There is an art in hosting a podcast. It's not having a chat with your.be buddy. It's not having a monologue where you get to vent your views and interrupt the guest. Your job is to make your guest feel comfortable. Encourage them to talk about themselves. An Amateur relates what the guest says to herself and then goes on a diatribe, leaving the poor guest in the dust. The audience came to listen to learn more about the guest. That was the contract. A podcast host is in breach of contract when she uses the podcast as an excuse to give her views.
What's the difference between a podcast and a straight interview? The podcast should have give and take conversation. To put it simply, the host says a little something to elicit a response from the guest and then feeds off of what the guest says. If the conversation gets dry, then the host can initiate a new topic. The host should also channel the guest to talk about what the host believes the audience wants to hear.
Unfortunately Meaghan was not trained to be a podcast host. On her first podcast she went on for 11 minutes and gave a speech. She repeated stories about her childhood such as the dish soap commercial which has already been covered many times and has even proven to be inaccurate. She has not learnt restraint and continues to interrupt her guests which is the exact opposite of what a good podcast host should do. The whole point of the podcast is to create an atmosphere for the guest to express herself freely in a way she might not in formal interviews.
If this podcast has won any awards, it only proves that money can buy anything. It is sad that the public can no longer trust awards given out.
