MacVoices #26107: Three Shows, 20 Years Each – A Podcasting Conversation with Ken Ray and Mike Potter

Mar 27, 2026 | Interview

Ken Ray, Mike Potter, and Chuck Joiner mark 20 years of podcasting by reflecting on how their shows began, how the medium evolved, and why they still love doing it. They share stories of improvised early gear, changing formats, audience connection, discoverability, and the friendships built along the way. The conversation also explores what defines a podcast, the value of audio, and why putting yourself out there still matters.

Show Notes:

Chapters:

[0:00] Introduction to a 20-year podcasting conversation

[0:38] Ken Ray on his radio roots and daily Apple news

[5:15] Ken’s experiments and the staying power of audio

[6:05] Mike Potter on Coffeehouse To Go and early podcasting

[9:14] Transitioning to Mac-focused podcasting and listener help

[11:59] Chuck’s path from user groups to broader interviews

[15:55] Looking back at technology changes over two decades

[18:13] Early gear, workarounds, and makeshift production setups

[21:46] How podcast production tools have evolved

[26:28] Audio versus video and what each brings

[30:07] What counts as a podcast and why audio still matters

[35:47] Discoverability, niche audiences, and putting content out there

[39:14] Retirement, hiatuses, and reasons to keep going

[48:50] Friendships and unexpected opportunities from podcasting

[51:05] Advice they would give their younger podcasting selves

[57:05] Having fun, avoiding pressure, and staying authentic

[59:38] Final thoughts and where to find each show

Guests:

Since May of 2005, Ken Ray has eaten, slept, and breathed Apple news and news related to Apple news in order to produce a daily Apple news show. and he does just that with Mac OS Ken, with content that includes most stories directly related to Apple, many stories indirectly related to Apple that stand a chance of affecting Apple’s business or its users, and tangentially related stories that are funny. A slightly skewed, sometimes cynical, obsessive look at Apple news, five-days-a-week. There are various ways you can contact him.

Michael Potter is the Executive Producer of For Mac Eyes Only, and the organizer of the annual Macstock Conference and Expo. Mike’s love-affair for all things Apple began in his Junior High’s Library playing Lemonade Stand on a pair of brand new Apple ][+ computers. His penchant for Apple gear continued to be nurtured by the public school system when, in High School, he was hired as a lab supervisor to help run the Apple ][e lab for his fellow students and their Print Shop needs. Then, further still, in college he often opted to help a friend with her Computer Graphics coursework instead of focusing on his own studies, but only because it helped get him closer to the Mac-lab.

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Connect:

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