By EMILY REEVES/ Staff reporter
AC’s behavioral and social sciences department has a running podcast called “Life in Bomb City” that covers issues that many students may not be aware exist in the Amarillo area.
“I’m the creator and producer, but it’s definitely a team effort,” said Aaron Faver, the podcast co-host and AC government instructor. His co-host, Dr. Beth Rodriguez, teaches psychology.
“Aaron does a lot of research and is very scripted,” Rodriguez said.
Both bring different perspectives on relevant issues affecting the people in the Amarillo community. Faver and Rodriguez say they attempt to not only bring topics to the forefront of people’s minds, but help them understand how the issues fit into the bigger picture.
“More than anything, we try to make this a place where we can contextualize Amarillo culture, politics and other things within the global context,” Faver said.
“Life in Bomb City” has covered a wide range of topics already, from changing entertainment to the local foster care system to a four part miniseries about the opioid epidemic in town.
“We don’t just have one specific topic that we’re reaching. We’re kind of hitting all community issues and things that are happening,” Rodriguez said.
“Dr. Rodriguez and I talk a lot about what we think people need to know about, where there are gaps in knowledge,” he said.
Faver and Rodriguez take their podcast seriously, bringing in more than just local authorities.
“Coming up, we’ve got lots of guests who are at the national level,” Faver said.
The podcast is also gathering a large listener base.
“We have somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 listeners, and we’re growing,” he said. “Some listeners are from outside the area.”
Students at AC who listen to the podcast speak favorably of it.
“The series is interesting. It’s a really well done podcast,” said Aden Hurly, a business information systems major.
“It relates to the people of Amarillo and gives good insight on the things that go on here,” Hurly said
“Life in Bomb City” can be found wherever podcasts are available, such as Spotify and iTunes. Car stickers are also available from Aaron Faver in the Dutton office suite on the second floor at the Washington Street Campus.
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