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Six months ago, the Greens and the SPD in Friedrichshafen launched their own podcasts – to start conversations about political issues in Friedrichshafen and beyond. While the SPD continues its format with 19 episodes, the Greens remained silent after the last episode on the day of the local elections in June. How many people the formats have reached and what happens next.
Matthias Eckmann and Werner Nuber from the SPD Friedrichshafen talk to each other in “In between political – The social democratic podcast from Friedrichshafen”. Among other things, they address topics from the local council, with issues of federal politics and world events increasingly playing a role in the later published episodes. “The audience is asking for it,” reports Eckmann.
Having fun chatting with each other about politics (from left): Werner Nuber and Matthias Eckmann from the SPD Friedrichshafen. (Photo: Simon Federer)
There are currently between 80 and 90 listeners per episode, as statistics from the podcast platform Spotify show. “Mayors and local councilors also listen to us,” says Nuber happily.
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A surprising change
While both Nuber and Eckmann Häfler were local councilors at the beginning of the podcast, Nuber has left the committee since the local elections – which came as a “very surprise” to him. This is not a loss for the podcast, quite the opposite. The different perspectives of Eckmann and Nuber, who is 30 years older than him, would now become increasingly clear in two respects: on the one hand, the difference in generations, and on the other hand, the position of the two within and outside the local council.
Will the green podcast continue?
The local green association also started a podcast in the spring in which student Jana Hensinger spoke to guests during the hot phase of the election campaign about, among other things, biodiversity and the Greens’ goals for the Lake Constance district. As Schwäbische.de reported at the time, the “Green Finds City” format was to be continued after the election.
Jana Hensinger moderated the podcast “Green Finds City”. (Photo: Simon Federer)
In fact, the last episode was released on the day of the local and European elections on June 9th. No new episode has been released since then. Does that mean the podcast was discontinued with the election date? No, the Greens say when asked. “The podcast will be continued,” says district council member Frank Heimpel-Labitzke.
“Unfortunately, Jana Hensinger left the Lake Constance district due to her studies,” he says. There were several personal changes that made things more difficult for the team, so that none of the team members were able to make the “significant effort” for the podcast episodes over the summer.
Wish for more podcasts
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As shown in screenshots provided by the Greens, the first episode was downloaded around 30 times. With 99 downloads, the most people downloaded the second most recent episode, “Mobility in Friedrichshafen”.
“We will start again, but no longer weekly, but more irregularly,” says Heimpel-Labitzke.
Werner Nuber from the SPD podcast would probably like that. “I heard all the episodes,” he reports. He would be happy if other political groups in Friedrichshafen would also start podcasts.
What strategies do you employ to attract and maintain a dedicated listener base for your political podcasts?
Sure, here are some open-ended questions for the two guests about the podcasts they started:
1. How did you come up with the idea to start a podcast about political issues in Friedrichshafen?
2. What topics do you think are important to discuss in your podcasts, and why?
3. What has been the response from listeners to your podcasts so far? Any feedback that surprised you?
4. How do you see podcasts fitting into the broader conversation about politics in Friedrichshafen and beyond?
5. What challenges have you faced while producing and promoting your podcasts, and how have you overcome them?
6. Have any specific episodes or guests stood out to you as particularly impactful or engaging?
7. What role do you see podcasts playing in shaping public opinion or influencing political decision-making?
8. Are there any other formats or platforms you would like to experiment with to further engage with your audience?
9. How do you ensure that your podcasts remain relevant and interactive even after the initial hype has died down?
10. do you have any advice for other political groups or individuals who might be considering starting their own podcasts?
