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By Roger Watson

One of my newest discoveries of the pandemic has been podcasts. I’ve listened to podcasts from time to time, but it wasn’t until I started walking for an hour daily that I really got into the few I subscribe to. Apparently, I am not alone. ESPN reported its podcast audience grew by 40% this past June.

Here are a few of The Farmville Herald’s staff picks of our favorite podcasts. Check them out. If you have some favorites, email me at Roger. Watson@FarmvilletheMag.com.

ESPN DAILY — This podcast which began a couple years ago has quickly become a favorite. The pod, as I believe they are called, just underwent a host change with Pablo Torre taking over for Mina Kines. They are both really good. The best ESPN Daily podcasts are those that go off the typical sports content tracks. My recent favorite was one about why Korean baseball players flip their bats and no one gets upset. If this happened in America, there would be huge fights, suspensions, etc.

THE TONY KORNHEISER SHOW — Listening to this show is like going to the coffee shop and talking with some old friends about the news of the day for an hour. The former Washington Post sports columnist turned PTI host doesn’t only talk about sports on his podcast. It’s about life. My favorite was him describing a trip to a bank drive-thru. Tony doesn’t do drive-thrus, but the bank was closed due to COVID-19, so it was the only choice, because he also doesn’t bank online. Hilarity ensued.

But enough about me. Obviously I like sports. Regina Caraway, our office manager who you meet if you enter the office of The Farmville Herald, has some of her favorites.

THE JOE BUDDEN PODCAST — This podcast consists of former rapper Joe Budden and three of his friends, Mal, Rory and Parks. They discuss all types of music, music culture, news, sports, you name it.

THE 85 SOUTH SHOW — This podcast consists of three hilarious comedians by the name of Anthony “Chico Bean,” John “DC Young Fly” and Karlous Miller. Before COVID, of course, they traveled to different states and did stand-up comedy on any and everything. As of right now, they are recording in a studio, still giving the same laughs on today’s culture, music and life.

THE PIKETON MASSACRE — This podcast follows the infamous massacre of eight family members in 2016 in the town of Piketon, Ohio. They discuss what could have possibly happened to the Rhoden family, why it happened and who has been charged in such heinous crimes.

Titus Mohler, sports editor for The Farmville Herald, is also a podcast afficionado. Here are three of his favorites.

THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE — This is a longform podcast hosted by Joe Rogan, who is a comedian, mixed martial arts color commentator, actor and former host of “Fear Factor.”

On the podcast, Rogan interviews a wide variety of people from all over the spectrum in the realms of politics, academia, entertainment and more.

The free podcast will eventually be exclusive to Spotify, but it is currently available on multiple platforms, and its YouTube channel, PowerfulJRE, has more than 9.5 million subscribers.

OFFICE LADIES — This is a weekly podcast hosted by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, who played Pam Beesly and Angela Martin, respectively, on the classic U.S. TV show “The Office,” which ran from 2005-13.

On this podcast Fischer and Kinsey, who are real-life best friends, are doing the ultimate rewatch of “The Office” for fans of the show. Each week they break down an episode of the show and give exclusive behind-the-scenes stories that only two people who were there can tell you. Frequently, they have guests, like writers, directors and fellow cast members, who are particularly important to the episode being reviewed.

This free podcast can be accessed at a variety of places, including at officeladies.com, earwolf. com and stitcher.com.

THE 7TH RULE — This is a Star Trek podcast that is hosted by Ryan T. Husk and former “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (DS9) regular cast member Cirroc Lofton, who played Jake Sisko. Originally, it also featured DS9 recurring guest star Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog. Eisenberg passed away in Sept. 2019. Lofton and Husk are doing a rewatch of DS9, which aired from 1993- 99 when Lofton was a teenager. Lofton is able to bring an interesting then-and-now perspective as an actor-turned-viewer of the show while also offering interesting behind-the-scenes information.

This free podcast can be found on YouTube on its channel by the same name. It has more than 10,000 subscribers.