A joint venture between University Marketing and Communications (UMC) and Alumni Engagement is asking, “What’s the word, Redbird?”
Since launching in May 2022 with an interview featuring Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy, the team behind the Redbird Buzz podcast has released eight additional full-length episodes. Most are between 20 to 30 minutes, making it easy to consume an episode in the time it would take to finish a workout or daily commute.
“We’re bringing Illinois State to people where it’s convenient,” said Rachel Kobus ’09, M.S.’11, director for Alumni Engagement.
Kobus started discussing plans for a podcast several years ago with Dani Schroeder, M.S.’14, assistant director for trademark and licensing and project communications in UMC, who now serves as the podcast’s executive producer. Both wanted the podcast to be a vehicle to tell stories about Illinois State and the alums who make it great.
“Just hearing someone’s voice can have a strong connection,” Kobus said. “It’s like being in the same room with them because they are talking to you versus reading what was said. It’s one step closer to some of our alums.”
Interviews are conducted by either Kobus or John Twork, M.S.’12, UMC coordinator for online and print communications. The team keeps a detailed spreadsheet of scheduled and potential interviews. Some episodes are relevant to upcoming campus events. For example, the team released an interview in June with women’s athletics trailblazers Dr. Jill Hutchison, M.S. ’69, and Dr. Linda Herman, M.S. ’72, Ed.D. ’83, to discuss 50 years of Title IX.
“That is a topic near and dear to my heart,” Schroeder said. “I actually did a semester-long independent study my senior year of college for the 40th anniversary of Title IX, so it was kind of a full circle moment for me to get to sit in a room and listen to these pioneers of women’s athletics talk about their role in advancing women’s sports and opportunities on campus here at Illinois State.”
After the interview is completed, Twork edits the interview and uploads the finished podcast to several platforms. Schroeder works to ensure that the episode descriptions and graphics are optimized for the respective platform they will be shared on, and she coordinates podcast promotion with UMC’s social media team and campus marketers.
“Listening to Redbird Buzz is a great way to bolster your Redbird pride, expand your horizons, and maybe learn a few new things along the way,” Schroeder said.
In the future, the team would like to do more episodes like the one featuring Hutchison and Herman, which included a video component. The full interview was filmed and published on Illinois State’s Facebook and YouTube pages, with excerpts used for posts on the University’s Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts. In addition, listeners can anticipate episodes featuring guests ranging from Fortune 500 company leaders to people still on campus.
Podcasting is booming across campus. In addition to Redbird Buzz, there are Tapis Talk, MCN On Air, STEAMtalk, First-Generation Triumph Podcast, and In the Nest among others. UMC Executive Director Brian Beam, M.S.’94, M.B.A.’10, said these podcasts are all examples of how Illinois State stays current with media trends and features Redbirds who have made big impacts on and off campus.
“It’s adding greater depth to the stories and individuals that we are already covering in print and online, but in a way that removes another barrier,” Beam said. “I can hear directly from them, and our hosts are able to ask compelling questions and bring out additional insights.”
To tune in for more stories “from beyond the Quad,” subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Transcripts of each episode are available online at Alumni.IllinoisState.edu/Podcast.
