Shadrach Strehle ’19 returned to Hillsdale College this year as podcast manager for the Hillsdale College Podcast Network.

Strehle studied history and journalism at Hillsdale and was the program director for Radio Free Hillsdale before he left for the professional world. 

After graduating, Strehle worked briefly as a reporter before moving to Washington, D.C. There he worked for the Salem Media Group as the technical director for a nationally syndicated radio show with 3 million daily listeners. He then moved back to Hillsdale, starting his own podcast called Vulgate Media, and worked with clients nationally through groups such as “The American Conservative.”

When Hillsdale launched the Podcast Network and posted a job for a podcast manager, Strehle said he knew he had to apply.

Strehle said he loved his time at Hillsdale as a student.

“I always joke that it’s the best four years of my life before I got married,” Strehle said. “What the college does, not only on campus but nationally, is good. Even though I was working for myself, I thought that I would much rather be working for something that has some value.” 

Strehle said he has always loved podcasts and recorded his own as early as seventh grade before the podcast arena became popular. 

Scot Bertram, general manager of WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM, said Hillsdale is working on podcasts to reach more people. 

“The college has many ways to reach people across the country,” Bertram said. “However, audio and podcasting is one place where we didn’t have a centralized strategy or point where people could find all of the audio the college is producing.” 

Bertram said podcasting is a growing medium, and it is readily accessible to audiences. One great thing about podcasting, according to Bertram, is that it is free.

Associate Professor of Management Douglas Johnson said marketing is an exciting field into which the college can expand through podcasting.

“It tends to be very creative and is focused on identifying what customers want and creating products and services for them,” Johnson said.

Since Strehle is a Hillsdale graduate, he had the advantage of attending a college with an innovative and forward thinking approach in marketing itself as an institution, Johnson said.

“Relative to our peer institutions we probably have about the best marketing operation of any school of our size,” Johnson said. “The integration of podcasts and marketing of the school in general, it sets us apart.”