Batavia residents looking to connect with their community should tune in to the Area Code: Batavia podcast this Friday. This podcast explores what it means to belong to Batavia through the eyes of local small business owners.
Batavia-based podcast company Area Code Audio was founded last August, and owner Richard Clark is excited to begin releasing the first episodes of his new show.
Clark said each episode will feature one of Batavia's prominent small business owners, exploring community ties and what belonging in Batavia looks like, and hopefully making listeners feel more connected to their neighbors. He said that he would make it possible for the government to do so.
The first episode, titled “Limestone Coffee & Tea: A Story of Two Friends (And a Huge Risk),” will premiere on Friday, February 9th at 6 a.m., and will be about the owners of Limestone Coffee & Tea. Interviews will be featured. New episodes are released every two weeks and can be streamed on most podcasting platforms including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Cast, Spotify, Audible, and YouTube.
The first trailer for the podcast was released on February 1st. Visit his website in area code: Batavia to listen to trailers and find links to podcasts on various streaming platforms.
Area Code Audio is a podcast agency that helps aspiring podcasters create and bring their products to market. Clark has been in his podcast business for 10 years and has been involved in creating hundreds of episodes for over 30 podcasts.
Since founding Area Code Audio, Clark has helped eight clients launch the same number of podcasts in the first six months. Clark conducts interviews on location and is available for in-person recording support, but all production work is done in his home studio in Batavia.
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Clark works with all types of clients to explore ideas from concept to execution, offering free consultation and assisting with every step of production. Businesses or individuals interested in Clark's services should visit his website at Area Code Audio to learn more.
Although Clark spends much of his time collaborating on projects with clients, he also produces projects of his own design in his free time, including Podcasting for Humans and Area Code: Batavia.
Podcasting for Humans, a podcast about podcasting for podcasters, just released its 15th episode featuring an interview with Grammy-nominated Louisville producer and artist “Yons.”
Clark said he is creating his own area code: Batavia because he loves it and believes it will help members of the community. “Honestly, it just came out of pure love for the city I'm in,” he said.
Clark began working on the project shortly after launching Area Code Audio in August, and has completed two episodes so far and has two more in production.
Clark said Batavia is unique in that it's an experimental project, targeting a hyperlocal audience that hasn't proven to be a lucrative business model in podcasting. Although he doesn't know how much he can monetize, Clark has long had a vision for podcasts and believes they have potential as a new approach to local media.
Clark said the podcast provides an opportunity for people to feel settled and content with where they live and to delve deeper into their communities in a way not done outside of local news outlets. He said it was aimed at.
“People aren't listening to podcasts about their neighbors these days,” Clark said. “They listen to podcasts about politicians and celebrities, and I think that can sometimes skew how they see the world they live in.”
Clark described himself as a Batavia transplant and said the podcast was inspired by his move to town and his desire to belong. He said he wanted to create something for people like himself, who haven't lived in Batavia long but are looking for ways to put down roots and connections in the community.
Clark said like any great community, Batavia has many long-time families, but there are also many people who have come to start new families, and there is a disconnect between these groups. . His area code: Batavia's goal is to bridge the gap between neighbors and foster a stronger sense of belonging and closeness to his community.
“I'm not someone who likes to speak up and get to know people,” Clark said. “I want people like me to find ways to listen and feel empathetic and invested in other community members, especially those who embrace Batavian culture as their own. I wanted to have it.”
Clark said that Area Code: Batavia's interview style is not new to him or different from other podcasts, but that he hopes to bring together a single community of Batavia residents through shared experiences and connections. He said that the business models are different in terms of their objectives.
“It's not about the problem, it's about the people,” Clark said. “I think we've lost the ability in some ways to consider people in our community, and this is a first step toward making that happen. It's about different stories and different kinds of things about what it means to belong to Batavia.” It's about showing that there are different types of people with different sensibilities.”
Clark said he doesn't plan on putting a limit on the number of episodes for the first season of the podcast, and plans to continue producing biweekly episodes as much as possible. He said the theme for Season 1 was small business owners, with plans to move the theme to other community members in the future.
Area Code: Visit Batavia's website to subscribe to podcasts or sign up to receive newsletters with local events and happenings to help residents connect with the community. If you are interested in starting your own podcast, contact Clark at the Area Code Audio website.
