If you're a listener of podcasts, or maybe even if you're not, you know that audio content is incredibly easy and passive to consume while you're doing just about anything, from driving to working to washing the dishes. Many podcasts make it easy to learn new things and stay up to date with current events, but what about the news that doesn't necessarily make the headlines? That's where the hosts of What a Time to Be Alive come in.
The What a Time Pod, as it's known in shorthand, has a tagline that sums the concept of the show up pretty well: The only podcast counting down everything this week that made you say, "what a time to be alive." Hosted by comedians Comedians Patrick Monahan, Kath Barbadoro, and Eli Yudin, What a Time is a news and discussion podcast with a fresh and entertaining spin.
The format of the podcast takes a regular cadence. First, Patty, Kath, and Eli spend some time talking about what they've been up to lately, often sharing funny anecdotes from their day to day lives. Personally, I find this to be an important facet of any podcast I'm listening to regularly because it helps me get to know the hosts better and form connections with these disembodied voices in my ear. I doubt the show would be half as entertaining if I didn't start to understand each host's life and personality better after listening to just a few episodes. Personally, if I can't jibe with the hosts or creators of any kind of media content, it doesn't matter how informative or exciting the subject matter they're talking about it. I've become a big fan of each of the What a Time hosts individually since I first followed the podcast.
After the introduction segment, the hosts get into the part of the show they call "numbers." This is where the meat of the episode comes in. The hosts take turns presenting the oddest new stories they read that week, ranking them from 5 to 1. While these rankings are loose, it ensures that they do hit five different stories every week, giving variety to the show. Generally, one host will give a summary of the story, or even read straight from the publication, before the conversation inevitably takes a comedic turn while the group discusses the oddity that's been presented. This type of discussion leads to many welcome tangents that are entertaining and add even more flavor and speculation to the new stories in a hilarious way.
To me, the most important element of any podcast I'm listening to for entertainment is the chemistry between the hosts, and you can tell that there's great friendship and rapport between Kath, Eli, and Patty because of the way their conversations flow so naturally. Listening in makes me feel like I'm hanging out with friends. Occasionally, the podcast will feature a special guest when one of the regular hosts isn't available. While sometimes I'll miss the regular dynamic of the show, guest hosts can add a certain level of unexpectedness to the regularly scheduled programming. Some fan-favorite guests do come back to host again, which is always fun, and I've discovered even more comedians on this show that I've gone on to follow through other means because I enjoyed them so much on What a Time.
One more element of the podcast that keeps me coming back are the inside jokes that the hosts have cultivated over time. For instance, there are certain topics that I anticipate will come up often during conversations on the show, and certain reactions or "catchphrases" that I'm always cracking up at when they come back around. The hosts also use a soundboard of familiar sound clips to punctuate the discussion, and I really enjoy the eclectic nature of those sound bites. It's incredibly entertaining to find out how the same quote or quip will be used in different ways for comedic effect on the show.
What a Time to Be Alive is a break in the monotony of the news cycle and something I look forward to every week. While some of the articles relate to current events with a comedic spin, some are completely out of left field. They're stories, often from local news outlets or far down the page on the New York Post, that I never would have stumbled across them otherwise. Nonetheless, I generally end each episode with at least one new piece of information in my head and a dozen other things I want to look up and learn more about on my own. I look forward to long car rides or cleaning around the house, because that's time when I get to listen to the show. And at least I get to laugh at the craziness of this world we live in while I'm at it.
