MANSFIELD — Carl Hunnell will be the first to tell you he never planned on doing 100 episodes of the News Man Weekly podcast.
At his age, he doesn’t plan on much.
“To be honest, I had no idea what we would do or how long it would last,” the 65-year-old Richland Source deputy managing editor said Sunday.
“I still don’t,” he said with a laugh.
“I just like talking to people and this show has given me a wonderful, relaxed opportunity to have those conversations in a way many other people can listen,” he said.
“I have a great face for radio.”
Regardless of the old journalist’s lack of plans, the News Man Weekly podcast will celebrate that aforementioned 100th episode by recording it live Monday at Relax, It’s Just Coffee at 105 N. Main St. in downtown Mansfield.
The public is invited to attend the live taping of the show from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. inside the popular community gathering place. The podcast crew of Hunnell, executive producer Zac Hiser and videographer Hayden Gray will all be in attendance.
“Come in. Get coffee. Get some good food. Grab a seat and join the fun,” Hunnell said of Monday’s planned show. “It could be like watching a slow moving natural disaster unfold in front of you.
“Who doesn’t like watching a good natural disaster? I know people love watching tornadoes blow over houses on the Discovery Channel. This could be an audio version of that,” he said.
He said taping the 100th show at Relax was the perfect location.
“(Owner) Paul Kemerling was one of the first to believe in this show and he put his money where my mouth is,” Hunnell said with a laugh. “We are grateful to have him as the show’s sponsor.”
Hiser, head of Newsroom Product at Richland Source, said he welcomed the opportunity to produce the show when Hunnell broached the idea in 2024.
“Hunnell is the OG news man, but I don’t believe he’s ever done a podcast. When he came to me and said he wants to do this once a week, there was no hesitation on my part.
“I know there’s a lot of stuff he needs to say into a mic before he retires or dies. I was excited about the opportunity to work with him in this format,” Hiser said.
“Also, we had been wanting to do more audio storytelling at the source – meet people where they are and give them something different. We know podcasts are popular and the News Man was an easy idea for a weekly local show,” Hiser said.
Hayden Gray brought his audio/visual talents to the show and allowed it to be “broadcast” every week on YouTube.
“I think it’s truthful to say I was pretty much forced to join the News Man crew not long after its inception. I’m still with it, so I think that’s a testament to how much I enjoy helping Carl and Zac put the show together,” Gray said.
“Carl is a wordsmith and seasoned reporter. But it was time to modernize some of his storytelling. It was this or TikTok — and although he’s made a few of those — I think a podcast has proved to be the best choice,” he said.
The first News Man Weekly was “dropped” onto all available podcast sites on June 11, 2024.
It’s been a weekly event every week since then with guests ranging from local elected officials, community leaders, business owners, theater actors/directors, musicians, authors and, “whoever else we think is interesting,” Hunnell said.
The guests on Monday will be:
— Director Joseph Fahey and actor Josh Carpenter from the Mansfield Shakespeare Co. to talk about the upcoming production of “Hamlet” in South Park.
— Mansfield musician Cody Nicolas, who will perform a couple of original songs.
— Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry and city engineer Bob Bianchi, who will talk about the Main Street Corridor Improvement project (and maybe a little’s Buc-ee’s Travel Center).