SALT LAKE CITY — There’s a cliche that “everybody has a podcast” — your friend who majored in communications, that guy next door who is obsessed with bitcoin, even your mother’s dog’s friend’s owner.
But for Utahns of color, the growing accessibility and popularity of podcasting is a way to highlight their own communities in a media landscape where their stories and experiences have too often been ignored, or only explored on a surface level.
In fact, 2021 data shows that audio listenership is growing in Black, Latino and Asian audiences, with audience engagement coming from not only representation but also content that connects with those communities and comes from “trusted voices with similar backgrounds or that have similar interests.”
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“Our ancestors were storytellers, and it comes down to every one of us to tell these stories,” said Michael Tan, co-host of the “Behind the Lavalava” podcast. “It’s how we are going to keep educating our children and the next generations.”
For Gonzalo Peña, the strength of his podcast, “InnoLatino,” and a spinoff newsletter has been found in tapping into his own culture.
“That was a bit of a risk because I envisioned myself in the past as being very technical,” he said. “But actually, what is attracting the readership is knowing more about me as a human being and my culture, as well and sharing about my own family in Venezuela.”
‘We’d like people to know who we really are’
“Behind the Lavalava” explores the beauty and complexity of Samoan culture and life from the perspectives of both homegrown Pacific Islanders and those with Samoan heritage who were raised in the U.S. The cast, a group of veterans, met each other through the Marine Corps. Long before they started recording, the group spent hours having informal discussions while online gaming together.
“We were already talking about topics like fatherhood and the Samoan community — topics that people don’t like to talk about. I wanted to bring that to light instead of keeping it to ourselves,” Tan said. “The podcast, for me, it’s very real and authentic. At the end of the day, we go our own ways, but we’re still ourselves. We’re not going up there and creating an other, two-face persona of ourselves. We’re still the same people: your average father, your average brother.”
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Podcasters Michael Tan, left, and Johnny Sualevai, right, of “Behind the Lavalava” pose for a photo on Jan. 27. The podcast focuses on experiences within the Samoan and Samoan American community. (Photo: Sydnee Gonzalez, KSL.com)
The Samoan term “lavalava” is both a rectangular piece of clothing that is worn like a skirt or kilt and an idiom that means “cut from the same cloth.” Although “Behind the Lavalava” mainly caters to the Polynesian community, cast member Johnny Sualevai said the cast talks about a range of things: “Every controversial topic you can think of and every lighthearted topic.”
The podcast has also been a good way for the cast to adjust back to civilian life and discuss topics that they haven’t seen discussed in their communities. Sualevai and Tan said it’s made them closer as a group and helped them form more connections in Utah’s Polynesian community.
“Starting a podcast, you start to say things that make you vulnerable. It’s not easy being vulnerable to the public, especially when your family and friends are listening,” Tan said. “What we see on social media, there are actually people out there who say, ‘Thank you for doing this. This is something that we’re going through. We can relate to it.’”
The feedback hasn’t all been positive, though, especially when the podcast touches on issues facing American Samoa. Some friends and relatives who still live on the island argue that the podcasters shouldn’t be discussing those issues when they live in the U.S.
The podcast, for me, it’s very real and authentic. At the end of the day, we go our own ways, but we’re still ourselves. We’re not going up there and creating an other, two-face persona of ourselves. We’re still the same people: your average father, your average brother.
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– Michael Tan, “Behind the Lavalava” podcast
“But we’ve also had, like, ‘Finally, somebody said it’ because sometimes the way the culture is in American Samoa, they’re more concerned about their outward appearance of the family as a whole, and a lot of things get swept under the rug,” said Sualevai, who was born in American Samoa. “So us saying it openly, a lot more people are resonating with that.”
He added that the podcast is also important because it presents authentic, first-hand experiences of Samoans and challenges a lot of the misconceptions or ignorance regarding his community.
“We have a stereotype in the media as being large, aggressive people or very friendly, very family-oriented. A lot of it is all true, but to get into the meat and potatoes of it, we’d like people to know who we really are from a more personal stance,” he said.
‘We’re not alone’
Frengy Alvarado immigrated to Utah five years ago from Venezuela out of fear of political persecution. He and his family ended up in Utah by chance. He soon realized that there wasn’t a type of mass media directed especially to Venezuelans in Utah and opted to create “Panas en Utah,” a news platform tailored to Utah’s Latino community. The term “Panas” translates to friends.
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“We made it because we thought we were alone here,” Alvarado said in Spanish. “We created the first (Venezuelan) Instagram account in Utah, and we grew to 3,000 followers in a month and a half. That’s when we said, ‘Oh we’re not alone.’”
“Panas en Utah” founder Frengy Alvarado records a podcast on Feb. 24. The podcast focuses on informing the Latino community in Utah. (Photo: Carlos Arevalo)
Alvarado launched “Panas en Utah,” on Instagram, but it has grown to other social media platforms and a podcast, where Alvarado shares interviews with Latino leaders in Utah and tips for navigating life in the Beehive State.
“A lot of people believe in myths, and we try to break those myths,” he said, pointing to misconceptions about certain immigration processes within the Latino community as an example. “What we say on our podcast is that we’re trying to break communication barriers and ruin the business of misinformation. A lot of people know our community is not well-informed, and they take advantage of that and build businesses off it. Our job is to inform people so that this doesn’t happen.”
Alvarado said the growth and impact of the account have been bigger than he expected. Alvarado ran “Panas en Utah” for two years with money from his own pocket while he was working a full-time job. Today the account has 100,000 followers on Instagram alone and Alvarado says it’s become a multifaceted business.
What we say on our podcast is that we’re trying to break communication barriers and ruin the business of misinformation. A lot of people know our community is not well-informed, and they take advantage of that and build businesses off it. Our job is to inform people so that this doesn’t happen.
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– Frengy Alvarado, “Panas en Utah” founder
Although podcasts are a way for minority communities to share their own stories, Alvarado said they don’t excuse mainstream media — where he said Latinos don’t appear as often as they should — from telling stories from diverse communities.
“We need help,” he said. “The Latino community in Utah has a very small presence — we’re a minority — but it needs inspiring Latin media. We have a lot to give, but because people don’t know us, we’re not taken into consideration.”
‘So many good stories among our people and our culture’
Peña’s “InnoLatino” podcast focuses on the trifecta of innovation, diversity and leadership — three topics he thought would be particularly relevant for the Latino community.
Peña said Latinos in Utah and across the country are having a “leadership crisis,” referencing the fact that despite being the largest ethnic minority in Utah and the U.S., Latinos are largely absent from leadership circles in many industries. For example, Latinos hold only 4% of Fortune 500 board seats, and only a handful of Latinos serve on school boards across Utah.
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Let’s look for those positive things in our communities and the communities around us, and let’s stop thinking about stereotypes and see the individuals as part of a positive whole.
– Gonzalo Peña, “InnoLatino” founder
That lack of representation has pushed Peña to feature over 50 highly successful guests on his podcast from a variety of fields, ranging from a former NASA engineer to one of the stars of Disney’s “Encanto.”
“There are so many good stories among our people and our culture,” he added. “I think it’s time for us, and society in general, to pay attention to these aspects of our culture instead of the social diseases that we have, which are not unique to our people. They are present in white society as well as any other type of culture.”
Peña hopes that by highlighting these stories he can help the Latino community, especially younger generations, have a wider view of career possibilities.
“I wanted to let local Latinos see themselves more than what they see here, because, in my opinion, the examples of success and leadership in our big organizations are very few within the state, so I purposely look outside the state for that,” he said. “Sometimes it takes someone that has some type of link with you to let you know about your own potential. … If I can contribute to letting others see their potential, I think I did my job.”
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“InnoLatino” founder Gonzalo Peña records an episode of the podcast on Oct. 6, 2021. His podcast focuses on innovation, leadership and diversity. (Photo: Gonzalo Peña, InnoLatino)
One of the most rewarding parts of running “InnoLatino” for Peña has been hearing from listeners who have been inspired by the podcast, including those who aren’t Latino.
“I don’t care if you come from Mongolia, Hungary, Germany, Cameroon, South Africa, Latin America, Mexico or Canada — you have a past that has become your heritage, that has given you many tools for you to be a great human,” he said. “Let’s look for those positive things in our communities and the communities around us And let’s stop thinking about stereotypes and see the individuals as part of a positive whole.”
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Sydnee Gonzalez is a multicultural reporter for KSL.com covering the diversity of Utah’s people and communities. Se habla español. You can find Sydnee at @sydnee_gonzalez on Twitter.
Utah Hockey Club (16-15-6, in the Central Division) vs. Calgary Flames (18-12-7, in the Pacific Division)
Calgary, Alberta; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Hockey Club look to break their five-game losing streak with a victory against the Calgary Flames.
Calgary has a 13-4-3 record at home and an 18-12-7 record overall. The Flames have gone 16-3-3 when scoring three or more goals.
Utah has a 16-15-6 record overall and an 11-8-2 record on the road. The Utah Hockey Club have a 6-9-5 record in games their opponents commit fewer penalties.
The teams play Thursday for the second time this season. The Utah Hockey Club won 5-1 in the previous meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan Huberdeau has 16 goals and 13 assists for the Flames. Nazem Kadri has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
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Clayton Keller has 13 goals and 24 assists for the Utah Hockey Club. Dylan Guenther has scored six goals with four assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 5-3-2, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.4 assists, four penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.
Utah Hockey Club: 4-4-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 5.1 assists, 3.7 penalties and 7.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Flames: None listed.
Utah Hockey Club: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Today I’ll be chronicling the best performances of the 2024 calendar year from our Golden State Warriors. Although the Dubs didn’t make the playoffs during the 2023-2024 season and have been pretty mid to finish the year, there have been plenty of fantastic individual performances to enjoy and give Dub Nation hope for the future.
One such performance came from Buddy HIeld in a win against the Utah Jazz. Check out the vid!
Goldblooded eyes on Splash Buddy
Buddy Hield is the kind of player who makes offenses hum, and his tantalizing skills are built on a foundation of one elite trait: shooting. And not just your run-of-the-mill, standstill shooting—Hield is a flamethrower, a guy who can bury threes in a dizzying variety of ways. Whether it’s coming off a screen, spotting up, or pulling up in transition, Hield is always a threat to light it up from anywhere on the court. His stroke is effortless, his confidence unshakable, and his range downright ridiculous. For any team in need of offensive firepower, Hield’s skill set is like plugging a cheat code into your offense.
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What makes Hield so lethal is the speed at which he operates. He’s not just a shooter—he’s a mover. He sprints off screens with precision, keeping defenders glued to his hip and bending defenses as they scramble to keep up. His ability to relocate and find open pockets of space is elite, and he doesn’t need much time or airspace to get his shot off. That constant motion creates gravity, and Hield’s presence alone can open up driving lanes for his teammates or force defenses into mistakes.
But don’t box Hield in as just a three-point specialist. He’s also got a sneaky knack for putting the ball on the floor and attacking closeouts. While his handle isn’t flashy, it’s effective enough to punish overzealous defenders who fly by him on the perimeter. And once he’s inside the arc, Hield can pull up for a smooth mid-range jumper or finish with a floater. He’s a solid secondary creator, capable of keeping the offense flowing when plays break down.
Defensively, Hield’s game doesn’t shine as brightly, but he’s no slouch. He competes, plays within the scheme, and uses his strength and quickness to hold his own against most matchups. While he may never be a lockdown defender, his offensive impact more than compensates for any shortcomings on that end.
Ultimately, Buddy Hield’s skill set is tailor-made for a modern NBA offense. He’s a sniper with elite off-ball movement, a player who thrives in space and elevates those around him. Plug him into a system with ball movement and shooting, and he becomes a weapon of mass destruction—someone who can swing games with his scoring bursts and keep defenses in constant panic mode. In Buddy Hield, you get a player who embodies the art of shooting in its purest, most tantalizing form.
The 2024 season for the University of Utah football team started out with high expectations and much promise.
Through one-and-a-half games, the Utes looked like a team capable of reaching their preseason goal of winning the Big 12 championship, but injuries to starting quarterback Cam Rising derailed the season.
Utah’s offense foundered for the majority of the season as the Utes lost seven consecutive games for the first time in the Kyle Whittingham era, finishing with a 5-7 record.
Here are 10 moments that defined Utah’s 2024 season:
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Preseason expectations set the stage: Utah wasn’t shy about its expectations for the season — to win the Big 12 Conference and make its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. With quarterback Cam Rising, who had led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 championships in his last two healthy seasons, returning, the addition of receiver Dorian Singer and the return of tight end Brant Kuithe, the offense appeared set. The defense also returned a lot of its contributors from the previous season.
Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll, setting up high expectations, which the team itself shared.
Utah interim OC Mike Bajakian stands on the sidelines, with headset, as Utah plays Southern Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, August 29, 2024. The Utes did what expected in the opener, defeating Southern Utah 49-0 to start the season. | Eli Rehmer, Utah Athletics
A 2-0 start … but trouble arises: Utah was always going to run away from Southern Utah, but the way the season started had Ute fans dreaming about what could be. In a 49-0 season-opening win, Rising played for the first time since the 2023 Rose Bowl and threw for 254 yards and five touchdowns in one half.
Next week against Baylor, it was the same story. Utah raced out to a 23-0 lead and Rising threw two first-quarter touchdown passes, but everything came to a screeching halt when Rising was pushed into a Gatorade cooler.
Rising would suffer a finger injury that would keep him out for the next three contests.
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Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising is driven out of bounds by Baylor Bears defensive lineman Treven Ma’ae (9) as Utah and Baylor play at Rice-Eccles stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 7, 2024. Rising injured his finger on the play, which sidelined him for a number of games. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Isaac Wilson helps Utah to a 4-0 start: It wasn’t the situation that Utah envisioned for Isaac Wilson in his true freshman year. Wilson won the backup quarterback job over Brandon Rose and Sam Huard, but the plan, ideally, was for the Deseret News Mr. Football winner to learn from Rising and only play in mop-up situations.
Wilson was thrust into action after Rising’s injury and helped lead the Utes to a 4-0 start, beating Utah State on the road and then traveling to Stillwater for a top-15 matchup against Oklahoma State.
Of course, both the Utes and Cowboys ended the season toward the bottom of Big 12’s worst standings, but at the time, it was a monumental matchup, and though he made some mistakes, Wilson helped guide Utah to its first Big 12 win, with 207 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception, plus 41 rushing yards.
Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson (11) runs the ball towards Oklahoma State safety Kendal Daniels (5) Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla. | Mitch Alcala
A season-ending injury for Rising as Utah’s Big 12 dreams go up in dust in the desert: After weeks of game-time decisions surrounding Rising and his ability to play, the senior quarterback returned to the field in a crucial game at Arizona State.
Utah lost 23-10 to Arizona the week before, and a second Big 12 loss would severely hurt any title prospects.
Rising’s return went anything but as expected. He completed just 16 of 37 passes for 209 yards and threw three interceptions. His finger injury looked to be bothering him, and early on in the game, he suffered a lower-body injury. Though he played through it, it clearly limited him, and turned out to be a season-ending injury.
Just like that, Rising’s season was done early and so, too, was the Utes’.
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Utah quarterback Cameron Rising looks to throw against Arizona State, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Rising suffered a lower-body injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. | Rick Scuteri, Associated Press
Andy Ludwig resigns: Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig returned to Utah in 2019 and helped the Utes to some of their most impressive offensive performances, including two Pac-12 championships and a revitalization of the passing game.
It felt like Ludwig was going to stay on at Utah until Kyle Whittingham retired, but after a 13-7 loss to TCU — Utah’s third defeat in a row and third time in as many games that the offense failed to score more than 19 points — that changed.
Ludwig resigned after six years in his second as Utah’s offensive coordinator and Mike Bajakian was named the interim offensive coordinator.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig watches players during warmups as Utah and Baylor prepare to play at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. After three straight defeats in which the Utes’ offense struggled, Ludwig announced his decision to step down. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Season hits a low point in Houston: After losing three straight games, it felt like Utah’s game at Houston was a make-or-break moment for the program. Yes, the Utes were all but out of the Big 12 title race with three early conference losses, but could still get the season back on track with a winning streak.
Houston seemed like it could be a get-right game for the Utes.
For the most part, Utah’s defense did its job, limiting Houston to 17 points, but the Utes only mustered 14 points in a fourth-straight loss.
Wilson was benched in the third quarter, and Brandon Rose got his first real action of his career, but couldn’t lead Utah to a victory against the 2-5 Cougars.
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Houston wide receiver Joseph Manjack IV, left, breaks ae tackle-attempt by Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn, right, to score on a pass play during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Houston. | Michael Wyke
Brandon Rose starts against BYU, but Utes lose heartbreaker to Cougars: The first conference rivalry game in over a decade featured two teams on polar opposite tracks.
BYU entered the contest with a No. 9 ranking and a perfect 8-0 record, while Utah was reeling after losing four straight.
Looking to spark offensive change, Rose started, and the offense found life for the first time in weeks. Utah shocked BYU, getting out to a 21-10 halftime lead behind Rose’s 87 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, plus 45 rushing yards.
Shortly before halftime, Rose suffered a Lisfranc injury, and while he finished the rest of the game, he wasn’t the same. Utah went run-heavy with Rose’s injury and didn’t score a single point the rest of the way. BYU drew within three, but the Cougars were backed up toward their own end zone, facing fourth-and-10 at the nine-yard line with 1:35 left.
Utah appeared to have won the game by sacking quarterback Jake Retzlaff, but cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn was flagged for a holding call against a BYU receiver, resulting in an automatic first down. The Cougars drove down the field to set up a 44-yard field goal make by Will Ferrin and escape Salt Lake City with a 22-21 win.
Following the game, Rose and tight end Brant Kuithe ruled out for the season, joining an extensive list for the second consecutive season. Rising, Wilson, quarterback Sam Huard, receiver Money Parks, cornerback Kenan Johnson, running back Anthony Woods, linebacker Levani Damuni and offensive guard Michael Mokofisi were among the players that suffered season-ending injuries in 2024.
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BYU place kicker Will Ferrin (44) kicks and makes a field goal to put the Cougars ahead 22-21 with seconds left on the clock during a game between the University of Utah Utes and the Brigham Young University Cougars held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City early on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Lander Barton extends Utah’s pick-six streak: As Utah continued on its seven-game skid, one of the few areas of interest was if the team could extend its 20-season pick-six streak.
Against Iowa State, Utah did just that, extending its streak of consecutive seasons with an interception return for a touchdown to an NCAA-record 21 years.
In the second quarter of Utah’s 31-28 loss to No. 22 Iowa State, Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht’s pass was behind Jaylin Noel and went off the receiver’s hands and into the hands of Barton at the Utah 13-yard line.
Barton broke a tackle from Becht and got a few key blocks, including from Vaughn, for an 87-yard pick-six.
Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton (8) races for the end zone for a pick-six during Utah’s game against Iowa State at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. The score extended Utah’s NCAA record for consecutive games with a pick-six. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Defense holds up its end of the bargain for the majority of the season: Sure, there were a few things to nitpick about Utah’s defensive performance in 2024. Utah didn’t tally as many sacks as we’ve been accustomed to seeing, and had a few times where they could have sealed the game with a stop and didn’t.
But for the most part, it was another good year for Morgan Scalley’s unit. The defense didn’t get much help from the offense, but still allowed only 20.7 points per game (No. 28 in the nation) and 329.7 yards per game (No. 30) in another good defensive season.
The defense was the reason why Utah was in most every game it played in 2024, even if it didn’t translate into wins.
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Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley talks with players in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. While the offense struggled in 2024, Scalley’s defense was solid once again. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Micah Bernard surpasses 1,000 rushing yards: The individual triumph of the season was by running back Micah Bernard, who finally got his shot at the lead running back role after being with the program since 2019. A 1,000-yard season has always been a goal of Bernard’s, and he checked it off the list in his final season.
Bernard rushed for 1,009 yards in 2024, becoming the 17th Ute to do so in a season. He also had 100-plus-yard performances in four games this year.
Utah Utes running back Micah Bernard (2) runs the ball during an NCAA football game between the University of Utah Utes and the Iowa State University Cyclones held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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