Abstract
Welcome to Night Vale (2012–) is an intertextual podcast in the tradition of popular horror and weird tales. Listeners are meant to be part of a (fictional) community, listening to the radio in the small desert town of Night Vale in the Southwestern United States, although neither the state nor the exact time are specified. We follow the host of the program, Cecil Palmer, as he describes the town's community life, although the events presented in the show are far from normal. The first episode was published online June 15, 2012, with no marketing to accompany the event. Many had first heard about Welcome to Night Vale through fan art available via social media, including Tumblr, Soup.io, blog communities, Facebook groups, and deviantArt. Although the production is available in English only, it has a Polish fandom. We describe the difference in perception of this popular text based on differences in the cultural background and literary knowledge of the listeners. We also attend to fan practices such as fan art surrounding Welcome to Night Vale because their content correlates with the creator's culture of origin, as well as the issue of funding the free podcast among fans from different countries and different economies.
Highlights
The sheriff's secret police, the cat suspended in the air, and angel interferences are commonplace in Night Vale
[1.2] In 2013 the show extended its formula to include live shows, which were held exclusively in the United States, creating a situation in which fans who reside outside of the United States are excluded from an important experience related to the Night Vale text, the live shows are recorded and available for download
The exclusion is limited to event attendance and instant availability—that is, those living outside the core country have to wait longer for the copies to become obtainable
Summary
[3.1] We constructed a sociological questionnaire of 21 items. All participants were informed of the aim of the study beforehand and were assured of full anonymity. One of the reasons Polish fans listen to Welcome to Night Vale is the anchor's voice; nine of 21 respondents had included this argument in their answers. Almost every episode begins with a message in which the creator, his coworkers, or other mysterious figures (who claim to be Joseph Fink) encourage listeners to support the project with donations, monthly declared donations, or shopping in the Night Vale online store Another source of income became available when the podcast accumulated a significant fandom that was eager to participate in live events. [5.2] Because fan donations are an important part of the podcast's financial system and are still a significant issue when it comes to Night Vale's continued existence, our questionnaire had a few questions regarding the level of financial support among Polish fans. The possible influence of the varied fan experiences may influence behaviors and attitudes—a subject that ought to be examined more deeply
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
