Now Hear This: Main Street Podcasts

Blake Fisher, Program Manager at Viva Downtown Redding (right), hosts the Downtown Discussion podcast with guests Bobby Milhouse of Upstate California Creative Corps (left) and Lane Rickard of Redding Rancheria (center). (Courtesy, Viva Downtown).

CAMS Connection | Holiday 2023
By: Brooke Fox, Marketing and Communications Consultant

Podcasts are a great, accessible way to learn from seasoned professionals in conversation, and hear first-hand stories from business owners. With the recent launch of the Main Street Business Insights podcast from Main Street America, we decided to take a long listen to some Main Street-related podcasts. 

Main Street Business Insights is hosted by Matt Wagner, Ph.D., Senior Program Officer at Main Street America. In each episode, Matt travels the country to meet local business owners on-location and uncover their personal journeys as downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs. Season one just wrapped and features 10 episodes. 

One of the few locally-focused podcasts produced by an Accredited Main Street America program (in California or otherwise) is the Downtown Discussion podcast produced by Viva Downtown Redding. 

The show launched in April 2021 and is focused on sharing the local stories of business and development in Redding’s commercial district. Host Blake Fisher is also the Program Manager for Viva Downtown Redding (and current CAMS Board Member). Blake thoughtfully interviews local business owners, government officials, economic development partners, and stakeholders. He also highlights the latest development projects in Redding.  

Blake has a background in radio production. Episodes are recorded in Viva Downtown Redding’s conference room with a laptop and two microphones. Blake’s colleague, Jacob Akana, serves as the show’s producer and editor. “These podcasts have been an incredible way to connect and share information about downtown,” says Blake.

More Recommended Listening

Strong Towns is a membership-based community of planners and placemakers focused on developing smarter, more sustainable cities. They have three great podcasts focused on urban planning, placemaking, and transportation. The Placemaking Podcast with host Matthew Loos, P.E., has logged 75 episodes of long-form conversations with developers, architects, planners and builders from across the United States. Topics include middle class housing, environmental branding, new urbanism, and equitable development. 

We found some great podcasts on real estate and housing as well. A recent episode of The CREXI Podcast entitled Public Property Laws & The Affordable Housing Crisis featured a conversation on California commercial real estate, policy, and local government with Larry Kosmont of Kosmont Realty. For a more Bay Area focus, check out the Housing After Dark podcast episode titled Is the Future of Housing Finance Regional? host Alex Schafran talked to Kate Hartey of the Bay Area Housing Finance Agency of BAHFA.

For those passionate about preservation, the National Preservation Institute lists more than ten preservation-related pods on its site, most featuring a broader look at preservation, such as Heritage Voices and Preservation Technology from National Park Service). Preservation Destination with host Taylor Voltz explores aspects of residential and commercial building preservation through in-depth interviews with practitioners. Conversations include regulatory compliance in historic districts, cultural placemaking, and advocacy for historic districts. 

More and more city and county-based destination marketing organizations are launching podcasts designed to attract travelers. California Now from Visit California is a highly-produced, hour-long travel podcast that explores California’s unique locations and experiences. Host Saterios Johnson, formerly of NPR’s Morning Edition, focuses on a region or county, sometimes zooming in on a major city for an entire episode. 

With so many facets of Main Street management to explore, we hope that this round up of podcasts inspires you to hit the subscribe button and explore more. Happy listening!