your listeners regularly, know what they want more from you. Being interactive also makes your audience feel they have your attention.
  3. Try short-form video podcasts: Experiment with shorter, bite-sized audio content in both podcast and video formats. This format is well-suited for social media and can help you reach new audiences.
  4. Distribute on 5 social media channels: Don’t just pick one or two at first. Experiment. Experiment. Experiment. Then, narrow down to the ones that perform best for you.
  5. Build your audience as early as possible: Building an audience takes time, so start early and focus on consistently producing high-quality content. Growing your audience has a multiplier effect, remember also to take advantage of the organic reach of new platforms like Instagram Reels.

So, thus, we reflect on the trends and tips given by this article.

In a future podcast episode, we will explore the perspective of two of the pundits and podcasters from the podosphere since 2005 (Dave Jackson and Daniel J Lewis), since we will reflect on the content of their show as co-hosts when they discuss THE FUTURE O.F PODCASTING.

Thank you for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and jupitrr.com. All rights reserved.

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656- Podcast — a crucible from A SMART BEAR

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter show, we deliver some thoughts from a developer and author in Austin named Jason Cohen in which he has a premise that a startup is like a new celebration of life. His article is titled “What a Startup Does to you – or – a celebration of a new life.”

Now, I have interviewed Jason way back in the late-2000s when he had an office in Austin, Texas. I had introduced him into the podcast interview world, and we all were able to take advantage of his technical abilities and success with information delivered in the podosphere.

However, in this article, the topic is what a startup means to you — as Jason compares it to the beginning of life (e.g., birth of a child, either son or daughter). As he said in his article:

“People compare building startups with having children. Could that be right? ….

Both spend the first two years of life trying to kill themselves, while you frantically run around doing everything possible to prevent it….

Both are a combination of your own creation and their own direction. They’re malleable in certain ways and stubborn in others. Every one is different, even when created by the same parents. Each needs the freedom to find their own way, even if aided and shaped by loving guides. They go through macro-level stages which are predictable and obvious to those who have trod the path before, but also micro-level stages unique to each creation.”

Jason compares the two in the amount of time they take, as well as the patience they take.

Yes, a startup for me was the experience that I had to make me state to others who wanted to begin their own businesses. I told them that it takes 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, for at least one to two years before it can be on the road as a “well-oiled machine.” And during all that time, the burden of being a startup weighs more heavily on your shoulders every day — that is, until your positive breakthrough results (which may take much longer than you had planned or imagined).

I have always tied in my 18 podcast shows (since 2006) to my startup businesses — and as a podcaster, sometimes the two of them are so intermingled that it is difficult to separate one from the other.

As a matter of fact, I did promote in a prior episode a whitepaper that has evergreen content that describes the top ten issues for me of a struggling entrepreneur. 

But in the Jason Cohen article, the main theme is that a startup and the birth of a child are important:

“Both are a crucible.

Meaning, a fiery place that will test your limits, not by probing them but by violently exceeding them, all of the time.”

And he goes on to explain. And when your patience is nearly at an end, as well as when a startup appears to be the beginning of a failure that you start to consider as a possible mistake, he continues: “ but don’t quit when it’s hard because winners push through the pain…You’ve read the words, now you see that they’re only words. Words that don’t help much, not really. You have to live it.”

Jason give you food for thought, and he ends his article with a passage that tends to describe the conflict of thought:

“Awake my little ones, and fill the cup,before life’s liquor in its cup be dry.

—Omar Khayyám“

Again, from my own experience of having been a serial entrepreneur since 1980, the learning process is a valuable one. And like most of the valuable learning in our lives, the ability to experience the hardships, as well as successes and failures, may be the key to your strength and successes in startups and entrepreneurship.

You may find the comparison some food for thought as a podcaster.

Thank you for listening and for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Jason Cohen of asmartbear.com. All rights reserved.

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655- Measuring real success of your podcast

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In this episode, we examine the views of podcaster Ben Krueger in the area of measuring success in podcasting. He explains this in an article from his show, cashflowpodcasting.com. The article is titled “How to measure real podcast success.”

Ben Krueger

As is well known from other podcasters like Dave Jackson of schoolofpodcasting.com and Daniel J Lewis of theaudacitytopodcast.com, a real measure of success is not just by the measurement of downloads of an episode or a series of them. In the podosphere, the real measure of success depends on much more than the numbers of downloads. As Ben states: “While this is an important metric, it’s not the only one that matters when measuring the success of a podcast…While this is an important metric, it’s not the only one that matters when measuring the success of a podcast…In fact, comparing download numbers to other podcasters can be misleading and discouraging, especially for niche podcasts that serve a specific audience.“

Ben continues as he looks at specific types of podcast niches and genres: “It’s time to take a holistic approach to understand the unique needs and expectations of your audience and track metrics that align with your podcast goals.”

In fact, Ben delivers to the reader a Podcast Success Tracker Spreadsheet, which is included in the article. This is a tool that can track the metrics that should really matter to the podcaster.

Now, the sections of content that Ben delivers in this article and which should be areas for podcasters to notice are the following:

 
Identify Your Podcast Goals

Which Metrics Should You Track?

Audience Growth
Become The Go-To Authority
Client Acquisition
Speaking Opportunities
Business Development Partnerships
Other Metrics To Track
How To Improve Each Metric
What Makes A Podcast Successful?

Ben also recommends that you be specific in these areas, especially in the most common goals of:

Audience growth;

Becoming the go-to authority in your niche;

Client/customer acquisition;

Speaking opportunities;

Business development partnerships.

Goal-setting and planning are key elements, rather than emotion and impulse:  “By defining clear and measurable goals, you’ll be able to stay on track and make informed decisions about the direction of your podcast.”

Ben also suggests which metrics should be tracked. He suggests on “Focusing on ONE PRIMARY goal, with 1 or 2 secondary goals (if you must) will help you prioritize and actually drive results toward your goal with focus and clarity….” such as:

  • Audience growth;
  • Downloads and email sign-ups;
  • Creating your podcast as an AUTHORITY;
  • Client acquisition;
  • Response to your calls-to-action;
  • Speaking opportunities: “This includes invitations to speak on other podcasts or at events, or inquiries that come through your podcast’s website or social media channels.”;
  • Opportunities for BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT partnerships;

Besides these, Ben recommends later in the article other metrics to track, such as listener behavior. And one of the most important metric to follow is the financial one: “Finally, track the return on investment (ROI) of your podcast.”

Ben also urges you to improve each metric, with some other tips, such as the “CTA templates” that he provides, in addition to your taking steps to own continuous growth toward your goals.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Ben Krueger of Cashflowpodcasting.com. All rights reserved.

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654- The possible benefits of AI for podcast guesting

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter Show, we discuss a topic in the area of AI (Artificial intelligence) in podcasting. One such theme is that of Chat GPT and the notion that there are some benefits within the environment of AI for podcast guesting.

Now, we have discussed podcast guesting in several recent episodes, and here, we see that a podcaster, Tom Schwab of  the podcast show, Interview Valet, has brought to our attention in a recent email which he sent out to his distribution list in the podosphere.

He introduces his themes with these words: “Changes in technology and market trends mean you can never become too comfortable in your systems. Just as you’re getting into a smooth rhythm the market shifts or a big new tech tool is released (Hello ChatGPT) forcing you to pivot.”

In particular, he mentions that there is a productivity and content creation aspect with this tool: “How can it help us work more efficiently so that they can focus their attention on the areas that matter – human interaction.”

He has found several ways of being more productive and producing benefits for his site and his show, especially in the area of content creation. In fact, he shares with us how he is getting benefit from AI:

“Ways we are using AI at IV [Interview Valet]:

  • Writing show notes from podcast interview transcriptions
  • Extracting key points from meeting transcriptions without listening to the entire replay
  • Streamlining our processes (read: reducing overhead)”

He then goes on with a description of how he has been using AI for Podcast Guesting: “AI has made podcast interviews even more powerful and easier than before:

  • Write your bio for your media kit
  • Write your suggested intro for podcast hosts
  • Interview topic suggestions to use for your interview
  • Write a suggested intro on why you would be an ideal guest on a specific podcast show
  • Find podcasts in your specific niche
  • Write show notes from your interviews
  • Draft a blog to feature your interview on your website
  • Pull content from your interviews for social media posts or emails to your list”

In his opinion, “It gives the audience a personalized touch they can’t access in other media…You can establish yourself as an authority in your industry, while also building a genuine relationships with the host and their listeners… Leading to consistent positive ROI through increased website traffic, quality leads, and quicker close on sales.”

He is also focused on trying to help podcasters by extending a helping focus on Podcast Guesting For Coaches & Consultants for business growth and brand expansion.

It seems interesting to me that he is taking the view that this could be helpful, instead of following the nay-sayers that see AI and ChatGPT as a threat to freedom and a doomsday of content creativity.

Perhaps his focus can give some ideas as to the benefits for podcasters once they decide that they want to pursue podcast guesting as a way to build their business and pursue success.

Thank you for your attention and for listening.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Tom Schwab and Interview Valet. All rights reserved.

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podcast

653- Podcasters can become thought leaders in content creation

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter Show, we discuss and review the essence of being a THOUGHT LEADER in the area of podcasting, which is really a subset of being a content creator.

The communication that inspired this repurposed episode is from a listener to this podcast series that wanted to know more detail about being a THOUGHT LEADER (since I mentioned this in a brief summary recently in a prior episode). And so I wanted to oblige and repurpose the episode #513 of this show to answer his several questions about podcasting and being a thought leader in detail.

First, here is the chart that outlines the steps to becoming a thought leader:

Notice that this episode mentions Paul Colligan as my inspiration for becoming a thought leader in my past podcasting career. There is also honorable mention for several other resources along the same lines and topics of this repurposed episode:

– THE REFERRAL ENGINE, book by John Jantsch

 

– THE SPEED OF TRUST, book by Dr. Steven Covey

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+speed+of+trust+by+covey&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=49856365105&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8732313814208953106&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_28xgmol8ct_b

– PAUL COLLIGAN, podcaster, author & blogger at www.thepodcastreport.com

– CHRIS BROGAN, author, trainer, blogger at www.chrisbrogan.com

– SCOTT JOHNSON, podcaster at www.computertutorflorida.com

– LON NAYLOR, screencaster and podcaster and blogger at  www.screencapturevideo.com

So we hope that you can get the details needed to plan a good path for yourself to becoming a good thought leader and well-known podcaster. And we wish you for your success in the podosphere.

Thank you for listening and for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Paul Colligan and John Jantsch and Lon Naylor and Scott Johnson and Chris Brogan. All rights reserved.

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652- Suggested Strategies for podcast growth

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter Show, we discuss the 5 strategies to succeed in podcasting for business growth. This was reviewed in an article by Ben Krueger of cashflowpodcasting called “Podcasting for Business growth: 5 Strategies to Succeed.”

Now, as I have stated in several past episodes of this podcast show, I have known Ben since 2014, when we first met at the initial Podcast Movement conference in Dallas, Texas.

Ben Krueger

I feel that Ben has had great information for the newer and aspiring podcaster, especially with this free pdf files and his suggestions. In this case, he gives some sound advice to help you improve your direction at succeeding in growing your business via podcasting.

The main sections discussed in this article are the following (with details in each link to the section of the article):

Finding the right content for your podcast episodes in your show and having clear calls-to-actions are highlights of some of the mistakes that newer and aspiring podcasters make when starting out — especially in some cases where the podcaster decides to incorporate 5 or more calls-to-action in the episode (and then leaves the listener in a confusing direction). This can easily blur the right content for your show, as perhaps some of the calls-to-action may not fit the key messages in your content, thus making your podcast show look like an advertising billboard. And conventional wisdom may indicate that you may not want to go in this misdirection.

As the article indicates, podcast growth can be helped by placing you and your content and podcast as an AUTHORITY for the listener — and there are proven ways to do so. In fact, one of the earliest ways to do so was mentioned by an early podcaster, Paul Colligan, in which he described some of the steps in becoming a THOUGHT LEADER. In fact, we ourselves have had several episodes in the past that looked at what a true thought leader is, as well as the steps to becoming a trusted and accepted thought leader in podcasting. In fact, you may refer to episodes 412 and 513 of this podcast series, podcastreporter.com.

You will then see this chart with the steps to becoming a successful content creator:

And you can also see some of the other interesting viewpoints from Ben that could possibly help your podcast for business grow with his suggested strategies.

We encourage you to review this content from Ben and see if these strategies can work for you — especially with his advice for definite, clear and non-confusing appropriate calls-to-action.

So we hope that you can accept this content as beneficial after your review, and we wish for you a quick path to making your business successful with good podcast strategies.

Thank you for your attention, and for listening.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and Ben Krueger of cashflowpodcasting.com. All rights reserved.

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podcast

651- Podcast Guesting and its benefits

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter podcast show, we discuss the ideas from a Podchaser article that delivers some benefits from what is called “podcast guesting” — or, as the article explains this opportunity in the following way:  “In this article, we’ll highlight 6 benefits unique to being a podcast guest, provide examples of podcast guesting success stories, and share how you can get booked as a podcast guest.”

So, instead of being a podcaster that interviews other podcasters or subject matter experts as guests, the focus here is of yourself as a podcaster being a “GUEST” or interviewee of another podcaster in the latter’s podcast show. And one of the formulas for success (according to this article by Greg Guidry) is to become a regular guest on podcast shows:  “If you are a podcaster, author, professor, content creator, or anyone who wants to promote your work, you simply need to start guesting on podcasts.”

So the key benefits discussed in this article are the following:

There are also some success stories about podcast guesting, as well as a hint of whom to contact and suggestions on which podcasts that you may want to consider.

Now, I myself have interviewed and known Thomas M. Schwab, who is the author of a book called “Podcast Guest Profits: Grow Your Business with a targeted Interview Strategy.”

I interviewed him in 2015, right after the first Podcast Movement conference. I feel that he was one of the first promoters of podcast guesting, and I did conduct another interview with him in 2020:

And here is another podcast episode that I published before about the benefit of podcast guesting for fiction content creators:

As the Podchaser article states, you can increase the popularity of your podcast show and grow your audience, as more people will get to know you from the interviews that you give on other people’s shows.

In my own situation, I went from a mere 5,000 downloads to over 1 million downloads within several years, as I was a guest on many other shows. Of course, some of the interviews in which I was the guest were mainly due to podcaster courtesy — that is, after I interviewed the podcaster, then I was asked to be a guest on that individual’s show after that. This tactic was greatly appreciated and was very successful — much more so than any other advertising I did.

I also had bumpers from other podcasters that were given to me, and they also increased my exposure, not only for downloads, but also for being a guest on other podcasts, as well.

And all these things did generate more traffic to my podcast shows — which, in turn generated more traffic and helped my standings in the social networks with more SEO (i.e., search engine optimization). I also used the tool from Daniel J Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast show called My Podcast Reviews — and that helped my rankings and SEO.

In the article, there are just a couple of contacts as resources, and the majority of the other references are the calls-to-action from the PodChaser article. In fact, I did not see any mention of Tom Schwab or his book or his site of InterviewValet.com.

For myself, I feel that learning how to be a good interviewee is important for increasing your presence and your standing in the podosphere, as well as growing your audience.

Thus, I hope that you can learn good tactics as a podcast guest, and I wish you the best in promoting and increasing your podcast to grow your audience and reach success as an interviewee.

Thank you for listening, and for your attention.

Copyright (c) 2023, Matrix Solutions Corporation and michaelandmike.com and podchaser.com and Greg Guidry. All rights reserved.

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650- Podcasting and the National Vietnam War Veterans Day 2023

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter show, we deliver some perspectives into the remembrance and celebrations of the National Vietnam War Veterans Day of 2023. This national day of recognition is always on the 29th of March.

And, yes, I was a part of the war, as a UPI reporter and cameraman captured a photo while we were on patrol as we were crossing a rapidly-flowing river in the mountains and jungle. And, yes, that is myself that the reporter captured on film some 52 years ago.

US troops of the 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division ford a river about 11 miles west of Chu Lai in South Vietnam (then the Republic of Vietnam, or RVN), 15th August 1971. The GIs, members of Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, are among the last U. S. combat troops still operating in the field. US B-52 aircraft bombed suspected communist troop concentrations near the demilitarized zone, on August 15th, following more shelling and ground assaults earlier on August 15th. More than 750 rounds of mortar and artillery fire have been directed at South Vietnamese outposts along the demilitarized zone August 14-15th.

In addition to my combat experiences, I was also injured by exposure to Agent Orange, and I sometimes reflect on how my condition can never be cured, but only treated (as the VA medications will only slow down the inevitable, which is that the toxin will kill me — so much so that I have been murdered or “killed” even though I am not completely dead yet, and my life in my body has not fully expired). And a t-shirt that I have tells the truth to everyone around me.

As a podcaster, I am grateful that I had a chance to live this long so far, even though my complications from AO exposure to the toxins are taking more of a toll on my health. But these seem to remind me of the Vietnam War and the experiences that I had going through my tour of duty as a combat infantryman, where I served as a machine-gunner and grenadier in the jungles, the mountains and the rice paddies.

I have told this story of my time in the war and how I dealt with some of the issues that I still carry today — especially of how I had to confront the PTSD when I returned home. This was highlighted in an interview that I did on Mack Payne’s podcast show, Vietnam Veteran News. You can go to a podcast show where I include a 45-minute interview with Mack on an earlier podcast episode #611 in this series at this URL: podcastreporter.com/?p=2236:

611- BONUS episode — Vietnam Veterans Podcast interview 2022

Now, earlier, I attended a session of the Texas legislature, where the National Day for Vietnam Veterans was declared. Also, there was a statue that was dedicated to over 3,000 Texas Vietnam Veterans who were killed in the war. That statue is now in the grounds of the Texas State Capitol, as a reminder of the sacrifices made by its citizens:

In my past podcast shows, I have contributed to the veterans of that war, as well as others in my 2 previous shows, Combat Infantryman’s Podcast show and the 82nd Airborne Division podcast (both now podfaded after 11 years).

So podcasting has allowed me to deliver homage and honor to the veterans who fought in that war and who sacrificed. As you can determine from my own experiences, not all veterans who returned without being physically maimed in combat were still affected or injured. Some of us will always carry the pangs of the war in our minds, our hearts and our decaying bodies after 52 years.

But podcasting has, for the most part, allowed me to reflect on the war and has given me a chance to obtain a bit of closure on the memories and the nightmares from that time in history where the veterans were shunned by a large group of an ungrateful American public upon their return home.

I have a Zippo lighter as a relic from the war, and I had it engraved with some words of wisdom that I still see today: It says “For those who have fought for it, Freedom has a taste that the protected can never know.”

So, to my fellow veterans, I deliver a salute to them as part of my gratitude and camaraderie to say “Welcome home, brother.”

Thank you for your attention — and please thank a veteran for what you are enjoying today (your life).

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