Ava Chuppe
Staff Writer
[email protected]

After a group of students missed out on a Racer basketball game, their disappointment led them to put their creative talents to use.

After some brainstorming, sophomore hospitality and tourism major, Jayden Hayn and others decided to start a podcast.

“We said that we wished there was one place that we could go to hear about all the things that were happening on campus in the upcoming week instead of hearing about things after they had already happened,” Hayn said.

The podcast, called Racer Report, debuted April 4 and covers five categories: sports, weather, University events, student organizations and “Out-N-About,” or off-campus events in the wider Murray community.

Racer Report is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The podcast is available for free, with a new episode released every Monday morning. Contributors record the cast in the new Makerspace area of Waterfield Library.

Anna McGreevy, a freshman communication disorders major, discovered Racer Report was holding reporter auditions when Hayn mentioned to her that she was starting the organization.

McGreevy said she had immediate interest, as she thought it was a great opportunity for involvement. As the reporter for student organizations and University events, she said she aims to help students plan out their weeks.

“But it wouldn’t be possible without the writers,” McGreevy said. “They let me know what I need to talk about when I go to record.”

Hayn said she was able to start the podcast after finding an adviser and interested students.

“Murray State has such a great system for starting new student organizations,” Hayn said. “We have had a great response so far from our listeners.”

Hayn said the podcast was a great asset because of its accessibility.

“We keep it short and simple, about five minutes, so that it doesn’t drag on for too long and lose the interest of our audience,” Hayn said. “We release it on Monday mornings, so that students can listen to it on their walk to class.”

McGreevy said Racer Report fulfills some limitations of conventional news.

“Rather than the news, which often focuses on reporting past events, our podcast is reporting on things to come,” McGreevy said. “I know that when I first came to campus, I missed a lot of events just because I didn’t hear about them. Our podcast is trying to change that.”

Hayn said while positions are not paid and just for fun, having a published piece of work can boost a resume.

“If you’re looking for a way to support our podcast, feel free to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify,” Hayn said. “It is very helpful for us to reach more people on campus.”

While Racer Report is still seeking more reporters, they are not looking for more writers until the fall semester begins.

Interested students can follow @msu.racerreport on Instagram for updates on when interview processes will begin again. Anyone with a tip about an upcoming event is encouraged to visit the link on their Instagram page bio and submit it to the podcast.