Specifically, I am going to move away from an exclusively interview-based show to one that is more of a "magazine-style" podcast, one that would regularly include a variety of of segments (including shorter interviews) and would be released every two weeks.
There are three main reasons why I am making this change.
1) The show needs to be more regular and, given the breadth of knowledge in the community, it has the potential to cover a lot of interesting topics with more regularity than it currently does.
2) It is sometimes difficult to nail down interviews in a timely fashion and/or to get them recorded and produced on a monthly basis. Scheduling conflicts, waiting to hear back from people that are interested, etc - this sometimes eats more time than expected, and so shows don't always get produced on time.
3) Experiments in doing different formats over the years - live shows, call-in shows, round-table shows, etc. - all of these have received very positive feedback. Opening up the show to the possibility of more of these kinds of experiences and to trying new things would be much more natural in a different format, so change makes sense.
There's a little more to it, but these are the main reasons that I think the show would benefit from change. I'd still plan on doing episodes from time to time that are like the hour-long interviews we have now (especially with genuinely interesting guests), but these would become more like "special episodes" and not the "new normal."
The OTHER big change is an idea I have toyed with in the past and have decided I finally am ready to do: I am looking for a co-host. I'd like any members that are interested to get in touch with me but - fair warning - I am going to be picky. If you are interested, please send me all or some of the following (via PM):
***APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED***
-links to any previous podcast work that you've done
-links to any writing you've done about games/game culture
-description of your recording setup/equipment and production capabilities
-an explanation of why you think you'd be a good co-host and, specifically, what you think you'd be able to contribute to the show every two weeks.
-your thoughts on what you'd like to see out of the redesigned show
-your thoughts on how you might be able to promote the show
-your resume (or at least a list of education/jobs so I get a sense of your experience/expertise outside gaming)
Yes, this reads like a job posting. No, the gig doesn't pay.
However, it is a chance for you to become a part of something that already has a pretty decent audience, so evidence of a commitment to quality is important and experience is preferred (but not required). The site gets several hundred thousand hits a month, and many episodes of the podcast have downloads numbering into the thousands, so this is a pretty cool gig, I think.
