SoundHER: Hermene Hartman of N’Digo Studio Podcast

We’re turning up the sound on female voices in the audio industry. SoundHER is a monthly interview series where our team chats with influential women in podcasting about their journey to success. Read on for honest advice, poignant POVs, and a few laughs. If you’d like to be featured, tag us on social using #soundHER.

Between publishing, television programming, radio, and podcasting, Hermene Hartman is one of the most influential Black women in American media and publishing. With reality, curiosity, historical context, and wit, Hartman grew N’DIGO from what was once a print magapaper into a bustling digital news and lifestyle outlet for the Black community of Chicago.

When she’s not strolling along the Chicago lakefront, she’s candidly addressing the soul, spirit, and sensibility of America via N’DIGO STUDIO PODCAST, N’DIGO STUDIO T.V. talk show, and N’DIGO, the digital magazine. Her motto then and now: deliver stories that have been mistold, gone untold, and need to be re-told. Hartman’s roles span host, producer, writer, and interviewer. You can find her work published with the Huffington Post and Chicago NOW. She’s also the author of three books: NDIGO LEGACY; BLACK LUXE 110, A LASTING IMPRESSION, and HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR WORLD TODAY?

No matter the medium, Hartman broadens the Black conversation to include dialogue and analysis, offering deep thoughts and opinion from entertainment, business, media, and politics, to controversial topics surrounding racial and social issues. In this interview with Sounder, we learn about Hartman’s tactful journey to audio success and her take on podcasting—all through the lens of a female media pioneer.

Q: What was your inspiration for starting N’DIGO?

A: I started N’DIGO as a magapaper (a cross between a newspaper and magazine) in 1989, right on the cusp of the new millennium. I wanted to discuss and disregard the way Black people were talked about in mainstream media. The narrative was that we were either super poor, super-rich, or super bad. I didn’t see the average middle-class person being appropriately covered. It was clear to me that we needed some new news. New news, new decade, new millennium, I’d say. We began by mainly covering Chicago and lifestyle topics but also touched on national news like movies, games, and sports. Eventually, it grew to include fashion and entertainment—stuff like that.

Q: When you founded N’DIGO, were there other women publishing in Chicago?

A: At the time, there were a few influential women in publishing. Dorothy Leavell ran the Crusader Newspaper Group, which put out two newspapers for Chicago, Illinois and Gary, Indiana. She was prevalent. Sharron Lee was another woman who had a magazine called Today’s Chicago Woman. We were all friendly.

Q: What inspired the name N’DIGO?

A: N’DIGO is pronounced like the color indigo. The Yoruba tribe, one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, historically had a cast system based on the colors you wore. Indigo was worn to communicate trust and honesty. In America today, that’s where the navy blue business suit comes from.

I also liked the relation to African history here in America. When the slaves came to America in the Carolina’s, they knew how to harvest indigo (it’s tricky) and used it to dye their clothing. It became a part of their attire.

I chose N’DIGO because I liked the honesty, the Africanness, and the plant’s history. (Not to mention, Duke Ellington’s 1958 jazz album Ellington Indigos.) To me, it represents honest communication in media. We spell it a little differently because when I was starting the print paper, my lawyers found a publisher in NYC that was using the same name. A simple fix: if you change the spelling, you’re not in violation.

Q: How did N’DIGO progress over the years?

A: It grew nicely. We started publishing the magapaper once a month then moved to bi-weekly in May of 97’. As social media and media itself came into its own, we stopped publishing a printed version and started pushing content exclusively online. Today, we have three newsletters, a podcast, and a T.V. studio segment.

Q: What inspired you to create a podcast vertical for N’DIGO?

A: In yesteryear, you did one thing and did it well. Now you publish one thing and circulate it in many ways. We thought some of the things we were talking about on T.V. would be of interest to a podcast audience, and it was easy to do since we have experience in hosting and producing radio shows. Sometimes the T.V. content becomes the podcast, but it’s always a different based on how it’s edited and what music is added.

Q: How has a podcast expanded your brand?

A: Today there’s a broadness of audience. You used to have a narrow and focused audience, and now they’re everywhere. So creating different ways for people to engage is important. Podcasts are a true equalizer. Someone in Chicago can be talking while someone in Israel is listening. We recently put out an episode titled “Girl! Let’s Talk About Black Hair” and someone wrote in wanting the episode sent to her. With a podcast, I can just email her the link! How cool. Similarly, we wrote an article titled “Dear White People,” and someone from an Italian newspaper translated it! You put stuff out now, no matter the format, and the world is your audience.

Q: Of all the media mediums you’ve worked in, what’s your favorite aspect of podcasting?

A: I like podcasting because listeners are captivated. For example, on a radio show, you’re being interviewed, and holding a conversation for what you hope is an audience of appreciation. With podcasts, the POV and subject are totally yours. You dominate the podcast. It’s very clear what your target focus is. I think that’s what a podcast allows you to do well that I don’t think another medium gives you: you’re totally controlling the narrative.

I also love the diversity podcasting offers. For instance, when I was familiarizing myself with podcast topics and categories, I heard the most fascinating story about Dolly Parton [Dolly Parton’s America, if you’re curious]. I couldn’t believe I was listening to it! It collected reactions from students and professors to the University of Tennessee wanting to give her an Honorary Doctorate. When Dolly came on campus, she was lovely, smart, educated, and spoke well about entrepreneurship. She knew she was ignored and underestimated due to her southern country background, but took all of it and made plus signs out of it to make Dolly Parton today.

They’re also easy to make, especially in today’s world. You used to have to talk to people in the studio face-to-face. Now you can download and app and use your phone. It opens the world!

Q: What’s your take on gender in the podcasting industry today? How are women received?

A: The female perspective is as strong as ever. So are perspectives about race—all of these voices can come together and be heard. It’s good, it’s healthy. You can access all types of podcasts, young, old, republican, democratic. It’s what democracy is about. With the podcast and mediums we have at our fingertips, it’s about all voices being heard, and being understood not with hate but with a POV.

Q: What are two tips you’d like to pass on to female podcasters?

A: Just do it and have fun with it! You might want to add music, you might want to talk to people, you might want to talk to someone that doesn’t agree with you. Don’t settle on one thing or one style. You can have multiple styles. One day you may want to rant or share. It’s a creative medium. I think that’s the way to go for it.

Back in the day, radio shows had strict formats. One of the beauties of podcasting is that the format is what you make it. I think that has a richness to it. It keeps it interesting for the creator. Today I might want to talk about murders in Chicago, tomorrow I may want to talk about Chicago fashion or weather. You can relax. Podcasting has a lot of legs. You can be broad and grow with it. You can pull some historic Martin Luther King Jr. audio quotes and plug it right into your episode. That’s cool.

If you want to seriously build and audience, be precise with your distribution. Hold yourself accountable for episodes. If you’re podcasting for a creative outlet, you don’t have to plan so much. You can be spur of the moment. You have the freedom to choose.

Niche down. If you have expertise in a certain area, stick to it. Share your knowledge about entertainment or education. You will eventually start to attract a wide-base audience. For instance, I listen to things I never thought I would. Remember, Dolly Parton! That’s the magic of podcasts. That’s the magic of storytelling. Everyone can access valuable, wonderful, information that you might not get otherwise.

Q: Why did you choose Sounder to host and manage your podcast?

A: You have sooooo many instruments today that are push-button with no communication, or have an automated email support channel or chatbot. With Sounder, there’s a person at the other end of the email. There’s real-talk communication. It’s one thing to get help from a chat window, it’s another thing to get a, “hey let me walk you through this” from a person. It’s cozy, human. We value real communication.

We also love the simple distribution tools. We love the accountability and audience review analytics. We like your stats and promotions. I like the way your team comes back and says, “hey what are you doing?” and then “We’ll build that for you!” We like your assistance, direction, and guidance.

Q: Any plugs for other projects? Where can people find you on social media?

A: We just did a project called COVID While Black. The news is reporting that COVID is impacting African Americans more than others, but we wanted the stories beyond the stats. We talked to survivors of COVID who healed at home and were not hospitalized. We talked to doctors and medics. We said: Let’s talk about COVID, how did your practice and life change? What do you do differently? Any advice? We had real conversations with African Americans about how they were directly impacted professionally and business-wise. After this series, we’ll be back to covering topics such as pop culture, politics, authors, and trending topics of the day. If you want to hear engaging, sometimes controversial, and always authentic discussion around the hot topics of the day tune into N’DIGO Studio Podcast!

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Thank you for joining this month’s edition of #soundHER! If you have any questions for Hartman or would like to be featured as Sounder’s next female voice, email us at support@sounder.fm or tag us on social using #soundHER.