6 P.E.I. podcasts to try this weekend

Audiences these days are seeking out alternatives to traditional radio embracing internet-based services like iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and increasingly, podcasts audio that can be downloaded onto a device and listened to any time.

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As top podcasts like Serial and This American Life rack up millions of listeners, Islanders are also podcasting in increasing numbers. So who's doing it here, why, and who's listening?

Here's a round-up of some of P.E.I.'s podcasts and what they're all about.

1. East of the Dial

East of the Dial talks up and plays East Coast music, and is hosted by three 30-something guys in Charlottetown: Chris Pride, Joee Adams, and Matthew Clark.

They've been posting episodes to Soundcloudfor the past two years, and earned two nominations in 2016 for East Coast Music awards.

If their voices sound familiar, and the sound wonderfully crisp and clear that's because two of the men are actually on-air personalities at MBS properties CFCY and Q93, moonlighting in their off-hours (with the boss's permission, they say).

I don't think it makes us bad people because we drop F-bombs. JoeeAdams

"We kind of got fed up with the fact that it's so super-hard to play local music on terrestrial radio these days," Adams said.

Each episode boasts a couple hundred listeners from all over the world, 500 if they're interviewing a "big name."

"It's just something that we like to do," Adams said. "We just have fun doing it it's kind of an escape for us. We're locked in these boxes where we have this huge audience, but we can't for the most part express our real opinions on things they're either too taboo or too risque, especially cause we live on the Island."

"The chains are a little looser, and we can open up a little bit more," Pride added. "In my day job I talk about eating cake, and then on the podcast, we talk about d - - ks."

A warning: East of the Dial contains a very liberal dose of foul language. The hosts believe, it's nobig deal.

"I don't think it makes us bad people because we drop F-bombs," Adams said.

Listen to the podcast here.

2. & 3. What's The Finish? and 3 Player Co-Op

Brian Langille of Charlottetown has two podcasts3 Player Co-Op is a podcast about video gaming which Langille co-hosts with his wife Susan and their friend Dave Taylor.

"Susan, Dave and I play a lot of video games together and the conversations we had while playing had us laughing, and we thought, 'This would make for a great podcast,'" Langille said.

Four years and almost 200 episodes later, it's still going.

"We've gotten to know listeners from Canada, the US, Europe and Australiawho contact usand now game with us," Langille said.

They record the show at the couple's kitchen table, each with their own microphones plugged into a USB interface which is plugged into a laptop, then add in theme music and ads in post production, uploading it about 10 minutes after they stop recording. Listen to it here.

What's The Finish? covers music and other pop culture, interviewing Maritime musicians and entertainers. The two-year-old show is co-hosted by Langille and "Rockstar" Chris Cole of New Brunswick and uploads a new episode every Thursday on iTunes.

The two connect via FaceTime or Skype so they can see one another, then each records his files to the internet and mixes them together later.

They're using those podcasts to learn about other farms and just expand their own knowledge. Karen Murchison

"We've been invited to events such as concerts, festivals, etc. and had the opportunity to interview international stars," Langille enthuses. "We have fun at what we do, people really enjoy what we do, and we've picked up sponsors along the way, so that doesn't hurt either."

Listen to the podcast here.

"The audiences for TPC and WTF have grown over time," Langille said he tracks downloads from his web server, and uses a stats provider called Podctrac. "TPC has an audience of roughly 2,000 an episode, and WTF has an audience of around 2,500."

What's the Finish? has also been nominated for Music NB and East Coast Music Awards, and makes about $200 a month from sponsors (they run several 30-second ads). They offer prizes like T-shirts and mugs and sometimes give to charity too.

4. PEI Certified Organic Producers Co-operative

The PEI Certified Organic Producers Co-operative began podcasting in May to share stories of the Island's organic farmers.

"This just seemed another way for us to connect more easily and more broadly to a younger base, and as well to our own producers who actually use podcasts quite extensively, we discovered," said Karen Murchison at the co-operative. "Largely, they're using those podcasts to learn about other farms and just expand their own knowledge."

Staff borrowed a portable recorder from one of the co-op's producers, a former broadcaster in the U.S., downloaded free editing software, and learned how to upload the content to Soundcloud and plan to soon offer it through iTunes.

They don't know how many listeners they have but they are hearing positive feedback from members that they are "on the right track." Now, Murchison said the group plans to get more serious about podcasting and improving quality and promotion.

The podcasts can be found on the group's website or search on Soundcloud.

5. The Cunning Linguist

Brittany Campbell, 27, of Charlottetown has being pursuing her dream of being a comedian, performing at about 100 shows in the last three years, and thought a podcast would be not only a good promotional tool for her, but also a fun way to meet other comedians and talk about their craft.

Her year-old podcast, The Cunning Linguist, references both her sexuality and her profession, and includes sexually explicitlanguage. In it, Campbell interviews comedians, most of them from the Maritimes, offering "a peek in on their life," she shares.

Campbell admits she's "terrible with technology but I've powered through it." She posts the interviews without editing, so it's a warts-and-all experience, including in one case a loud sneeze.

Campbell estimates she'shad about 300 listens to her sevenepisodes, but believes as she continues posting they'll gain popularity.

Find The Cunning Linguist Podcaston Soundcloud, here.

6. The Peter and Oliver Podcast

Peter Pukavina and his son Oliverhave generated 10of The Peter and Oliver Podcastover the last decade.

They're charming little bite-sized insights into this and that travel along to Art in the Open or the PEI Bluegrass Festival with the pair, or hear them review a new kind of candy.

Some of the fun is hearing Oliver grow up, and listening to how the two enjoy each other's company. Cute. Find them all on Peter's website, ruk.ca.

Even more P.E.I. podcasts

There are more P.E.I.podcastson the vast internet, including The Ryan and Dave Show, in which two Charlottetown men review movies both old and new. The Community Museums Assocation of P.E.I. has podcasts about some of the Island's historic properties, and even the Cornerstone Baptist Church has been uploadingits Sunday sermons weekly for the past year.

Interested in listening to some podcasts? CBC explains how on its websiteand has a list of CBC's own featured podcasts here.

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