Videos and podcasts for military spouses

Northwest Military launches new website -- Milcast Network

By Marguerite Cleveland on August 29, 2019

Northwest Military recently launched a new website with videos and podcasts which cover subjects of interest to Military Spouses. The inaugural lineup includes three shows; "Milcation" with Mandy Kruger about travel, "What's the Meal?" with Missy Bouchat who covers food and issues of interest to military spouses, and Camo Chat with Kaley Sherren and Hanna Smelser who will target an audience new to the military and fun things to do in the area.

Northwest Military owner and publisher of The Ranger and Northwest Airlifter newspapers Ken Swarner is a longtime supporter of military spouses who often face unique challenges when it comes to finding employment. "Our entire business is based on supporting the military, therefore, anything we can do to provide employment to spouses we want to do. We have a number of part-time and full-time opportunities that spouses can take with them from PCS to PCS," he said.

"I'm not sure why anyone would shy away from hiring military spouses," said Alasdair Swarner, President, Milcast Network. "Military spouses provide us a lot of insight because they are the audience we connect with on all our platforms, so they are able to help us improve our platforms to be more consistent with what military and their families want. We have been very happy with our decision to hire as many military-affiliated employees as we can."

"Milcast Network is our answer to the lack of audio/visual media targeted towards answering military families' questions. When you move to JBLM, there is no cable TV channel that specifically airs shows about how to spend your time in Washington when you PCS here, because the cost to produce that show would be astronomical. We have been able to find an affordable way to produce these shows by focusing on answering the questions military families have, without the expensive Hollywood magic, and by distributing these videos via the internet. Because of that we have been able to create hyper-local, targeted entertainment that answers questions a lot of military families have when they first move here," he explained.

The long-term goal for the network is to expand to areas where military families are stationed. "Our vision is to create a core group of shows that focus on the main questions military have when they move here: recreation, food, etc., and then duplicate those shows to answer those questions at each major military base. We want someone PCSing from Washington to Texas to know that our Texas show is there to answer their questions so they can get settled in and start enjoying their duty station," he added.

"I absolutely love being a part of the Milcast Network," said Missy Bouchat who hosts "What's the Meal?" and also runs many of the fun events which Northwest Military puts on throughout the year for military families. "I wish that 16 years ago when I was a new military spouse we had a resource like this! It's fun and entertaining, but also informative and refreshing to be able to relate to other military spouses. I hope to really get into some of the more serious topics, and help expose the ups and downs of military life,"

"Milcation" is about travel which is so important to military families. As a group we tend to travel more because we are in an area for a short time and want to see as much as we can. Mandy Kruger, the host of "Milcation" has almost 20 years of experience in the travel industry and running her own blog, MappingwithMandy.com.

"Having the opportunity to work from home and do something you truly enjoy, is a valuable commodity for a military spouse. I enjoy hosting the ‘Milcation' show because I get to work in my field, travel and experience new places, and not worry about finding a new job due to relocation," she said. 

Each week new videos and podcasts are added to MilcastNetwork.com.