So’omalo Iteni Schwalger: “All the magic of radio”

So’omalo Iteni Schwalger is a presenter for The Tahi. Image supplied.

How long have you been working in the podcast industry?

I have been working in broadcasting for eight years, originally spending the majority of my career in live radio with Niu FM before coming to Tahi earlier this year to launch The Tahi.

What do you love most about your job?

I love podcasts as a long form, conversational piece of media. It’s all the magic of chatting on radio, but without the fast pace nature of live radio. You get more of a chance to dive into topics and delve deeper. Interviews are less surface chats and more meaningful. It’s also just super accessible for young people to get into either creating or listening too.

Paint a picture of your daily work routine.

Well, a large portion of our time is spent preparing the show, or creating content for social media. We record twice a week, which at this point in our routine, is an ease. Post-recording is where things get a little more time sensitive, as we’re editing and mixing the audio to meet our release deadline, whilst also creating video content for social media to drop simultaneously. It can get a bit stressful, but it never stops being fun.

What is it like working on RNZ/ Tahi FM’s new podcast?

The Tahi is the first and only podcast I’ve worked on. I came from broadcasting, so this has been an interesting experience to say the least. I get second chances to polish breaks or tighten interviews, which really helps in creating high quality content!

What do you think are some of the biggest challenges for the podcast industry today?

I would say creating a podcast that stands out amongst the rest. While I love how accessible creating a podcast is, it also can lead to over-saturation and if you’re starting a podcast, it can take a lot to really make yourself unique in the market.

What opportunities do you think podcasts create?

I think it allows stories to be told that would otherwise be untold by mainstream media. As a Pacific Islander, we are often underrepresented in media, but podcasts enable us to share our stories and have our voices heard.

If there was a change you would want to see in the industry what would it be?

I would like to see some form of regulation. I worry about some of the more hateful/misinformation platforms that have podcasts, who, for the most part, are able to spread their dangerous thoughts without any form of repercussions. Just like in radio, I feel that we need some sort of standards authority.

What’s your number one bugbear when you listen to a podcast?

Under-prepared podcasts bother me! I know a lot of the fun is that it’s casual conversation, but there needs to be some legwork put in to create structure.

What’s your favourite podcast of all time, and why?

Probably the Joe Budden Podcast just for how influential it was for me getting into podcasts.

Pick one of the two options and explain why you have a preference for one type of podcast genre over the other.

Comedy or True Crime?

Personally, due to experiences of my own, I’m not a fan of true crime, which I feel at times glorifies events that are rather personal and traumatic, so I’m leaning towards comedy — we all need a laugh these days.

Narrative Documentary or Talk Personality?

I’m going with Talk Personality, because it’s all I’m good at, so I’m going to say it’s the best lol.

What has been one of the most surprising things about working in podcasting?

My father is a Samoan Immigrant to New Zealand — he’s old-school. So when I landed the role on Tahi, it took A LOT of convincing to get him to understand that it’s a real job and people listen to podcasts. I had to show him a payslip for him to believe me. Although he understands, I’m not sure he’s accepted it, hahahaha.