JCast Journey

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the disappearance of subcategories in the section of iTunes that has podcasts. Darone posits that this is because of the plan in October to end iTunes and put in its place a dedicated podcast application (like is already the case on the iPhone […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay shares what he did over the summer as he has not put out episodes in a while. He also shares that the network has launched a new podcast #PopTorah, with Rabbis Knopf and Olitzky. It is available everywhere you get your favorite podcasts, and we […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the experience on Friday of listening to the final hours of broadcast of WPLJ, a radio station he grew up with, and that provided Top 40 music for the past 49 years. Video killed the radio star, and YouTube killed the Video Star, […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the ways that the technology surrounding podcasts have changed since the launch of JCast Network, and how those changes have invited the network to rethink some of its organizing principles. What do you think of the changing “times” on the JCast Network? Let […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the recent launch of the new podcast platform Luminary, and why, although JCast Network usually wants to be on as many platforms as possible, he is putting his foot down on this one, and is doing everything he can to make sure JCast […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about some “spring cleaning” that needed to be done on the JCast Network website, and how that led him to work on updating his biography on the site. Darone discusses how difficult he has been finding it to compose a complete and thoughtful biography, […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay shares that a few months ago he “sunsetted” the JCast Network app that was available on IOS and Android. The reasons were primarily financial (but based on the fact that nobody has complained, it was probably a good idea.) However, although he no longer has […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay acknowledges that it was only three episodes ago that he discussed there being too many platforms to put his podcasts on but then talks about the fact that he has now spent hours trying to figure out how to create JCast Network skills for your […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about an unexpected conversation that he had with his children about JCast Network, and why he does all of the work for the network if he isn’t getting paid. Darone contemplates the reason he does what he does for JCast Network, and for the […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the biggest news in the podcast world in the past few weeks, and probably the biggest news of the year (or any year)… the sale of Gimlet Media to Spotify for 230 Million dollars. What does this purchase mean for the world of […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about a podcast he listened to years ago that decided NOT to have a website, not to make it easy for others to find and listen to it. He discusses the pros and cons of making your show as available as possible, and asks is there […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the thin line between trying to help and advise, and the feeling of being taken advantage of. How much advice do you think you should give out, and when do you start charging for your advice? Does it matter if the person is […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay asks one more time that you consider donating to JCast Network. While Darone usually only produces one request episode during the Winter holiday season, this year that episode did not garner any donations at all. This was definitely a disappointment, not only because of the […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay returns for his semi-annual request for support. Have you been listening to JCast Network podcasts for days, weeks, months, years? Well as we say, podcasts are free to listen to, but not free to produce. Darone discusses some the cost of keeping the network afloat, and […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the reasons that the JCast podcast stable has not grown a great deal over the past year or so. Even though our growth has slowed, he is proud to welcome The Amen Corner, the latest JCast Network podcast. Although new to JCast Network, The […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay again reflects on the changing landscape of podcasts, and his continuing desire to be where the “earballs” are. While Apple and iTunes used to be the only important place to have your shows, the times have changed, and now everybody’s “earballs” are on Spotify, which […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the changing landscape of podcasts. It used to be that people needed to connect to their computer so it was important to space out podcasts, but now that people can download wherever they are, maybe it is not as big of an issue. […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the new series of podcasts by the folks at RadioLab, in their series More Perfect in which the producers have found 27 musicians to record a song each on one of the 27 amendments to the United States Constitution. This concept got Darone […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the crazy and unexplainable experiences that sometimes goes into the recording of podcast episodes. Do you want advice on your podcast? Reach out to Darone, as he would love to try to help you out if he can. Once again, we ask that […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about his recent experience going down the rabbit hole that is the Stuttering John vs. Artie Lange Feud. For those who don’t know, Artie and John are both past members of the Howard Stern family, and it appears that they are feuding with one […]

This week, Executive Director and JCast Journey host Darone Ruskay wishes all of our listeners a Shana Tova, in this short episode for this special day. Once again, we ask that you consider donating to help support our network. Please donate at http://JCastNetwork.org/donate.

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about his favorite infomercial host, Ron Popiel, and how one of his tag-lines, “Set It, And Forget It” has become one of his life mottos (at least for the small stuff.) However, due to changes in the Facebook rules and regulations (which completely confuse […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay does something that he nearly never does… he asks for money. In general, Darone puts out a single episode each year, that he posts on all of the JCast Network podcast channels, in December. In that episode, he talks about the important work of the […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay gets just a little political when he opens by discussing how Donald Trump’s Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was defaced. Don’t worry, this podcast isn’t veering into the political, rather Darone uses that story to discuss how many of this type of thing (Hollywood […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about what he thinks should be your intent when you put something out on the internet. With over 4,000 podcasts or blog posts on the Network, Darone knows something about posting on the internet, but he feels that the intention of the poster is vital. […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay looks back over seven-years to the second ever episode of JCast Journey, entitled Standing On The Shoulders in which he talked about the podcasters and entrepreneurs that gave him the courage to try to launch this network.  He reflects on the different roles some of his […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay returns to the episode Podcasts On TV from April. He looks back at why the show didn’t work and considers what this means for the continued growth and acceptance of podcasts. What do you think? Did you enjoy Alex, Inc? Let us know on Facebook. […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay thinks a bit about the issues of consistency in podcasts and the content that goes into them. Darone discusses the important agreement that he feels is made between a podcast producer and the listener, to have shows available on a regular CONSISTENT basis, but also […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about a recent technology upgrade he made to his recording set-up, and how it doesn’t really feel like an upgrade at all. What do you think? Have you ever upgraded to the newest, shiniest, most bells-and-whistles full option and then realized that you wished […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay continues to riff on his last episode about Alex, Inc. to discuss Living Biblically, the new show on CBS, that is based on the amazing book by A.J. Jacobs The Year Of Living Biblically. Darone reflects on why, like Alex, Inc. this show does not […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the new ABC show Alex, Inc. As a Podcast evangelist, finally having a prime-time network show starring Zach Braff about podcasters should be great for the medium, but after watching four or five episodes of the show, Darone has other thoughts. What do […]

Last time on JCast Journey, Darone Ruskay shared that he was preparing to go “out of pocket” to enjoy a family vacation… I am sure that since the world asked “Who Shot JR?” and “Were Ross and Rachel On A Break?” The world has not been on the edge of their chairs to find out […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay tells everyone listening that as this episode is being published, he is, for the first time since the launch of the Network truly “Out Of Pocket” which is to say, that he will not be anywhere near his computer. Darone talks about his nerves that […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay struggles with an issue. After a bad experience previously, he had made a pledge not to call out other podcasts for things that he doesn’t like, but now he feels the need to go back on that pledge. What are our roles as podcast hosts? Does […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay asks the eternal question… “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet”, which is to say, why are so many organizations changing their names, again and again, and again? While their are good names and […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay thinks about the newest changes in Facebook, and the ways that it will impact JCast Network and other organizations. It is clear that Facebook and the other social networks have been vital to the growth of JCast Network, but you will be surprised by Darone’s […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the new type of podcast that has become popular, the retelling of a historical moment. From following a true crime, or the life and times of a specific person, these are all the rage in the podcast world. What types of stories could […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay explains some of the reasons that there was no episode of JCast Journey when it was due to weeks ago and contemplates the future of the network. Is JCast Network important to you? Do you want to be able to continue to enjoy the programming […]

It’s that time of year! Each year, at the end of December, JCast Journey host, and JCast Network Executive Director and Producer looks back at the year that was for JCast Network, and asks that, as you consider your end of year philanthropic giving, that you include JCast Network. Although over the course of this […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay does what he usually does on his other episode KVETCH. What is the issue at hand? It is the bill he got for $100 in order for the JCast Network app to remain on the App Store. Why does Apple need to charge for an […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay comes back to the subject he discussed in the last episode. He understands that he teased a different topic for this weeks episode, and the topic he had planned to cover was actually time-sensitive (well sorta…) but sometimes when things happen, you have to change […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about a podcast he recently listened to Reply All in which they were discussing how it seemed that cellphones were listening to us and then advertising the items we were talking about. This led Darone to think about the way it feels like his […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay makes an offer that may sound pompous but is intended as a sincere offer. With nearly seven years of success at JCast Network, and additional podcasting experience elsewhere before, Darone is an expert in the field and he wants to help other Jewish organizations (or […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the crazy experience he had when the download numbers for the month of September dropped by forty percent. This was something to worry about until he remembered that this month has been the month of the Jewish High Holidays, and so obviously people didn’t […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the false start this summer of #AbbaCamp. While the summer was the perfect time to launch a show about camp, it was not the perfect time when it came to choosing between the work of launching a new show and just being with […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks AGAIN about one of his favorite podcasts, The Promised Podcast, but more specifically about their decision to create a Patreon Campaign. This got Darone to think about what such a campaign might look like for JCast Network. Would you donate on a recurring basis? […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay has a bone to pick with you, the listener. When going to record the previous episode (on SoundCloud) he noticed that the episode before that one looked strange in his recording software. Further investigation found further problems (all of which have now been fixed), but […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about some articles he has seen over in the past month, and in the years before that about the future and solvency of audio storage mega-company SoundCloud. Darone talks about the pros and cons of the service, the trouble that has plagued it throughout […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the reality that Summer often falls at the same time when there are fewer episodes of our shows. While many of the shows on the network are based on sermons and other teachings done by Rabbis, Rabbis spend their summers taking vacations, visiting […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay marvels at the recent announcement that ABC is launching a television show based on the first season of StartUp, the great Gimlet show about the creation of a podcast network. Darone reflects on the changing place in our culture of podcasts, from a niche technology […]

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay makes a plea for financial support from you our listener. JCast Network is proud that we do soo much with soo little, but after six and a half years, our main computer, the thing that keeps us running has died. Getting a high-powered computer that […]