Couple Casts

Although most couple casts could also be described as comedy casts, the one thing that makes these shows a couple cast (other than the fact that the hosts are a couple) is that they feature the personal lives of the hosts. Topics might range from the couple's sex lives to nightmarish stories of traveling the globe. Regardless of the topic, the hosts offer a view into their everyday livesthe good and the bad. On one episode of The PK and J Show (see Figure 3.2), listeners were taken along with Jeanette while she interviewed the person giving her a Brazilian wax. On The Nate and Di Show, listeners found out about the septic system backing up into their storage shed (where they live).

Figure 3.2. The PK and J Show.

As listeners, you are brought into the daily and weekly happenings of these different couples. The most successful shows are the ones that make you feel like you are part of their family. There are a lot of examples of couple casts, and the ones listed in Table 3.3 do a great job of welcoming you into their families.

Table 3.3. Popular Couple Casts

Names	Podcast	Website URL
Paul and Jeanette	The PK and J Show	www.pkandjshow.com
Nate and Di	The Nate and Di Show	www.nateanddi.com
Harry and Ziva	The View from Here	www.theviewfromhere.net
Len and Nora	Jawbone Radio	www.jawboneradio.blogspot.com
Jason and Anna	Delta Park Project	www.deltaparkproject.com

The PK and J Show

Paul and Jeanette are a 20-something couple from Columbus, Ohio who are, as they say, "living in sin." (Hey Paul, when are you going to ask Jeanette to marry you?) They release their show roughly once a week, and a typical episode runs about 1 hour. It is very well produced; Paul is one of the most talented audio people in podcasting, and Jeanette has arguably the sexiest voice in podcasting. They often have original skits and spoof commercials. Their "brown phone" segment, where listeners call in and leave messages, is always worth hearing. This show is R-rated.

"I guess sex is part of our show.... We think it is just more interesting to talk about that and it is just something we naturally talk about. If you were on an actual radio show, there is a certain code you need to adhere to in order to keep your job. So in this case it is the fuel that keeps us going. There are no limits, you can say whatever you want."

Paul, The PK and J Show

The Nate and Di Show

A married couple living in a storage shed on the beach in South Carolina, Nate and Di release their show about once a week with a bonus show thrown in here and there. The typical length of an episode is 30 to 40 minutes. They often have skits in their show, and an early one led to Nate being the first podcaster fired from his job because of podcastingbut more on that later. Their show definitely takes on a political slant: imagine Jon Stewart and Janeane Garofalo married and living in a storage shed on the beach and you have a good idea of what this show is like. They also play listener feedback to end most shows. This show is R-rated.

"The format we prefer to use is reality entertainment. One of our biggest influences is gonzo journalism, particularly Hunter Thompson, and we try to bring that aspect into our show. It is a little bit of comedy and a little bit of politics. We try to place ourselves within every story or skit that we do; it spices it up for our audience."

Nate and Di, The Nate and Di Show

The View from Here

A married couple originally from the U.S. now living in Israel, Harry and Ziva release their show two to three times a month, and a typical episode is 35 to 40 minutes long. The show is R-rated.

"What happens to me and Harry in Israel on a daily basis. What we read about, what we hear about, what we do, what we laugh about. It is really like we are sitting at the kitchen table and just talking about things, except everyone else gets to listen and enjoy. Two people living in Israel just shooting the shit."

Ziva, The View from Here

"We talk a lot about pop culture in Israel and compare it to America. I think that we offer a very unique perspective of Israeli life, being that we are not religious. We are secular Israelis just living our lives, getting up in the morning, going to work, and just laughing our butts off at the most ridiculous things that we see in Israel."

Harry, The View from Here

Jawbone Radio

Len and Nora are a married couple from Cleveland podcasting out of their attic. Len is one of the most talented artists in podcasting. His artwork can be found on many podcasters' websites and t-shirts, including the artwork for the Podcast Outlaws network (www.podcastoutlaws.com). They release a show every four to five days, and the typical length is 40 to 45 minutes. The show is G-rated.

"It has been said that our show is about zippy patter. It is a conversation between myself and Lenny and oftentimes involves exploring newfound things, like a brand-new program, or a strange new trend, or something in the pop culture. And then there is a recurrent theme of advice that is tongue in cheek. We also have a fair number of guest interviews, and we encourage a fair amount of interaction with our listeners."

Nora, Jawbone Radio

Delta Park Project

This show consists of a married couple, Jason and Anna, podcasting out of Beaverton, Oregon. They release a show once a week, and the typical length is 35 to 40 minutes per episode. The show is PG-rated.

"We just kind of talk about what we are watching on TV or what movies we have seen or really anything else that is in the news that is interesting. And then we have little games that we play. Also we are both from Montana, [so] one of the things we try to include every week is the crime blotter from the newspaper from the town where we grew up because it is all small-town crime."

Anna, Delta Park Project

The Making of a Successful Couple Cast

The one thing all these couples do with their podcast is to open the door to their lives. If you want to have a loyal listener base as a couple cast, it does not matter if you are G-rated or X-rated. If you are not comfortable talking about your sex life, then don't do it. What does matter is that you are open and honest with your listeners and that you come across as comfortable discussing what happened to you and your partner. Also, having a way for listeners to get feedback on to your show was deemed very important to most of the couples we talked to. Having a two-way interaction with your audience is usually important in garnering a loyal fan base for any type of podcast, but couple casts in particular typically require an audience that is allowed to share in the experience.

One last piece of advice for those looking to do a couple cast: Do not give out your last names. Some people out there will take you literally when you invite them into your lives. Make sure when you register your domain name that you make the registration private, so that potential stalkers will not be able to track down your Whois information. Best to be safe than sorry.