Messenger Mic’d — news beyond the news, available now
Staff Report
The Diocese of Covington’s Messenger office has launched its latest effort in a growing digital enterprise designed to share and highlight the news of the Diocese. “Messenger Mic’d,” a weekly podcast diving into the stories of the Messenger, was released on Spotify, Oct. 3, with the first episode entitled “Baby Boxes, Blessings, Beatifications,” covering the top local and national stories of the week.
Messenger Mic’d is hosted by Laura Keener, editor of the Messenger and diocesan director of communication; Bella Bailey, multimedia correspondent; and Maura Baker, staff writer, and is recorded at Thomas More University’s, Crestview Hills, podcasting studio.
“I sort of see the podcast as an extension of the Messenger,” said Ms. Baker. “We’re not replacing the work that we do … it allows us an opportunity to share information that might not necessarily go in the story on the surface level. It’s conversational, it allows us to go into more detail about the people and places of the Diocese that we talk about weekly in the paper.”
Messenger Mic’d is the result of a growing effort of the Messenger office to produce more digital content, which began at the request of Bishop Iffert upon his arrival five years ago and was spurred on “in ernst,” said Laura Keener, with the hiring of Mrs. Bailey in 2024.
“The idea of a podcast has always kind of been circulating between Bella, Maura and myself,” said Mrs. Keener. “There’s wisdom in knowing that people today have lots of options, lots of different ways that they can receive information and receive news, and it’s really important for the Catholic Church to be where the people are,” she said. “We understand that people like to get their news and information in various ways; some people like print, some people like their social media feed, some people like to listen to things,” she said.
“The podcast is an opportunity for a personalized approach to the news of the Diocese,” said Mrs. Bailey, whose podcasting experience at Thomas More University provided the expertise for in-house production. “It allows all of us in the Messenger office to share more about our experience in the field beyond the constraints of objective, neutral, journalistic reporting,” she said.
Ms. Baker said, “In these podcasts, we’re going to be able to talk a little bit more about the specific details and the very funny, whimsical sort of things that happen at events, or happen while we’re interviewing people.”
“There’s something fun about it,” she continued, “the conversational idea and attitude will just make it more engaging to listen to.”
Messenger Mic’d is currently available on Spotify and can be listened to without an account. A link to the newest episode will be available through the Diocese of Covington’s Facebook page every Saturday morning. Soon, Messenger Mic’d will be available on Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts.
