Insider Stories｜Lin Qihao: Making international news podcasts is like crossing a river by feeling the stones, relying on the editor's preferences and style

English Version

In retrospect, I first heard of the Taiwanese International news media"Udn Global's" Podcast around February 2019. At that time, I was studying in Hong Kong, and there weren't many Chinese Podcasts available on Apple Podcasts Hong Kong. "Udn Global Daily Podcast（转角国际新闻 Daliy Podcast）" and "Udn Global Blockbuster Broadcast（转角国际・重磅广播）" were almost the only news Podcasts. After listening to the show, I followed the links to related articles in the show notes and started reading "Udn Global's" articles.

Reading "Udn Global's" articles, I discovered that their way of reporting international news was quite different. The articles written by editors and columnists mainly traced the context of news events and timely expressed their own thoughts. These articles were neither interview reports nor purely commentary, creating a unique news genre. Although many believe that "Udn Global" is not doing news reporting, this characteristic is beneficial for producing Podcasts and enhancing the editors' abilities.

When writing content, "Udn Global's" editors are accustomed to quickly organizing news contexts and forming their own insights. Hence, when recording Podcasts, the editors can swiftly grasp the key points of the news and comment appropriately during the explanation of events. Each editor has unique voice and opinion expression styles, enabling listeners to quickly recognize and trust each editor, thereby trusting "Udn Global's" reports.

Compared to traditional news media, which differentiate between reporters and editors, "Udn Global" has more diverse job requirements. Each person can write, edit, and produce audio news, making the editors comprehensive news talents. Thus, with only four editors, "Udn Global" manages to update six Podcast episodes per week.

Chief Editor Lin Qihao told me that every editor is burdened with a lot of work, with no fixed recording studio. Recording programs felt like guerrilla warfare. Special Editor Zhou Huiyi said that doing Podcasts and writing articles are both parts of her job, and she must balance the two. It turned out that the editors had put in so much effort and overcome many difficulties to keep "Udn Global's" Podcasts with us.

Although this interview was online, Qihao and Huiyi would occasionally joke around while the other was talking, bringing a sense of the casual chats between editors on the "Daily Podcast," making the entire interview light and pleasant, showcasing the camaraderie within the "Udn Global's" editorial team.

The conversation with Chief Editor Lin Qihao and Special Editor Zhou Huiyi is as follows, divided into two articles. This article focuses on "Udn Global's" strategies for making Podcasts and production methods.

Catalogue

Initial Intention of Making Podcasts and Choice of Program Format

Editorial Division of Labor and Program Producing Method

Program Topics and Purpose of Chat Segments of "Daily Podcast"

Birth of "Blockbuster Broadcast's" New Series and Discontinuation of "On-Camera Reporting"

Feedback from listeners both online and offline

Characteristics of "Udn Global" and Its Editors