'Medford Bytes' Podcast Now In 3rd Season

MEDFORD, MA — “Medford Bytes,” a podcast all about Medford news, culture, and politics, is now in its third season.

Created by resident Danielle Balocca, who later added Chelli Keshavan as a second host, “Medford Bytes” features conversations with local politicians and community members with a goal of making important information about the city more accessible.

"I started the podcast in October 2021 in response to the municipal election,” Balocca said. “I was a big election for us. We were re-electing a mayor and city council members and it felt like there wasn’t a lot of information out there. The first season was just interviews with candidates. I feel like it got me a lot more involved in local politics and just the City of Medford in general.”

Balocca hosted Keshavan, former Vice President at West Medford Community Center, when the show first began. At the time, Keshavan was running events for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month.

“A community member introduced us and I went on the show and we quickly realized we had a wonderful working relationship,” Keshavan said. “I'm always interested in the next project, network opportunity, and energy that aligns with my goals. My work with Danielle seems very current and relevant and is moving in leaps."

To date, "Medford Bytes” has hosted guests including Mayor Breanna Lung-Koehn, City Council Vice President Zac Bears, Kate Quinn of Medford Recreation, State Representative candidate Nichole Mossalam, Medford High School GSA member Lila D’Antonio, and many more.

Balocca and Keshavan said season 3 is different from the first two seasons in that the show is becoming more focused and they are becoming more discerning about who the guests are and what questions are asked.

“We are growing up and getting savvy and learning what it means for the right energy to come our way,” Keshavan said. “We are also excited to branch out and talk to people who have a different relationship to the city, like those who work here but don’t live here or people who used to live here."

“And we are trying to keep this frame of ‘how is this person contributing to the community and equity and a bigger mission through the city?’” Balocca added. “The general takeaway from the podcast is we can utilize relationships with people in the city to create change."

“Medford Bytes” releases a new episode every two weeks. For more information or to give feedback, email medfordpod@gmail.com and follow @medfordbytespod on social media.