Many of you know that I've spent months (years?) struggling to figure out how best to enter the podcasting game. "Old dog, new tricks" probably being my biggest stumbling block. Time management, the other. I also really didn't want to simply duplicate other people's efforts, saying the same things as everyone else. If I don't have something both valuable and different to say . . . what's the point?
Another of my major concerns has been . . . how to be consistent, in some kind of daily presentation. I don't have a staff of writers, show prep personnel, producers, or technicians. And I don't wish to give up my investigative activities, or the road time much of that takes. I needed something "compact" enough, that I can do this, daily, even while traveling. In my first week of producing the Five in Ten, I learned it takes an average of about 4 hours to prep, write, record, edit, and post each ten-minute segment. Hopefully, it will get quicker as I become more experienced with each step.
Most of you also know that I'm most comfortable as a long-form writer. It's no small challenge learning how to get the message I want to get across in about 2 minutes per topic. Certainly, on the bigger issues in which I'm directly involved, the long form will continue.
Now, it's a matter of getting this out to a larger audience. The feedback so far has been universally positive. In fact, enthusiastically received by those who've commented on the various social media platforms where they've been posted. Facebook, of course, is simply crushing the distribution of any link to Rumble, (where these videos are hosted), and any of the usual tricks and diversions to fool their algorithms are not working. I even tried uploading one of the Five and Ten videos directly to Facebook, and they restricted the distribution of that version even harder! Why? They want me to PAY them to release it to my own followers. (Not going to happen.)
So, I'm simply asking for your help to get this series launched and off the ground. Obviously, you can copy and share the links to all your own socials. You can directly share if you are also following my accounts on Twitter, Facebook, MeWe, Gab, or Truth Social. Subscribing to the Rumble channel and liking each video also helps, as it elevates them in Rumble's own algorithms. And . . . you can share to your own Locals pages and to others that you subscribe to here.
That said, here are the links to this week's Five and Ten episodes:





Thank you all for your continued support, as I figure out how to make all this work while still chasing the other important stories on my plate. It means the world to me.
Steve
P.S. I'm open to story ideas for Five and Ten. DM me with your suggestions!