Great local yarns: Meet the journos behind award winning news podcast

Bega journalist James Fennessy and Adelaide-based producer Sam Talbot are still pinching themselves, having recently been announced as dual winners of Best News Podcast in the 2024 Radio Today Podcast Awards.

Their triumph comes just three months since the launch of iHeart’s Far South Coast podcast.

And it’s particularly significant, given they were up against some high profile heavy-hitters in the audio universe – finishing in a tie with Global Roaming and the formidable talent of the ABC’s Hamish MacDonald and Geraldine Doogue.

The iHeart Far South Coast podcast came about after ARN successfully pitched the project to the New South Wales Regional Media Fund.

Funding was on offer to encourage innovation in news-gathering in smaller regional markets like the Bega Valley.

Expanding on his 2EC/Power FM local news bulletins, iHeart Far South Coast allows James to take a weekly deep-dive into a key local issue, or have a conversation with a key news-maker or someone who has a story to tell.

His entry covered a cross-section of podcast episodes, new episodes of which drop each Friday morning.

This is James’ first foray into the world of podcasting, leaning on his keen news instinct to seek out a good local yarn, then win the trust of his guests to open up for the conversation.

He tells Radio Today his background as an on-air announcer helps him to break free from the sometimes traditionally ‘stiff’ news format.

And he’s a big rap for his colleague: “Sam is also a journalist on top of being a sharp audio producer, which really assists with finding the rhythm of the conversation, and enhancing the product, all from his small but nimble desktop in Adelaide!”

Here’s a recent episode for you to sample.