Welcome to the Hillsdale Podcast Network
Written by Lauren Smyth
The new offshoot of Hillsdale’s official website provides friends of the College with easy access to five college-produced podcasts. Featured here are Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, The Hillsdale Dialogues, Beyond the Bubble, the Hillsdale K-12 Classical Education Podcast, and – saving the best for last! – the all-new Larry P. Arnn Show, kicking off with an episode featuring Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. All five podcasts can be streamed at the new website, podcast.hillsdale.edu.
The Network project has been a long time in the making, according to Scot Bertram, director of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network and general manager at WRFH, Hillsdale’s student radio station. He explains that the new design will allow listeners to stay connected with events, classes, and conversations offered by the College, even from afar.
“The College has had a handful of podcasts over the past couple of years, but we haven’t had a centralized place for people to find them,” Bertram said. “The Hillsdale College Podcast Network solves that problem, making it easy for people to see what we’re doing and access what we offer.”
Listeners who already subscribe to the podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other audio streaming services don’t need to worry about updating their subscriptions. All the existing links still work, but the new website will make it easier for listeners to find new shows related to what they already enjoy.
“Having a unified promotional strategy will help make listeners aware of other things the College is doing, such as Imprimis and the online courses, events that are happening on and around campus, or whatever else people interested in Hillsdale might want to know,” Bertram said.
Speaking of Imprimis: This popular publication will be getting an upgrade through the Podcast Network. Audio versions are coming soon, designed for listeners who want to learn on-the-go. Students from the College’s WRFH radio station record and produce each episode. Jacob Beckwith, ’26, Charles Babbo, ’26, Gwen Thompson, ’25, and I have spent many a weekend afternoon in the recording studio with Imprimis scripts, and we’re excited to share what we’ve helped create.
Now that we’ve heard what’s coming, let’s do some exploring of our own. Let’s see what the new website has to offer.
The front page features a photo of a former radio student, now graduated and working at the College. That’s Rachel Kookogey, who won multiple awards for her work through the WRFH radio station. (Student work, like Rachel’s, can be found on the separate WRFH website). Once you see this picture, you don’t have to keep scrolling—you can start listening right away, using the blue button at the left side of the screen.
But if you’re curious, or if you’d like to learn more about the podcasts Hillsdale offers, let’s keep looking. Next up are the latest episodes of each podcast.
Beneath this are the “superfeeds,” which allow listeners to subscribe to all five Hillsdale College podcasts instead of clicking on each show individually. These feeds are available through iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Amazon, and more, so listeners can pick their favorite platform.
Next up are descriptions of each podcast, starting with the newest Larry P. Arnn Show. This podcast, which updates intermittently, will feature guests of Hillsdale College in conversation with Dr. Arnn. The inaugural episode appeared on April 18 and is available to stream directly from the website.
Then come the Hillsdale Dialogues, a weekly conversation between Dr. Arnn and Hugh Hewitt where they discuss “Great Books, Great Men, and Great Ideas.” Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, which Bertram hosts, offers the knowledge and teaching of Hillsdale to the world beyond campus. Career Services’ Beyond the Bubble guides recent graduates through the challenges and complexities of the professional world. Lastly, the K-12 Classical Education Podcast features teachers and professors on the importance, relevance, and uniqueness of a classical education.
The Podcast Network doesn’t end there. Now that the new site is up and running, Bertram says more development plans are already in the works.
“The great thing about the Network is that it gives us room to expand with more shows,” Bertram said. “Once we get established, we’ll turn our attention toward expanding the audio offerings beyond what we already have.”
Exactly what’s coming next remains a surprise, but Bertram offered a few hints. Some possibilities on the table include audio versions of Center for Constructive Alternatives (CCA) lectures and online courses, an admissions office podcast, or perhaps a show focused on the College’s D.C. campus.
Listeners have much to look forward to from Hillsdale College as the new Podcast Network continues to promote “the diffusion of sound learning” and preserve “the blessings of civil and religious liberty and intellectual piety.” If you’re ready to get involved, or if you’re just hoping to find your new favorite podcasts, visit the Network at podcast.hillsdale.edu.
Lauren Smyth, ’25, is a prospective political economy major and French minor. Outside of starting arguments in philosophy class, she enjoys curling up on a bench outdoors (sun, rain, or snow) to write novels or articles for her blog, www.laurensmythbooks.com.
Published in May 2023