Hometown Tales
Encyclopedia
Hometown Tales began as a Public-access television
cable TV program in the New Jersey
, New York
and Pennsylvania
area in 2002. It was created by a producer from New Jersey
, Gene Fitzpatrick and a writer from New Mexico
, Bryan Minogue. It soon expanded into a popular podcast
, radio program and website.
Hometown Tales focuses on urban legends, folklore, historic oddities, ghost
stories and local culture from towns all over. All this is done with a light hearted twist and friendly exchange by the hosts. Gene Fitzpatrick plays the role of the skeptic while Bryan Minogue is frequently fearful of the paranormal
stories. Emphasis is put on the tales, and not their veracity; therefore a pure urban legend will be treated on equal ground with a true story.
The television program resulted in nine 30 minutes episodes which still air on many Public-access television channels like Patriot 8 from Patriot Cable in Somerset, NJ, Cablevision of Morris and others. Many of those segments have been re-purposed in a vidcast feed as well as on the Hometown Tales website.
When Podcasting hit the scene, Hometown Tales began producing a program to support the TV show. It was one of the earlier podcasts on the scene and peaked in the Top 10 of most popular podcasts on Podcast Alley. For a brief period of time the program aired on Sirius Satellite Radio
as part of Dawn and Drew Presents. Even though the program was used by Dawn and Drew during their block of air time on Sirius courtesy of Adam Curry
's Podshow, Hometown Tales was never actually contracted by Podshow now known as Mevio
.
Both Fitzpatrick and Minogue are also former colleagues of the marketing agency, DVC.
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV program in the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
area in 2002. It was created by a producer from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Gene Fitzpatrick and a writer from New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Bryan Minogue. It soon expanded into a popular podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
, radio program and website.
Hometown Tales focuses on urban legends, folklore, historic oddities, ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
stories and local culture from towns all over. All this is done with a light hearted twist and friendly exchange by the hosts. Gene Fitzpatrick plays the role of the skeptic while Bryan Minogue is frequently fearful of the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
stories. Emphasis is put on the tales, and not their veracity; therefore a pure urban legend will be treated on equal ground with a true story.
The television program resulted in nine 30 minutes episodes which still air on many Public-access television channels like Patriot 8 from Patriot Cable in Somerset, NJ, Cablevision of Morris and others. Many of those segments have been re-purposed in a vidcast feed as well as on the Hometown Tales website.
When Podcasting hit the scene, Hometown Tales began producing a program to support the TV show. It was one of the earlier podcasts on the scene and peaked in the Top 10 of most popular podcasts on Podcast Alley. For a brief period of time the program aired on Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
as part of Dawn and Drew Presents. Even though the program was used by Dawn and Drew during their block of air time on Sirius courtesy of Adam Curry
Adam Curry
Adam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
's Podshow, Hometown Tales was never actually contracted by Podshow now known as Mevio
Mevio
Mevio Inc., is an American internet entertainment network, whose properties include PodShow+, PodShow Podcast Network, PodShowPDN, Podcast Alley, CastBlaster, the Podsafe Music Network and, BT PodShow...
.
Both Fitzpatrick and Minogue are also former colleagues of the marketing agency, DVC.