The Town of Saugeen Shores has received national recognition for its Shore Report Podcast from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators.
The town was presented with the 2019 CAMA Willis Award for Innovation, in the Under 20,000 population category, during CAMA’s national conference in Quebec.
Storytelling is identified as a priority within the Town of Saugeen Shores Communication Strategy. The free and inclusive access to a podcast provides an innovative solution to share local stories.
As of April 2019, the podcast has 71 episodes posted and has over 8,000 listens in 50 countries.
The CAMA said this is an extraordinary reach for a community of fewer than 14,000 people, and the cost of $200 a year to produce makes it affordable for all municipalities.
The Shore Report can be found online at saugeenshores.ca/shorereport.
A podcast is a web-based audio file, and in the case of the Shore Report, it does not include video and is not live. It is a pre-recorded, engaging, and informative conversation, which is then uploaded to two online platforms (iTunes and SoundCloud).
"CAMA is pleased to recognize Saugeen Shores for the excellent effort and best practice being demonstrated by their municipal podcast," said Marc Landry, president of CAMA and city manager for Moncton, NB. "The podcast is an excellent way to increase communication to residents and investors through an accessible and innovative solution."