Many innovations in the media industry have come about in recent years, and one of the up and coming outlets of information is podcasting. The Feather has been at the forefront of incorporating podcasting into its articles and it has brought another dimension to the paper.

Each Feather staffer is required to produce one podcast per semester. But junior Callista Fries, ’15, The Feather’s Multimedia Anchor, has gone above and beyond this requirement. Fries has become the main podcaster for The Feather and produces one podcast a week as a part of her series, “Live from Callyfornia”.

She is not the first to have taken on this task at FC. In The Feather’s history two people have headed this position, Claire Kister, ’08, and Brooke Stobbe, ’12.

Fries was a freshman the year that Stobbe graduated, and during that year Fries listened and learned from her.

“Brooke was very influential in making me want to podcast, Fries said. “She showed me that is wasn’t as hard as I thought it was. She showed me the fun side of podcasting.”

Podcasting was not always fun for Fries. Her first impression was one that would turn most away from the task.

“At first I really did not like it,” Fries said. “I felt like it took too much time to write and plan out the recording, it felt really unnatural. But Mr. [Greg] Stobbe encouraged me to keep podcasting.”

Podcasting has become more and more popular in the mainstream media. It is viewed as an alternative to radio and appeals to those who would rather listen than read.

Specific topics are discussed and the podcasters views along with the occasional guest help to form it. In “Live from Callyfornia” Fries discusses everyday student issues and student struggles. Most media outlets are geared toward adult issues and everyday nuisances. Fries hopes to offer an alternative for a younger audience.

“I try to discuss things that are prevalent amongst my age bracket,” Fries said. “There are enough issues that teenagers deal with to talk about for a lifetime. My personal experiences help me to form my podcast, and usually the subject of the cast is something that I have recently experienced.”

Fries’ experience with podcasting has come with time. The subject matter of her podcasts have evolved since the beginning of her career.

“In the beginning I spent a lot of time explaining who I was, and helping the audience get to know me.” Fries said “Now my podcasts deal much more with issues that affect a broad audience and not just people who are similar to me.”

Podcasting has not only become an extremely popular form of information in the everyday media but is also becoming increasingly common on college campuses. Professors have begun to emphasize the importance of podcasting to incoming students and high school students.

Most homework assignments will no longer be typed on paper but will be recorded. This allows for more ease in grading assignments and evaluating a students overall understanding of a subject or topic. Fries has become proficient at this form of media and will have a large head start on most students entering universities.

“It will definitely be easier for me to adjust to turning in assignments in podcast form rather than in the traditional typed paper form,” Fries said. “I’m not totally sure if I will enter into the journalism field yet but if I do I will use my knowledge of podcasting to connect with audiences. It is definitely an overlooked form of media and I plan to utilize it to the best of my ability.”

This author can be reached via Twitter: @beal_trevor. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more features, read the Feb. 13 article, Yearbook editors overcome change, gain new adviser.