Tag Archives: this american life

The Message: It’s a podcast and so much more

This American Life’s podcast sister/brother, Serial was a huge hit last year. And just when will Serial hit my podcast waves again? If anyone knows, tell me.

But the success of Serial has given podcasts a revival of sorts. Even yours truly has a podcast. To be honest, I’ve been podcasting and videocasting since 2010.

One of these podcasts is called The Message. As soon as I heard it I was hooked. Reporter Nicky Tomalin reveals in the opening episode that she has gained access to a US government agency that has been tasked with deciphering a potential alien transmission. After episode 2 I thought to myself that this is too good to be true. and why haven’t I heard about this before.

Well, my hunches turned out to be true. The Message is too good to be true. According to TechTimes.com:

The Message will once again blur this line between sci-fi and real life as an eight-episode podcast debuting October 4. Each installment ofThe Message follows main protagonist Nicky Tomalin as she attempts to decode a 70-year-old message from outer space in her new job at an encryption think tank called Cypher.

Though The Message is a fictional podcast, the story is told through Nicky’s reports and interviews, giving it a more realistic feel. As a co-production between Slate’s podcast network Panoply and GE Podcast Theater, The Message also incorporates real GE technology into the narrative that will help Nicky crack the case, such as ultrasound therapy.