A Podcast on Undertaking

I hope you had a memorable memorial day. On the podcast this week have a replay of episode #228 published, January 14, 2016, called, Undertakings of an Undertaker.

About Our Guest

What do the following have in common? A Funeral Director, an Undertaker and a Mortician. Quite simply they are the names for a job that is of huge significance to humanity but are often shunned by society. The ironic thing is that everyone will one day become a paying client for this age-old industry. In a rare and wholly-unique new book, Stanley Swan is breaking his silence to share the good, the bad and the sometimes zany stories from serving the last wishes of those who have passed on.

This Week’s Podcast:

You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

April 26 – Throwback Thursday – RAS #325
May 03 – These Are Your Stories – RAS #326
May 10 – After The Movies – RAS #327
May 17 – The Answer – RAS #328
May 24 – The Nothing Equation – RAS #329
May 31 – Memorial Day Replay – RAS #330

Email Of The Week – What’s Your Story

I have received many emails asking basically the same question so, I decided to pick the best one and answer it.

Marilyn from Spring Falls, Virginia sent in this email: Hello Ron, I love the podcast and want to share my story. Most of your stories are so exciting and I am afraid that mine is rather boring. What types of stories do you want for the show? Do they have to be supernatural? – Marilyn

Marilyn,

I have to say that I am looking for any story and all stories. Nothing is too boring, too scary or too funny. On the show, we have had everything from ghosts to wolf encounters. We have had lost time tales to a funny rowboat story. The question I have is this: What’s your story?

Anything counts! All that I ask is that it be yours and the subject matter has to be family friendly. In fact, the only stories I have ever rejected have been borderline indecent.

I recently upgraded the story submission process at Ron’s Amazing Stories to make getting your tales to me, a simple process. Just head to the main site and click on the story submission banner.

Thank you for the question,

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast:

Our main story tracks a missile heading to Auburn, but was it launched by humans or aliens? Tune in and find out. Also, We have your stories which include two museum ghosts and one angel visitation. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

April 26 – Throwback Thursday – RAS #325
May 03 – These Are Your Stories – RAS #326
May 10 – At The Movies – RAS #327
May 17 – The Answer – RAS #328
May 24 – Mystery Week – RAS #329
May 31 – RAS #330 or HE #21

New Segment – These Are Your Stories

I have been thinking about this a lot. We need a better showcase for your stories. I have mostly included listener accounts into the, “What’s That You Say?” segment. While there was nothing wrong with that, I always thought WTYS should be used for answering emails rather than reading stories. So, this week we introduce, “These Are Your Stories”, which is a new segment just for you.

Also, I have been wanting to make a better submission system for your stories. Giving you clear instruction and more room to enter the information. I have had a problem with people not leaving their names or giving their permission for me to publish the story. I hope this new form solves all of these problems. I plan to go live with this system by Friday, May 4th, 2018. More on this in this week’s podcast.

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast:

On the show this week we have two great listener’s stories. One is called, My Graveyard Story and other I have called, Joey and Kung-Fu Fighting. Also this week, we have another edition of “Johnny Is This True?” You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

April 26 – Throwback Thursday – RAS #325
May 03 – Kung-Fu Fighting – RAS #326
May 10 – Suspense – RAS #327
May 17 – RAS #328
May 24 – RAS #329
May 31 – RAS #330 or HE #21

Past and Present – A Podcast Story

This time on Ron’s Amazing Stories – The Blog, we are going to talk a bit about the podcast. Today, as I write this, marks a birthday of a sort. On April 19, 2011, I published my very first podcast. That was seven years ago. I remember thinking, Who in the world was going to listen to this? I had no idea how to promote it, it did not sound all that great, and the content was ninety percent old time radio. [You can listen to that podcast here]

I did have some ideas as to what I wanted to accomplish. I was just starting out as a freelance editor and it was my hope to interview and connect with authors. These were lofty goals and I had no idea on how to complete them or measure my success. In those days there were no stats to speak off, at least at my host provider, all I had to go on was bandwidth usage. When I reached too many downloads I would get a nasty message. (So I was told, I never actually got that message). But, I could go in look at percent used. Early on it was disheartening, to say the least.

I knew that I had to score a big interview to at least generate some interest, so I set my sights on Greg Bell host of the radio show, “When Radio Was”. After a couple of months, I finally got that interview and things vastly improved. Greg helped with that by promoting it on XM/Sirius Satellite radio. [You can listen to RAS012 here] The numbers improved, but I was still in no danger of hitting that bandwidth usage goal.

In the end, it was persistence and not giving up that finally made the difference. Also, improving my knowledge, learning new skills and the art of self-promotion. I remember the week I broke 1000 downloads for a single podcast. It was like the world was finally listening to me and I had a voice. Granted my podcast is all about stories, but when you break it down we as humans are all storytellers. Today the podcast averages between 6 to 10 thousand downloads and I am on the radio in nine cities. I would say to myself, “Not Too Bad!”

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week we are doing a “Throwback Thursday” birthday edition of the show. It is going to contain only stories submitted by you guys. Of course, we can’t have a podcast without a Five Minute Mystery. I think it would break the internet if we did. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

March 29 – The King of Bones and Ashes – RAS #321
April 05 – The Jovian Jest – RAS #322
April 12 – The White Rose Murders – RAS #323
April 19 – Compensation – RAS #324
April 26 – Listener Story Week – RAS #325

Why do I do it…podcasting I mean?

Ron In the park — Ron walking around the park in March. Yes, it does snow here in Vancouver.

I like taking a walk around the local park. I do this every day and every day new thoughts occur to me. Sometimes it is about what I can do for my next show, other times I worry about life issues. I put in a lot of time making these podcasts. I want to do them right and at the same time remember that I have a job to do. I have made it no secret that I would love to do this full time, but the numbers tell me that I have a long way to go before I can make that happen.

So why do I do this… podcasting I mean? If I am not making a living at it then it must be a hobby. I know that for the most part people around me just doesn’t get it. However, my brother is my biggest supporter and he reminds me that I am doing good work. The listeners tell me that they love the show and can’t wait to see what I do next. People I don’t even know send me their stories to take care of and share with the world. You have no idea how that makes me feel when I get a good story from someone out there.

In the end, it is because of you that I do this. I don’t want to let you down. I have to put out the best podcast I can for you to hear. You make it worth the effort. I will continue paying my dues and hope that one day Ron’s Amazing Stories goes viral.

Thank you for listening to the show it is pleasure to be your host.

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week, Clarissa from Utah reads her short story live. She is only 14 years old. Also, we have a classic science fiction story from the 1930’s and another installment of, “Johnny, is it true?” You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

March 29 – The King of Bones and Ashes – RAS #321
April 05 – The Jovian Jest – RAS #322
April 12 – Suspense Week – RAS #323
April 19 – Science Fiction Week – RAS #324
April 26 – Listener Story Week – RAS #325