Canadian journalist and baker Chantal Hortop, who serves as managing editor of The Gleaner in Quebec, stops by Keep Your Voice Down to talk cake and shop with hosts Doug Sears, Jr. and Alek Haak-Frost. The wide ranging conversation includes how Chantal and Alek met, the impact of the LION Independent News Sustainability Summit on both their organizations, what local journalism looks like in Canada, and Chantal's penchant for creating dazzlingly delicious baked goods.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “Howling at the Moon — Short Version” by D Fine Us. You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

Keep Your Voice Down hosts Alek Haak-Frost and Doug Sears Jr. discuss Alek's experience during the tornado that touched down in Three Rivers last week and the days that followed. Alek describes how the community has come together, what he did and felt as the tornado went through his neighborhood, the humanity, empathy, and care on display as Three Rivers picks up the pieces, and how disheartening it was to witness the vulturous intent of some contractors in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

The St. Joseph County United Way is accepting monetary donations through their PayPal link to support those affected by the tornado in Three Rivers. If you'd like to donate, you can do so here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

WMUK's Gordon Evans stopped by Keep Your Voice Down this week to discuss his career in public radio, the state of journalism, how it's changed, where it's headed, and what gives him hope about the industry he's dedicated his life to. Other topics include the quotability of Almost Famous, news anchors of yesteryear and the glaring absence of such figures in 2026, U.S. women's hockey, and whether Doug Sears Jr.'s dad actually skipped class to watch the Miracle on Ice in 1980.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “A Taxi Full of Tarantulas” by Ikoliks. You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

Keep Your Voice Down hosts Alek Haak-Frost and Doug Sears. Jr. are joined by Screen Tea Podcast hosts and friends Lisha and Jules McCurry to talk about love. The quartet discuss how they met their future spouses, when they decided to get married, what makes their respective marriages work, and the films about love they love.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “March the Machine” by Flint. You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

Keep Your Voice Down hosts Alek Haak-Frost and Doug Sears Jr. are joined by frequent collaborator and friend Layne Deuel to talk about distractions that helped them endure the past year. The trio discuss the benefits of going to the movies alone, why Sinners was easily the best film they saw all year, books that made them laugh (shout out to Princess Donut and Dungeon Crawler Carl), and the video games Layne plays in the wee hours of the morning because parenting is a full-time job.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “Chess” by Nate Rose. You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

By the grace of Betty White, Doug and Alek return to their respective mics to look back at the year that was on Keep Your Voice Down. The duo also touch on Watershed Voice's year-end fundraising efforts, emphasizing the importance of community support and monthly recurring donations in sustaining local, independent news. The conversation concludes with discussion about supporting others, the value of listening more, and reconnecting with the outside world post pandemic.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “It's a Vibe” by SOURWAH (featuring Fabien Darcy). You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

Watershed Voice Staff Writer Maxwell Knauer joins Keep Your Voice Down hosts Doug Sears Jr. and Alek Haak-Frost for what might just be the most chaotic conversation in KYVD history.

Alek goes "full Larry David" over his counterparts' use of their full first names in some settings (professionally, on social media, etc.), while almost no one refers to them by those names in the course of every day life. Maxwell describes how majoring in philosophy and political science in college led to a career in journalism, and why he believes community engagement and storytelling are so important.

The trio also discuss the merits of audiobooks vs. traditional reading, whether Maxwell could beat a professional basketball player one-on-one, and if investing $200K in pickleball courts is really sound city planning.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “Break It Down” by Ikoliks. You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

Keep Your Voice Down hosts Alek Haak-Frost and Doug Sears Jr. are joined by Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed.

The former Rhodes Scholar and Michigan gubernatorial candidate fields questions about civil liberties, affordable housing, Medicare for All, and automation's impact on the economy. El-Sayed is running for Michigan's soon-to-be open U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Gary Peters, who is not seeking reelection in 2026.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “Premiere” by Adrián Berenguer. You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.