Show HN: Convert a Subreddit into a Podcast

[admtal]

https://github.com/AdmTal/crowdcast

Hello HN community,

I'm excited to introduce Crowdcast (https://github.com/AdmTal/crowdcast), a project I recently whipped up over the weekend.

Crowdcast is an open-source, crowd-sourced, AI-generated podcast creator that turns a subreddit into a podcast. It is specifically configured for my subreddit, "crowdcast".

Here's the intriguing part:

Every week, the top three comments from the weekly stickied thread on the subreddit are converted into a podcast episode. We also sprinkle in some user-submitted, humorous fake ads for a unique touch of community flavor.

The goal of Crowdcast is to foster community engagement and demonstrate how AI can automate content creation in a fresh, entertaining way.

Crowdcast is built with Python, utilizing various AI technologies to transform text into speech. The code is open-source and available on GitHub for those interested in the inner workings or willing to contribute.

Every week, we commit the scripts for the shows to the GitHub repo. You can also listen to the podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2188164/share to get a taste of the final product.

The next show will be posted on 5/19, and I can't wait to hear what it turns out to be!

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback, comments, or suggestions. Your thoughts on the concept, the implementation, or ideas for future improvements would be invaluable.

GitHub: https://github.com/AdmTal/crowdcast Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/crowdcast/ Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2188164/share

Thanks for your time, and I hope you find Crowdcast as exciting and novel as I do!

[mario_maker_46]

That looks very useful, well done!

How hard do you think it would be to make it work for other subreddits?

Good luck with your podcast

[admtal → mario_maker_46]

Thank you for your comment!

Indeed, this method could be adapted for use with a different subreddit. However, it would necessitate some modifications to the 'curation' strategy.

In my current subreddit, a consistent pattern exists where there are always two sticky comments at the top. This makes it straightforward to select the top three comments.

However, if you're considering transforming a different subreddit into a podcast, you'll need to adjust this logic. The characteristics and norms of the subreddit you select would guide this adjustment.