250,000 Dave & Darren Podcast Plays
I’ve never had a REAL job. Sure, I made money during high school and college making pizzas (Little Caesar’s) and working retail (remember Venture? Save With Style? Anyone?) but the entirety of my adult working “career” life has been spent in a studio living out my boyhood dream of being on the radio.
I also had never been fired. When our former employer explained in July that our services would no longer be necessary, it hurt. People get fired in radio everyday, no matter the economy. It’s a brutal business where audiences rise and fall and bottom lines matter to the handful of corporations that own stations. I knew the risks the day I began my internship at WDBQ-AM in Dubuque. Some day, I figured my number would be up and it would be time to figure out a new line of work. Still, when it happens, especially after NOT happening for 20 years, it stings.
So of course we asked ourselves some tough questions:
Could we have done something different?
Should we have done a show that sounded more like everyone else?
Is it that we really don’t have an audience?
A couple of months later, we have our answers. We’re just barely over two months into this project and our podcast has over 250,000 plays. That’s a QUARTER OF A MILLION plays in two months. If we add up all the time you’ve spent listening to the podcast it’s almost 31 YEARS. We (you and Darren and I) made that happen in two months. That number isn’t a result of asking 300 people around the Quad Cities to keep a diary of which podcasts they listen to and delivering an archaic estimate. It’s 250,000 plays of 46 episodes in two months.
I wish I could tell you that number falls in line with our projections or goals. We’re not projections and goals guys. Honestly if you would have told us we’d have 50,000 plays in two months that would have seemed ridiculous. Our goal has never been about numbers. It has always been, since our very first show back in 2004, to do the sort of show that we ourselves would listen to.
We decided to try out the podcast because we felt like the show wasn’t over. We have too much fun together and with all of you to just say, “Okay, that was fun but it’s over.” I believe it was Rambo who said, “Nothing is over. Nothing. You just don’t turn it off!”
The past two months have been an amazing adventure that YOU have made possible. Thank you for navigating your way through new technology to find a way to listen to us. Thanks for all your positive support during the summer when we had to leave you in the dark on what we had up our sleeves. Thanks for championing not only the Dave & Darren podcast but Nacho Radio’s Solid & Planet ALT stations by letting your friends know all about us. Thank you to the local business who have jumped on board to sponsor us (let’s make sure we all support them, huh?). Thanks for buying the shirts and installing the apps and for all the input you give us on what you want to hear.
The crazy thing about this milestone is…we’ve really only just started this thing. I can’t begin to imagine the fun we’re going to have in the coming months and years.
7 Replies to “250,000 Dave & Darren Podcast Plays”
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It’s not as easy to listen to you guys as it was with FM radio. Gotta have Wi-Fi, or gotta be at home. Being on the road for work, internet access anywhere? that’s not easy. That being said, I think I actually listen to you more now than I did on the radio. Because it’s an hour a day, not 4.5 and it doesn’t suck too much data up on the phone. I’m happy that you are still able to do what you guys do, and I’ll continue to listen every day. Maybe in time you can expand the music side of it and play more of a mixture of tunes like the old radio station played. A mixture of lithium and octane from xm would kick ass. I’m not complaining, but I do miss the “active rock” format. Keep it up dudes, you’re obviously liked more than you thought you are.
Robert, thanks for the kind words. To your point about missing the rock, are you aware of our Solid channel? It’s exactly what you’re talking about and then some. You can check it out right here on this site and grab an app for your phone and listen to it anywhere. Even on the road.
Dave,
Thank you for keeping us entertained, it means a lot that you and Darren stuck your necks out and tried this pod cast thing. We really needed this here in the QC, I can’t stand the laughing idiots and the other 2 asshats. I’m stoked the the people are behind you, I think this is the beginning of something huge, can’t wait to see where it goes.
Radio without Dave and Darren sucks! Thanks for doing the podcast and putting up two excellent stations on Nacho Radio!
Also, thanks for doing request shows here and there 🙂
Congrats to you guys. Also, congrats to those of us who shared your sentiment that it couldn’t just be over, as well as the new listeners you’ve no doubt picked up BECAUSE of the new technology and format. I like a lot of things about the show. But I really like that you invite the listeners to be part of the show through the M&M text board, the Mixlr feed, Facebook, email,etc. I know I don’t always send things appropriate for verbalizing, but do enjoy the small thought that we are making you smile a little bit while you are making us smile. When I get home from work later, I’ll tip a beer to many more years of continued and increasing success. After all,we can’t all drink beer at work. LOL
I am so proud of you boys! I just found you again and my life is once again whole!!! Keep up the amazing work.