I hosted radio talk shows in the 1970s and early 1980s. Even so, when I started podcasting in 2016, I still had a lot to learn. Podcasting technology is very different from the routine of radio production. It took some work, but I eventually got the hang of it.

I also learned the real secret to successful podcasting: hard work. Posting episodes on a regular schedule takes discipline, and most people who start a podcast don’t keep it going. The industry calls this “podfade.” A 2026 study by CastFox Research found that 22.8% of podcasts stop after one episode, more than half never get past six, and only 6.9% ever reach 100 episodes.

Most of my podcasts deal with serious subjects, but now and then I enjoy having some fun. In Fishers, one podcast team has fun in every episode: The Scuttlebutt Club.

Current in Fishers Editor Leila Kheiry has written a fine piece about the show’s hosts, sisters Katelyn Marando and Taylor Pearl. The two started the podcast about three years ago, near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. As busy moms whose days revolved around their children’s schools, practices and games, they wanted to find things in the community for themselves. They hoped other parents would come along for the ride.

They told Kheiry they knew nothing about podcasting at first. They searched online and got advice on equipment and editing from a friend’s husband who has his own podcast. Since then, they have added video and now post episodes on YouTube, reels on Instagram, and audio on the major podcast platforms.

That kind of growth only comes from steady work. A new episode comes out every Tuesday. The sisters feature local businesses and restaurants and preview weekend events, and they often record on location around town, from a pickleball facility to the Fishers Event Center.

Mayor Scott Fadness also appeared as a guest on The Scuttlebutt Club. When the mayor comes on my podcast series, we usually stick to city business and only occasionally get into family life and hobbies. The Scuttlebutt sisters did it the other way around. They skipped politics and policy and asked the mayor about life as a dad, a husband and a friend. Marando told the Current the goal was to show who he is outside of politics.

I have always been glad to promote fellow podcasters who do the work of producing on a regular basis. Three years of weekly episodes puts the Scuttlebutt sisters well ahead of most podcasters. I tip my hat to The Scuttlebutt Club. Having fun on a podcast is a special brand all its own. Keep up the good work.

You can read Leila Kheiry’s story at this link:

You can watch the Scuttlebutt Club episode with Mayor Fadness here: