We look back on the most significant events in music, movies, sports, and society over the last 50 years

The Wayback Chronicles is a show that evolved from an idea Noel had to do movie reviews. After discussing the topic, we decided that there was so much more in the world to reminisce about. Music, sports, the evolution of technology, TV and movies, world events... each of these topics we found one of us had a passion for! So we decided, why not create a time capsule of sorts were we can randomly visit a year, and dig deep into the events of that time. So the show essentially is about the three of us and the 'Wayback Time Machine'. We ask our Time Machine to decide what year we are going to 'visit', and then one of us draws a topic for each of us from a pool of options. Then, we each have to research the topic chosen for us, and present it for that selected year. The fun part is that we legitimately do not know what year or what topic we are going to draw until we record the episode. Even more fun is that the other two of us don't research the topic of the one presenting for that episode, so we are genuinely surprised at the material that the presenter provides during each episode. Oh, and the Wayback Time Machine does like to check up on us from the future from time to time...

The three of us have been friends since the early 90's, when we met in college. We continued our friendship when we all by chance ended up living in Houston, Texas for a brief time. Even though we all live in different cities now, we have a bond that has continued to keep us laughing about old memories, and making new ones, no matter the distance.

This podcast is for everyone who has a love of events from the 1970's to today. We don't think you can really be too young or too old to appreciate the things that have changed our world. It is our hope that our listeners join in on the fun, participate in our different social media pages, and tell us what topics have impacted them that we discuss, or even introduce things we failed to cover! We are just as excited to go, 'OH YEAH I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!' as we are to share the things we discuss!
 

We created a podcast for many different reasons. We all have an interest in listening to and enjoying podcasts ourselves. We enjoy listening to podcasts ranging from nostalgia, sports, travel, and informative shows that are relevant to our careers.

This is actually the third podcast that we have been part of. Noel, Steve and Keith all created our first show, called 'The Testosterzone', that discussed 'Man Cave' type topics. Our original intent was to have an opportunity to talk about things that interested us. While we enjoyed it, we found the theme of the show confusing and hard for people to understand exactly what the shows format was, and what audience the show meant to attract. So we decided to move on from there. Steve and Keith were instrumental in starting a new podcast for a college fan page. We, along with a few other colleagues, brought about half a year's worth of content to that show before handing it off to individuals who were closer to the action. That show is still going strong and we are still active in that organization today and are proud to be part!

When we created the Wayback Chronicles, we wanted to create something that would have meaning to many people, and wanted to create a show that made it easy to understand what you were listening to. Whether it be the name of the show, or what episode you were listening to, we wanted the topic to be clear. Our goals were simple: create a fun podcast that could bring joy to the masses by either bringing back nostalgic feelings, or introducing a new generation to things that made the world what it is today. Beyond that, we just love having the chance to hang out with one another, and doing a podcast together made sure we took the time out of each of our busy lives to do just that.

We began developing this show in October of last year, and launched the show around Christmas of 2022. Currently we have about 10 episodes available, and about as many already finished and in the queue waiting to be released.
 

This is a great question, and one we made sure to solidify before we began. A lot of conversations around how we would make time for our show took place. Each of us are leaders of some facet in our respective careers, and also active with family and organizations, so finding the time to do these episodes was imperative. In past podcasts, we felt it ended up being a 'grind' with a set schedule to record each week. This time, we decided to record once every 2-3 weeks and to carve out one evening during that timeframe to crank out 3-5 shows. This gives us ample time to research the topics we wish to discuss, and also provides us an opportunity to get together for a decent period of time, all while giving us the peace of mind that we are not imposing on our commitments to family, work, and other involvements. The back catalogue we have gives us the flexibility to not feel pressured if something changes! If one of us has something come up, we are flexible and know we aren't 'time crunched'.

This was also something we discussed in our subject matter conversations for the show. We wanted to do something that stood the test of time, rather than create episodes of 'events of the day' that could be obsolete a week after we released the episode. Being able to discuss significant past events would always be relevant, and not something we 'had to talk about NOW', so to speak. We will be releasing an episode every Monday, with an occasional special episode thrown in from time to time.

As far as expenses for podcasting, we are grateful to have some discretionary income to create and maintain the show. As we are in an infant stage, we are keeping our expenses low, mostly covering the expense of the podcast platform, graphic designer, and the editing software we use. We plan to do some promotions in the future.
 

There are a few things we hope to gain from podcasting. First and MOST IMPORTANT is the time we get to spend together with each other and with our listeners, friends, colleagues, and social media followers. We have had a blast sharing so many nostalgic things and uncovering many fun memories with each other. What makes it even more fun, and something we absolutely love, is when our Wayback family contributes to the fun by posting nostalgic things on our social media pages! From muscle cars, old stores, toys, and old TV shows that 'predicted the future' (with uncanny accuracy we might add), we have had so much fun sharing stories and interacting with the Wayback Fam! Currently we have listeners and subscribers from 5 countries and 16 states! Thanks to each of you who are part of our group, and we welcome anyone who has a passion for what has made this world what it is over the last 50 years! So come join the fun!
As far as sponsorships, we are absolutely open for sponsorship and have let our podcast provider know of our interest in that, should a good fit happen. For now though we are self sufficient. The podcast platform we use does provide a lot of opportunities to create revenue through sponsorships, patron subscriptions, the ability to make donations when doing live shows and the like. For now, we are happy to be having fun with this, and if we grow it to where sponsors find an interest in us, that will be a bonus.
 

We have a unique podcasting process because each of us are hundreds of miles from each other. We use the web based program Zencastr with video so we can record clear audio without any lag, but can also see each other as we talk. We definitely found that the ability to see each other made our interaction much more fluid. We use Adobe Audition to edit our shows. In the episodes that include a guest, they will also be able to utilize a link through our recording tool so we can see and interact with them as well. As far as hardware, each of us use the 'Blue' brand of USB microphones with different headsets that each of us prefer. Pop filters have also been used by each of us to reduce distracting sounds. We are continually pursuing better tools to make our show sound the best we can.

The way we create and prepare for each episode is unique as well! We truly wanted to randomize the years and topics we cover. Therefore on the podcast before we cover our next 'year', we have a 'Wayback Time Machine' that picks a year at random from 1970 to today (we literally have it run through a program that will randomly pick our year). After the year is discovered, one of us picks 3 topics, one for each of us, out of a literal hat. Those topics are given to each of us as we are recording, and from there we take the time to thoroughly research the topics that are selected for us to cover. Once we are prepared, we spend several hours recording a different episode for each topic drawn. Keith edits all of our shows and is responsible for posting them.
 

We have a wide variety of platforms we release our show to: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, iHeartRadio, Podbean, Samsung Podcasts, Podchaser, and yes, Listen Notes! We are also available by asking Alexa to 'Play the Wayback Chronicles Podcast', which is kinda fun! We promote our show through various social media channels and through our website! We find Facebook and Twitter to be the tools that reach the majority of our audience. Steve is the main admin of our Facebook page and has done a great job of creating a fun, interactive atmosphere!

Statistically, about 30% of our listeners come from Apple Podcasts, 17% from Spotify, 7% from Google Podcasts, 6% from Alexa enable devices, and less than 5% come from other platforms.
 

Rome wasn't built in a day!!! Take your time to research your show thoroughly. Find something that not only is a passion for you, but also has potential to be of interest for groups of listeners beyond your 'circle of friends.' But don't feel like it is overwhelming! It is ok to just get started and learn as you go! Chances are, if podcasting is something you enjoy, you won't just have one show or one shot at launching your show. It takes time to build your 'voice' and your audience! Make sure you have the time and patience to make your show a success!
There are a lot of resources out there for podcasting. We would suggest to look at the resources provided on many of the podcast hosting sites. These are the places where podcasts come to live, and they have a lot of material to help you not only get started, but to develop and build your show and your audience!
 

We'd love for your to visit our website and send us an email for comments on the show or suggestions on how we can improve. We also invite you to join in on the fun on our various social media platforms. Links are as follows:
The Wayback Chronicles Podcast Website: https://waybackchronicles.podbean.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1124541948423697/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WaybackChrons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayback_chronicles/
email: waybackchronicles@gmail.com