Plauen in podcast fever: Anni Hellgoth gets the region talking!

Plauen in podcast fever: Anni Hellgoth gets the region talking!

The “Spitzen Podcast” from Plauen will celebrate its premiere in the first week of July 2025. 24-year-old Ann-Sofie Hellgoth, also known as Anni, is the face behind this exciting project. After years in America and Berlin, she decided to bring her experiences and her passion for the media world back home. Step by step she developed her heart's project, which is dedicated to the region. “The podcast is financed out of our own pocket, so I ask for your support,” she explains.
— Blick.de

A small, dedicated team accompanies Anni: William Robinski takes care of technology, sound and video editing, while Susann Bargas Gomez acts as photographer and provides backup. It is also interesting that Anni runs the project as a voluntary initiative, even though she works full-time as an editor. “It was a year and a half in the planning, and I had a lot of fun implementing it,” she revealed during a meeting with the media.

Diverse topics and monthly publications

A main episode is published every month that highlights regional stories, inspiring cafés, culinary highlights and people in Vogtland. “It is important to me to make the achievements of the people in Plauen visible and to find answers to questions that are often ignored,” says Anni, who is also active in the Plauen carnival club and even moderates events.

There was already a premiere with the first episode, which was filmed in the Fäden factory, one of the characteristic locations in Plauen. There, Anni discusses urban development and social challenges with Lena Schaler, the managing director of city marketing. This concept of including local voices reflects the global trend in which podcasting as a medium is playing an important role and is increasingly promoting access and independence, including in rural areas.

— Spitzestadt.de.

Integrated into the community

The “Spitzen Podcast” offers the opportunity for all generations to ask questions anonymously via the website or social media. The format can be found on platforms such as YouTube and Spotify and is therefore accessible to everyone. Podcasting has revolutionized the way local stories can be told and facilitated distribution across regional borders, a trend also underpinned by global examples. Internationally active community radio stations use the possibilities of podcasting to spread their content and form a stronger community.

— DW Academy.

With her commitment, Anni not only confronts local conditions, but also creates the basis for a broader discussion about important issues in Plauen. Her passion for moderation in front of an audience and camera makes the “Spitzen Podcast” a promising initiative that offers the city and its people a new mouthpiece.