North Caldwell, New Jersey

Tiny town. Big secrets. One suspiciously spiritual traffic light.

Birch beer, buried mafia lore, an abandoned sanitarium, and a Church of the Traffic Light that really leans into metaphysics — Margo Escott brings us back to North Caldwell, NJ, and Podcast Town builds a delightfully deranged local variety show around it. Expect tomato politics, a Sopranos-adjacent tour, electrocution "illuminators," and at least one tomato to the face.

In this episdode:

• Host Billy Merritt interviews Margo about growing up in a town with no stores and no traffic lights — until suddenly there is one.

• The town's favorite podcast - "Tonight in North Caldwell," complete with call-ins, commercials (Tony Soprano Tours; Freddie's Funeral Home), and a fireman's picnic parade gone very, very sideways.

• Highlights include: the Overbrook Sanitarium ruins, Big Al's Maserati Tomato Farm and its overprotective daughter, the Church of the Traffic Light, and the surprise Tomato Queen pageant (chaos, chanting, and tomato splatter included).

Standout lines (for the quote-tweet pile)

• "Praise all stoplights."
• "Traffic light be with you."
• "Who dat bitch?"

Cast & Credits
Host: Billy Merritt. Guest & town chronicler: Margo Escott. Full Podcast Town improv troupe — characters include Mildy/Lisa, Tim, Luke, Big Al, Tia (Traffic Light priest), and more.

Heads up / Trigger note
Contains playful references to mental-health institutions, prisons, and mock electrocution scenes (improv, not real). Listener discretion advised for anyone sensitive to those themes.\

Enjoy — and remember: if you're ever confused by a new traffic light, consult the parish. 🚦

Sponsors: Annual Firemen's Picnic, Church of the Traffic Light, Big Al Maserati's Tomato Farm, Dr. Wilson - Death Therapist and Child Illuminator, Tony Soprano Tour Guide Company, Freddie's Funeral Home.

DIRECTOR/CREATOR: Billy Merritt
Producer/Editor: Hill Kane

CAST:

• Luke Bovard: Host Luke- Tonight in North Caldwell Podcast
• Hill Kane: Alison Maserati (Big Al's kid), one of Tim's kids
• Brent Kohler: Producer - Tonight in North Caldwell Podcast
• Don Slovin: Big Al, caller, one of Tim's kids, Freddie
• Lisa Steckman: Host "Mildie" - Tonight in North Caldwell Podcast, "Bianca"
• Thea Marie Thorkildsen: Priest of the Holy Traffic Light Church
• Flannery Wilson: Dr. Wilson - Death Therapist

And special guest, Margot Escott as the real Tomato Queen.

"Podcast Town" Improv is part of The BIT Comedy Network.

MUSIC: "Memfish" performed by Little Kahunas | Produced by Peter Miller ©

Production Assistance from Luke Bovard (thank you) - ya gotta have a plan B!

Audio Production, Graphics/Art, Show Notes by Hill Kane of Raising Kane Media + Marketing.

Hosting Platform: Libsyn.com

"The BIT" and "The BIT Comedy Network" are Trademarks owned by Billy Merritt.
© 2024-2025 Billy Merritt - All Rights Reserved
Inquiries + Notices + Requests: TheBitComedyNetwork@gmail.com

Rodeo clowns. Radiohead. Room 105. Welcome to Lakeside, CA—population: weird.

Host Billy Merritt welcomes ER doctor–turned–improviser Devlyn Corrigan, who takes us on a tour of his dusty hometown: Lakeside, California. What starts as a stroll down Main Street quickly gallops into full-blown rodeo madness, local teen drama, and a possibly haunted motel room.

Then, the Podcast Town players transform this dusty slice of Americana into a fully improvised audio fever dream, featuring:

• 🎸 A Radiohead benefit concert at the rodeo (yes, that Radiohead)

• 🏨 Creepy conspiracies about Room 105

• 🐄 Clydesdales, clown training, and hitching fees

• 🎤 A shaky rendition of the national anthem

• 🧶 Crochet horse blankets, Dairy Queen showdowns, and mysterious spring water (bonus scene)

• Billy Merritt (Narrator/Director)
• Devlyn Corrigan (Special Guest and real person)
• Fananary Wilson (Not a bananary)
• Brett Hickory (Clown-in-Training)
• Gail (Podcast Town's ultimate producer… maybe witch?)

"Don't stick it in your mouth. ...Sorry, it tastes delicious."
"If anything weird happens in Room 105, I'd love to interview you about it."

🛒 Sponsors & Local Businesses

• Bukkee's Radio Head (not the band) Supply Shop
• Bud's Big Ass Horse Watch
• Tilly's Tack Shop
• Maya's Main Street Crochet Caravan
• 7-Eleven (Unofficial)

DIRECTOR/CREATOR: Billy Merritt
Producer/Editor: Hill Kane

CAST:

• Terry Armstrong - Bud, Todd, etc.
• Amber Bellsdale - Dottie (ex rodeo/prom queen turned DQ manager)
• Luke Bovard - Mysterious man in 105
• Peg Davis - Tilly
• Hill Kane - Gail (be sure to watch SHUT UP Gail on the BIT spotlight)
• Brent Kohler - Brett Hickory, Horsin' Around Podcast Host
• Don Slovin - Bukkee and various weirdos about town
• Jason Spiro - Thom Yorke of Radiohead and the ghost in 105 (bonus scene)
• Jim Tripp - 7/11 Owner and Thom Yorke fan
• Flannery Wilson - Fananery Wilson, Horsin' Around Podcast Host

"Podcast Town" Improv is part of The BIT Comedy Network.

MUSIC: "Memfish" performed by Little Kahunas | Produced by Peter Miller ©

Production Assistance from Luke Bovard (thank you) - ya gotta have a plan B!

Audio Production, Graphics/Art, Show Notes by Hill Kane of Raising Kane Media + Marketing.

Hosting Platform: Libsyn.com

"The BIT" and "The BIT Comedy Network" are Trademarks owned by Billy Merritt.
© 2024-2025 Billy Merritt - All Rights Reserved
Inquiries + Notices + Requests: TheBitComedyNetwork@gmail.com

Welcome BACK to Pennan, Scotland!

The BIT Crew has the month off so we picked one of our MOST FAVORITESISTED episodes to replay for you. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we love hearing the sound of our own voices :-).

We'll be back with new episodes starting in September!

Pennan became famous in the 1980s for being used as one of the main locations for the film Local Hero. Film enthusiasts have come from all over the world to make a phone call in the red telephone box in the village.

Lesser known, perhaps, is Pennan's Seagull Competition. Sources vary on the purpose, rules, and outcomes of the annual event. There is a whisper campaign that Dr. Who will be in attendance this year.

In recent years, seagulls have become increasingly aggressive and have chased off the once-thriving mackerel (pronounced Mack-Ah-Rell) population to the more habitable coastal waters of Norway (home to Charlie Chaplin).

If you hang out at the phone booth or one of Pennan's many golf courses, you may bump into local bachelor Jake (or is it Jack)? For 2 euro, you can take a selfie with him in the phone box.

Please enjoy three of the Pennan Podcast Network's delightful podcasts.

• How's That Work?: Hosted by Marcie Bonnet and Seafarin' Sequoia. They think they have cracked the code to how the local telephones work without lines.
• Where's Nessie? Nessie believer/host Dean welcomes Nessie Hunter/skeptic Don to determine whether Nessie inhabits the local bodies of water.
• Where Are They (Those Fish)? Janine and Patty host the show. Something or someone is scaring Pennan's mackerel off, and they aren't returning. Janine has enlisted Patty to shepherd them back to Pennan if she has to swim in the sea to do so.

Sponsors include The BBC, Sam's Seagulls, Jody (Dr. Who's Companion), Jake's Fantasy Dates, and George, the forgetful and perpetually lost garbage guy!

DIRECTOR/CREATOR: Billy Merritt
Producer/Editor: Hill Kane

CAST:

• Dean Aisles (Himself)
• Konrad Andrew (Sam of Sam's Seagulls)
• Terry Armstrong (Support Player)
• Amber Bellsdale (Patty)
• Luke Bovard (Seafarin' Sequoia)
• Don Slovin (Himself)
• Jason Spiro (Jody, Dr. Who's trusted companion)
• Lisa Steckman (Marcie Bonnet)
• Thea Marie Thorkildsen (Jake/Jack)
• Katya Vasilaky (Janine)
• Flannery Wilson (George)

Special appearance by BILLY MERRITT as Shamus.

"Podcast Town" Improv is part of The BIT Comedy Network.

MUSIC: "Memfish" performed by Little Kahunas | Produced by Peter Miller ©

Production Assistance from Jason Spiro (thank you)!

Audio Production & Graphics/Art by Hill Kane of Raising Kane Media + Marketing.

Hosting Platform: Libsyn.com

"The BIT" and "The BIT Comedy Network" are Trademarks owned by Billy Merritt.
© 2024-2025 Billy Merritt - All Rights Reserved
Inquiries + Notices + Requests: TheBitComedyNetwork@gmail.com