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Opinion

‘We should start a podcast!"

That’s something Free Press music writer/multimedia producer Erin Lebar and I started saying to each other on the regular at work.

You see, it’s important to understand that: a) we sit next to each other in the newsroom, and b) we talk. A lot. Maybe too much, if you ask photo director Mike Aporius, who sits behind us.

(When reached by the Free Press for comment, Aporius confirmed this: "They are the worst. Chatty chat chat chat, all day.")

At our desks, when we should be doing our actual work, we discuss and dissect everything — from weird health trends to the new Beyoncé album to the latest binge-worthy show on Netflix. We discuss working in this industry right now, the stories we’re working on, and the interview gold we had to leave on the cutting-room floor. And we discuss our weird, wonderful city.

Also, we think we’re hilarious geniuses, which is the real reason anyone starts a podcast, right?

And so, we came up with Bury the Lede, a brand, spankin’ new Free Press arts and culture podcast hosted by yours truly and Erin. Every Friday, you can join us for a quick catch up on all things trending at home and at large.

On this, our official launch day, we’ve compiled a helpful SAQ — Seldomly Asked Questions — so that you can learn more about our new baby.

Why are you doing this? What makes you think we want to listen to your jibber-jabber?

Wow, OK, we’re getting right down to it! Honestly, there are a lot of topics we want to talk about and cover, but we don’t always have the space or time to write about them all. A podcast seemed like a fresh way to engage with our readers.

The conversational informality and intimacy of the format appealed to us; we want to make Bury the Lede feel like a chat over a cup of coffee, which is pretty much what it is. Only difference is, you get to eavesdrop on it. Which you’ll definitely want to do because we are a delight.

Podcasts, you may have noticed, are having a moment. Podcasting is to 2017 what blogging was to 2002: a new media format that’s shaking things up and shifting the way we consume information.

From Marc Maron’s pioneering WTF to Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow’s excellent Call Your Girlfriend to the hilarious Taggart and Torrens — not to mention This American’s Life investigative journalism podcast Serial — there is no shortage of great podcasts out there. We hope you’ll add our local perspective to your roster.

Why is it called Bury the Lede, and why is it spelled like that?

Because we’re crusading newspaper women, we wanted to include some newspaper lingo in the title of our show.

To "bury the lede" is to begin a news story with secondary facts ahead of the important information that should be included in the first paragraph of a story — a.k.a. the lead or lede.

Informally, it might be said to a friend who saves a juicy piece of news or gossip for well into the conversation. As this show is hosted by an arts writer and columnist, we often begin our articles with what is called a "soft lede," meaning we almost never lead with hard facts.

As for the spelling, ‘lede’ is newsroom slang. According to Merriam Webster, the alternate spelling of lede might have been adopted to distinguish it from ‘lead’ (prounced led), the strips of metal that separate type on a Linotype machine.

Also, when it comes to old-school newspaper jargon, Bury the Lede sounds nicer than, say, Nut Graf.

How long is this show?

As this is a weekly podcast, we wanted to keep it short and snappy — you know, how we’re supposed to keep our writing. Bury the Lede is roughly 22 minutes, which is the length of a sitcom sans commercials.

Who made the logo? How about the music?

We’re super glad you asked! We felt that you see our actual mugs enough in the paper, so the Free Press’s own talented unicorn Alex Richards whipped up our logo — which has been called a mashup of The Powerpuff Girls and Fisher-Price Little People, which is completely and utterly the aesthetic we were aiming for.

Local pop-rock genius Sandy Taronno — of Quinzy and Indicator Indicator fame — is the brains behind our music. 

Where can we listen to this show?

Anywhere! You can find us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play, TuneIn, Stitcher and Blubrry — basically wherever you like to listen to podcasts. What's that, you've developed your own podcasting app? No prob, subscribe on your app of choice using our RSS feed.

And, of course, you can listen on winnipegfreepress.com/bury-the-lede.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @JenZoratti