American podcast about Harry Potter
PotterCast is the official podcast of the "Harry Potter" fansite The Leaky Cauldron. Its episodes are posted once per month and are typically about an hour long. In every episode, the hosts discuss particular passages, themes, and questions from the Harry Potter books and films, and they go over the Potter-related news stories reported during the previous week by The Leaky Cauldron. The podcast often includes input from everyday Potter fans, but it has also featured numerous interviews with professionals involved in making the Potter books, films, and video games. PotterCast frequently hosts contests, and it has presented a variety of themed shows, including a special wizard rock video edition and an episode for Banned Books Week 2005, in which staff interviewed representatives from the American Library Association. It also covers breaking news, such as the press conference hosted by Warner Brothers before the release of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".
PotterCast was launched on August 22, 2005, and with episode 130 it became the first podcast to interview "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling.
Hosts.
Other staff participants include audio editors, transcription "elves," Scribbulus editors, and moderators from The Leaky Cauldron's forum, the Leaky Lounge.
Audience.
The show has spawned several fan groups – SQUEE (Sue's Quite Unnervingly Excitable Enthusiasts), The John Noe Fan Club, MAFIA (Melissa Anelli's Fans In Action), Guru's Fans, and PCAA (PotterCast Addicts Anonymous). It has also inspired the creation of a few wizard rock bands, including Sue and the Hufflepuffs, Melissa and the Anellis, and MC Dawlish. Listeners frequently create elaborate videos and filks for PotterCast contests and fan challenges.