WTOP-FM Washington is ready to jump into a new venture as one of the biggest radio stations will be producing their daily news podcast. “DMV Download” from WTOP News is launching in April, featuring local news from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas.
“Launching the DMV Download highlights WTOP’s continued focus on innovation with an investment in two accomplished and respected journalists excited to bring a fresh, local news podcast to life for the DC area,” Craig Schwalb, WTOP Director of Content Integration and Operations, said in an announcement.
The “DMV Download” will issue a new episode each weekend afternoon with WTOP investigative reporter Megan Cloherty serving as the host alongside WTOP producer Luke Garrett. The podcast will go in-depth on one or two local news stories.
“In 20 minutes, we’ll offer listeners context on the day’s biggest stories, going past the headlines with our deep bench of sources and reporters,” Cloherty said. “In my mind, if we can wrap up your workday with dependable, interesting content about our community, we’ve done our job.”
Both hosts have podcast backgrounds, with Cloherty being the co-creator and host of the first season of WTOP’s award-winning podcast, 22 Hours: An American Nightmare. Meanwhile, Garrett presently hosts the weekly WTOP podcast series Is It Normal Yet? which concentrates on the coronavirus pandemic.
“To have the opportunity to bring listeners into our newsroom and dive deep into stories through the DMV Download podcast is nothing short of an honor,” Garrett said. “If you’re talking about something with your friends or family, we’ll be talking about it in the podcast.”
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
