“A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale.”

The podcast draws you in immediately with its carefully eerie introduction, making Welcome to Night Vale an immediate hit. “I downloaded a few podcasts and from there it was just magical,” said junior Sofie Everetts. When asked to describe Welcome to Night Vale in five words, Everetts used “creepy, relaxing, smooth, funky, psychedelic.”

Welcome to Night Vale is the account of the day-to-day happenings of Night Vale, a fictional small town in the southwestern U.S. It is narrated by fictional radio host Cecil Gershwin Palmer, a resident of the town who always seems to be in the know about what goes on. He brings news, announcements, community events and the local weather (not reports of cloudy skies but rather a new song by independent artists).

However, Night Vale is not a normal town— a typical announcement is something like this: “[The city council] would like to remind everyone that dogs are not allowed in the dog park. People are not allowed in the dog park. It is possible you will see hooded figures in the dog park. Do not approach them.” Welcome to Night Vale’s creativity and spooky elements are what makes the show so incredibly popular.

Many podcasts like Welcome to Night Vale downloadable from popular music purchasing programs such as iTunes, making them very easy to access. In addition, unlike most books, movies or TV shows, quite a few (including “Welcome to Night Vale”) are completely free. Everetts added that “you can listen to them anywhere,” which makes podcasts easy for today’s busy students to listen on the go.

One drawback to podcasts is that one needs a lot of attention while listening. Unlike a song where it’s easy to be passive, podcasts need focus. “It really requires attention, if you really want to laugh you need [to pay] attention,” said freshman Kowsar Mohamed.

The unique characteristics of podcasts such as Welcome to Nightvale have been a great addition to entertainment.  Easily accessible, uniquely fun and even novel, they’re one of the best forms of entertainment on the bus, while shoveling snow, or even relaxing at home.