The State Of Energy Propane Podcast Gains In Popularity
Last fall, Tom Clark attended NPGA and PERC meetings and heard talk of the need to educate consumers and mobilize them to oppose the war on fossil fuels. Returning home, the executive director of the Rocky Mountain Propane Association (RMPA) reached out to a media organization he’d worked with and discussed how they could talk to consumers about energy choices. The advertising and media-placement agency, Advoke Media, suggested an infomercial-style radio show. “I was surprised; I thought radio was old school,” Clark tells BPN. But he learned that in rural areas of the four states RMPA represents (Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming), a lot of people listen to radio. “This is something no one had done before—an infomercial about propane—so I thought it would be…
Last fall, Tom Clark attended NPGA and PERC meetings and heard talk of the need to educate consumers and mobilize them to oppose the war on fossil fuels. Returning home, the executive director of the Rocky Mountain Propane Association (RMPA) reached out to a media organization he’d worked with and discussed how they could talk to consumers about energy choices.
The advertising and media-placement agency, Advoke Media, suggested an infomercial-style radio show. “I was surprised; I thought radio was old school,” Clark tells BPN. But he learned that in rural areas of the four states RMPA represents (Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming), a lot of people listen to radio. “This is something no one had done before—an infomercial about propane—so I thought it would be a new way to reach people.”
The first episode of “The State of Energy” was broadcast March 31. It is currently broadcast on five talk radio stations in the states RMPA represents. Clark co-hosts the 30-minute show with Rand DeWitt, who is with Advoke Media and has been a professional host. “He grew up in the radio industry,” Clark says. “He keeps things fun and keeps things moving.”
As they sought a way to keep a library of the episodes, they determined that a podcast platform was a good way to do that. That led to another surprise: “The show is now worldwide,” Clark says. “I don’t know how they learn about us, but we’ve had listeners from 18 countries and more than 200 cities. It’s not just one-time hits, they return.”
They also found that the podcast was being given by propane company owners and managers to staff who don’t get to travel to association meetings to hear about industry issues. “Middle management, drivers, and service technicians don’t go, yet they are the face of the company,” Clark notes. “We encourage them to listen and hear how to have a propane conversation with their legislators and community leaders.”
When he spoke with BPN in late August, Clark had been doing the weekly show for five months. Knowing their audience now includes both consumers and propane professionals, the hosts choose topics that will appeal to both. Propane’s contributions to resiliency, energy security, and energy diversity are often mentioned on the show. Other recurring themes include RMPA’s workforce development program and, of course, “Propane Can Do That.”
Clark says, “When people hear I host a propane podcast, they say, ‘What in the world are you going to talk about every week?’ You’d be surprised! In almost any news story, you see how propane is involved or how propane could help.”
The State of Energy podcast can be found on podcast apps and on the show’s dedicated website,
www.thestateofenergy.com.
If you’d like to sponsor the radio show or podcast, be a guest on the show, or help get the show broadcast in your area, contact Tom Clark at
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