With our latest subscriber streaming from McMurdo Station in Antarctica, the #OnTheStacks Podcast has officially reached all 7 Continents in the world.
Chris Dunstone, retired First Sergeant of the United States Air Force (22 years of service) recently landed at McMurdo Station in Antarctica on a 6 month mission forecasting the weather in surrounding areas to support scientific flights for the US National Science Foundation.
Dunstone just returned to the US in May after spending the last 2 years in Kabul, Afghanistan.
It took him 2 months to prepare for his next and current mission, Antarctica.
Chris shared this selfie (below) on Facebook earlier today, letting us know he was listening to Ep.073 of the #OnTheStacks Podcast, and proudly confirming he helped us seal the deal of reaching all 7 Continents in the world.
McMurdo Station (77°51’S, 166°40’E), the main U.S. Research Station in Antarctica is located at the southern tip of Ross Island, about 2,415 miles south of Christchurch, New Zealand, and 850 miles north of the South Pole.
This ice-covered landmass is virtually uninhabited. It is the coldest, driest, windiest, and iciest continent in the world.
How cold is it?
The current temperature in Antarctica is -60°F with a wind chill of -80°F.
“Here it’s cold, and I mean cold. I was mentally prepared for it, but not so much Physically,” said Dunstone. “It hurts,” he added.
So how did this happen? How did Chris find and listen to the #OnTheStacks Podcast? There’s a bit of a story to this, so follow us through…
We took to social media last week asking if any of our listeners/fans/followers knew of anyone in Antarctica that might be interested in listening to our show, and in turn, helping us put a check mark next to our goal of gaining listenership on all 7 continents.
At that point, we had listenership on 6 of 7 continents.
And wouldn’t you believe it…
A fellow podcaster from Waterloo Iowa, Nate Allison (host of The World With Nate), saw my Facebook post (below) and passed along our show link to his friend and former First Sergeant (USAF), Chris Dunstone.
Nate and Chris served in the US Air Force together at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois from 2011-2015.
Both active duty at the time, they worked for the Operations Support Squadron.
Their mission was mostly distinguished visitor travel aboard the C-21 Aircraft, similar to a civilian Learjet.
“Chris always gave me good advice and cared about the role of First Sergeant,” Allison said. “I’ll always have respect for him and his continued service.”
A big thanks is in order to Nate for making the connection and to Chris for braving the sub-zero Antarctic temps to snap a photo outside of McMurdo Station while listening to the #OnTheStacks Podcast!
Within 18 months since its inception, the #OnTheStacks Podcast has gained listeners in 20 countries (full list at the bottom of this article), and now 7 out of 7 continents.
While the majority of our listenership is in the northeast region of the United States, we’re proud to say that we have a global footprint.
A podcast from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, showcasing guests mostly from the NEPA area, is now reaching all 7 continents of the world – pretty cool, huh?! At least we think so..
Here’s the full list of countries with listeners that subscribe and stream episodes of the #OnTheStacks Podcast:
1. Australia 🇦🇺
2. Belgium 🇧🇪
3. Canada 🇨🇦
4. Colombia 🇨🇴
5. Dominican Republic 🇩🇴
6. Ecuador 🇪🇨
7. France 🇫🇷
8. India 🇮🇳
9. Italy 🇮🇹
10. Mexico 🇲🇽
11. Morocco 🇲🇦
12. New Zealand 🇳🇿
13. Nicaragua 🇳🇮
14. Singapore 🇸🇬
15. South Africa 🇿🇦
16. Spain 🇪🇸
17. Turkey 🇹🇷
18. United Kingdom 🇬🇧
19. United States 🇺🇸
20. Unknown
Where are you listening from?! We’d love to hear from you. DM on us Instagram, Facebook, or email us at at letstalk@onthestacks.com