Alternate History Radioshow Idea (and potential Brainstorming)

Hi all,

I've been a long-term lurker (and occasional poster) on here for a number of years, though have been away (though still regularly checking out posts) for a while.

Anyway, I'm seriously considering the idea of starting up an Alt-hist podcast (though I believe this has been attempted by members of the alternatehistory.com community before, so I don't want to tread on anyone's toes). So, I guess my first question is/should be-is anyone interested in contributing to it? If not, would you download/listen to it, in theory?

I've fleshed out a few ideas, though the bread and butter will be a discussion panel on a chosen subject (hopefully involving lots of you guys reading this, as was the case for the previous incarnation, I think). I am however, kicking around a couple of other ideas for smaller features, to break up the discussion mid-way through:

The 60 second summery-the idea being a one minute audio overview of a TL on here, or another peace of Alt-hist media, where the concept (and any other useful info) is outlined.

Almost infamous-This would be a short profile of the life of someone whose hardly known outside Alternate History circles, but could've potentially (and most likely inadvertently) altered history in a big way. An example of this would be the taxi driver who could've accidentally ran Churchill over, or the Russian nuclear engineer who didn't alert his superiors to the warning of the oncoming US nuke that wasn't. In this feature, the emphasis would be less on the alternate history itself and more on the person's life both before and after their near brush with history/infamy, along with their thoughts on the matter (if any are documented). This could also be done with would-be assassins I guess, but I'm thinking it could be more interesting with people who weren't looking to make an impact on history, but almost did.

It'd be interesting to have your thoughts on all this-and please feel free to add any more suggestions for potential features. I'm more than happy to handle the presenting/editing the podcast together (as my background is in radio presentation/production). I could do with a hand on the social media front though-and I'm envisaging a more collective process re picking topics for discussion-and during the discussion in particular, my main focus would be guiding/overseeing the debate, with occasional interjectory opinions if that makes sense. Re the debates, I'm thinking it might be interesting to sometimes get the opinion of people who aren't alternate history buffs, but are experts on a given topic.

Re the title, The Alternate History Radio Show is my working one (it'll most likely follow a radio style format anyway and will therefore do what it says on the tin), though again I'm open to any alternative, more creative suggestions.

Anyway, enough from me-if you have any ideas (and are interested in getting involved), that'd be great.
 
I'd be interesting in getting involved; I'd have to to some reading, but I do a lot of that anyway. We could discuss famous pieces of AH media, for one.
 
Hi,
I'd be interesting in getting involved; I'd have to to some reading, but I do a lot of that anyway. We could discuss famous pieces of AH media, for one.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

Glad you'd be interested in joining in-out of interest how regular would you be able to contribute?

Re your idea of reviewing Alternate History media, I was thinking that'll be the main thrust of my '60 Second Summary' idea, the point being to give listeners just enough info (in the space of 1 min) for an overview of the Alt-hist media in question, but leaving them wanting more (and going in search of it). The good thing about this format is that the media review could include TLS on here. I'm also planning on potentially doing more in-depth interviews with authors in the future, though will hold off of that until the podcast's more established.
 
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Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

Glad you'd be interested in joining in-out of interest how regular would you be able to contribute?

Re your idea of reviewing Alternate History media, I was thinking that'll be the main thrust of my '60 Second Summary' idea, the point being to give listeners just enough info (in the space of 1 min) for an overview of the Alt-hist media in question, but leaving them wanting more (and going in search of it). The good thing about this format is that the media review could include TLS on here. I'm also planning on potentially doing more in-depth interviews with authors in the future, though will hold off of that until the podcast's more established.
I don't know how regularly in the long term on the basis I'm unemployed and looking for work, but I'd definitely want to do something fairly frequently. I know a few folks who might be interested in doing this too.

We could have an accompanying blog too. I'd be happy to write for that.
 
I don't know how regularly in the long term on the basis I'm unemployed and looking for work, but I'd definitely want to do something fairly frequently. I know a few folks who might be interested in doing this too.

We could have an accompanying blog too. I'd be happy to write for that.

That all sounds good-if you could sound out people you think may be interested in contributing, that'd be great!

I also like your idea of having an accompanying blog (and place for comments/interaction from listeners)-that's something I've been mulling over myself as well. That could also act (in tandem with social media) as a good recruitment tool to get more people involved with the podcast.
 
A podcast dedicated to this website would definitely be neat! The Talkernate History channel on YouTube is a personal favorite channel of mine, so another alternate history podcast would be great IMO. I'm probably too young to contribute legitimate content, but if it helps I have some ideas to pedal.

I'd suggest doing timeline reviews, or at least timeline recommendations. Maybe this could be fit into the 60 second overview thing?

A "nations-that-could-have-been" section could be interesting. It might be a bit too much like the "almost infamous" idea (which sounds really cool, BTW).

Maybe an alternate history graphics analysis thing? I don't know how exactly that would work, but graphics are always fun.
 
A podcast dedicated to this website would definitely be neat! The Talkernate History channel on YouTube is a personal favorite channel of mine, so another alternate history podcast would be great IMO. I'm probably too young to contribute legitimate content, but if it helps I have some ideas to pedal.

I'd suggest doing timeline reviews, or at least timeline recommendations. Maybe this could be fit into the 60 second overview thing?

A "nations-that-could-have-been" section could be interesting. It might be a bit too much like the "almost infamous" idea (which sounds really cool, BTW).

Maybe an alternate history graphics analysis thing? I don't know how exactly that would work, but graphics are always fun.

I think I may have come across the Talkernate pages-though will revisit the videos by way of research.

Re TL reviews-it's something that will be included in the 60 Second Summary-basically some weeks it'll be a TL on here (or on another site) and others it'll be another form of Alt Hist media, whether a book or a film. I may also do occasional interviews with TL authors.

I like the idea re Almost A Nation-it could definitely tie in with the Almost Infamous idea of mine (maybe we could alternate the 2 features on a fortnightly basis if that makes sense).

Interesting thoughts re Graphics-TBH that's not my strong point personally, though I'm more than happy to include them in some way (maybe on the blog, on a thread on here or on social media) if someone fancies tackling it.
 
That all sounds good-if you could sound out people you think may be interested in contributing, that'd be great!

I also like your idea of having an accompanying blog (and place for comments/interaction from listeners)-that's something I've been mulling over myself as well. That could also act (in tandem with social media) as a good recruitment tool to get more people involved with the podcast.
In terms of people I know:

@Mitro is doing stuff with the Alternate Historian but he might be interested.

Also @lordroel - this sounds like something you'd enjoy.
 
I like this idea in theory, though will probably wait until we're getting regular subscribers/followers.
I'd argue it's a good enough springboard to start with. Not only would it enable regular subscribers to contribute to upkeep, but that way additional content (i.e. your blog idea), something which I'd wager only a minority of listeners would want, is an optional thing.
 
Hi all,

Many thanks for all your positive replies. Been thinking more about the show and, I think we'll start it in early September (to coincide with the 80th Anniversary of the start of World War II)-not surprisingly, I'm envisaging that'll be our first subject as it's a popular draw. I'm also away in mid to late Aug, so it makes sense from that perspective.

This will also give us time for enticing people, more brainstorming, making solid efforts to promote it in general and for me to sort out the production side of things.
 
I am in favor of such an idea occurring.

Perhaps the podcast/radio show should include individuals who have majored in History and have professional careers who are willing to spend some of their time to chime in and give us their knowledge on some historical facts, in relation to alternate occurrences in history?

One segment of the show could be dedicated to a review of some Alternate History medium (book, video game, television show, movie, etc.)

Another could involve a discussion of a real-life historical event/person and what consequences would have arisen to such an alternate occurrence. [This would be the educational part]

There could also be a part of the show where an interview would be done with an author of alternate history, a professional historian or a hobbyist in history/alternate history.

I'd like to see a review of some fan-made material/original works of alternate history out there be mentioned, too.

If possible, this could be used as a type of rating for Alternate History works: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlidingScaleOfAlternateHistoryPlausibility
 
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I am in favor of such an idea occurring.

Perhaps the podcast/radio show should include individuals who have majored in History and have professional careers who are willing to spend some of their time to chime in and give us their knowledge on some historical facts, in relation to alternate occurrences in history?

One segment of the show could be dedicated to a review of some Alternate History medium (book, video game, television show, movie, etc.)

Another could involve a discussion of a real-life historical event/person and what consequences would have arisen to such an alternate occurrence. [This would be the educational part]

There could also be a part of the show where an interview would be done with an author of alternate history, a professional historian or a hobbyist in history/alternate history.

I'd like to see a review of some fan-made material/original works of alternate history out there be mentioned, too.

If possible, this could be used as a type of rating for Alternate History works: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlidingScaleOfAlternateHistoryPlausibility
I do agree that we should do a good deal of actual historical reading in addition to AH reading. It helps with plausibility among other things.

And I like the idea put forth by @Peelitebkearns to start with the 80th anniversary of WWII.
 
Hi all,

Brief update from this end:

Glad you all seem to like the idea of kicking off in early Sept with a largely World War II-centric show. Just to let you all know I've got the production rolling-I'm hoping to get that all but done by late July.

I've contacted a few history authors to see if they'd be interested in contributing (even if only on occasions)-so far, I've received one response I'd deem as positive at this stage-she's been part of some of Dan Snow's podcasts recently.

Also, I've talked a couple of small scale radio stations into the idea of broadcasting the show-at least in theory. Though it'll still be primarily for podcast consumption, one of my aims with this podcast is to attract people who are interested in history generally, but mightn't be aware of AH as a genre in itself. Though it'll only be broadcast on radio after the podcast's been available for a while beforehand, to encourage downloading above all else.

Finally, feel free to post any ideas on Alternate History discussion topics for week2 onwards you'd be most comfortable discussing-I've got a few kicking around in my head ATM:

We should probably do something re the Depression in late October (90 years since the crash of 29 and all that), perhaps some alternate ends to the cold war to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Revolution and the like, I'd be interested in covering the 12th century period of Anarchy in England and at some point, we should do something on the UK voting to pull out of the EEC in 1975, coinciding with the UK's projected exit date from the EU (though that's obviously fluid ATM, it's supposed to be happening on Oct 31st).
 
Hi all,

Brief update from this end:

Glad you all seem to like the idea of kicking off in early Sept with a largely World War II-centric show. Just to let you all know I've got the production rolling-I'm hoping to get that all but done by late July.

I've contacted a few history authors to see if they'd be interested in contributing (even if only on occasions)-so far, I've received one response I'd deem as positive at this stage-she's been part of some of Dan Snow's podcasts recently.

Also, I've talked a couple of small scale radio stations into the idea of broadcasting the show-at least in theory. Though it'll still be primarily for podcast consumption, one of my aims with this podcast is to attract people who are interested in history generally, but mightn't be aware of AH as a genre in itself. Though it'll only be broadcast on radio after the podcast's been available for a while beforehand, to encourage downloading above all else.

Finally, feel free to post any ideas on Alternate History discussion topics for week2 onwards you'd be most comfortable discussing-I've got a few kicking around in my head ATM:

We should probably do something re the Depression in late October (90 years since the crash of 29 and all that), perhaps some alternate ends to the cold war to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Revolution and the like, I'd be interested in covering the 12th century period of Anarchy in England and at some point, we should do something on the UK voting to pull out of the EEC in 1975, coinciding with the UK's projected exit date from the EU (though that's obviously fluid ATM, it's supposed to be happening on Oct 31st).
I'm one of the moderators of the Alternate History Online Facebook group. There are plenty of authors there would love to be on this.

And I like the WWII idea. I need to get reading for it, then. Will it just be on the war, or will we also discuss its place in AH as a genre? I feel the latter would be fruitful, but we could very much do both.

And I'm hesitant to force ourselves onto a weekly basis. This is the sort of thing where we would have to do a LOT of reading to discuss with reasonable accuracy. I reiterate the notion of spinning this off into a blog where we have more regular, shorter content in addition to the podcast. However I do like the idea of getting this onto radio.

On the other topics I can't say I'm much knowledgeable about the Anarchy in England, or the UK in the EEC, but I'd be happy to do the reading. Note - I'm the sort of person who wants to have read many long history books before discussing these things, and would encourage my cohosts to do the same. If we're representing the genre, we had better be knowledgeable.

What sort of production have you started on? And when would we start recording? We should probably exchange contact information relatively soon.

And we also need a podcast name. What I'd be willing to do is ask my co-moderators if we could use the Alternate History Online name, and formally affiliate the podcast with the Facebook group. That's a couple of thousand people who'd be more inclined to listen than they would otherwise.
 
All good points.

I'm thinking the discussion will largely be about alternate outcomes for the war itself (and if/how it could've been prevented), though I think with something as all-incompassing as World War II, we could (and probably should) make the first programme entirely WWII centric, reviewing it's place in AH, while also taking a look at an Alt-hist TL (or alternative media) on the subject. Obviously with something like the UK pulling out of the EEC, since there's been next to nothing in terms of AH about it (somewhat surprisingly given Brexit ATM), our Alternate History reviews that week would need to be on something else (which isn't entirely a bad thing, given the format I have in mind, as it'll break up the discussion nicely).

Personally, I'm confident I can manage it on a weekly basis, but if others would prefer perhaps a fortnightly/monthly show, I can work with that. Maybe we could start off doing it monthly/fortnightly and build up to weekly as we get more contributors.

In terms of when to record, Friday's probably the best day for me, though I'm fairly flexible as long as I'm not recording in the middle of the night, UK time. I'd envisage post-production not taking all that long, though I'd like to give myself Saturday to complete it, so it's ready for the beginning of the next week. Given this logic, I think our first recording session would be Fri Aug 30th, ready for completion on Sept 1. I'm thinking the discussion (which will make up the main bulk of the show) will be approx. 22 minutes, with it being split into 2 segments (separated by the 60 second summary feature, etc). This would make it more fast-moving and keep listeners concentration. If we do run over the 22 mins time with the discussion, that won't be too much of a problem as I'll just edit it down to the desired length during post-production.

I do like the idea of the affiliation with the FB page. In terms of the name, I'm happy with 'The Alternate History Radio Show' in theory (as it does what it says on the tin etc), plus I can get a few Voiceovers to that affect fairly quickly. If you have any better ideas I'd be happy to change that though. I'd caution though that it must be something straight forward, that conveys what it's about, to anyone coming across the podcast for the first time, so nothing overly fancy.
 
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