News 6 anchors Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden debuted Florida’s Fourth Estate on Oct. 10, 2018.
They said when they realized how good their chemistry was on the news set, they started thinking of a fun way to get stories to people outside of the traditional newscast.
They sat down in a conference room, started talking about the headlines in our state, pulled out a cell phone and started recording. They soon realized those off-the-cuff conversations about the things that interested them would be a good way for others to stay informed when they weren’t in front of the TV.
And Florida’s Fourth Estate was born.
Now, more than five years later, they are celebrating their 200th episode and taking a look back at some of their favorite moments.
That includes an interview with a researcher who spent 100 days underwater only to find out all of that pressure left him half an inch shorter. Months after shooting that episode they learned, he had not regained that height.
Another favorite is a young inventor who created a visor with the potential to help up to 2.2 billion people who struggle with vision problems. It uses haptic feedback to alert users they are approaching something so they can have better mobility without using a cane. Since that interview, Tiffani Gay has announced she is working to help other young inventors bring their ideas to fruition.
Find every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate on YouTube:
No one can forget the Fruitland Park cowboy, Clayton Sellars, and how he made Ginger swoon as he shared highlights from his bull riding career. Ginger said she has no regrets about asking Sellars about his swagger and even bought Matt the same hat Sellars wore in the interview during a Christmas gift exchange.
They have talked to several celebrities during their time on the podcast, but one of their favorites was Carrot Top. The Winter Park native has been making people laugh in Las Vegas for years and had Matt and Ginger cracking up too, but the duo said they were also impressed with how down-to-earth he is and how generous he was with his time.
Check out some of their other favorite moments over the years on Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: