Managing Shows: Organize Your Podcast Series

What Are Shows?

Shows in InterviewCue represent your podcast series, interview programs, or branded content series. Think of a show as a container that holds multiple related interviews with consistent branding, hosts, and metadata.

Examples:

  • "Python Bytes" - A weekly Python podcast
  • "Talk Python To Me" - A long-form interview podcast
  • "Tech Startup Stories" - A branded interview series
  • "Weekly Roundup" - A recurring interview program

Shows help you:

  • Organize related interviews together
  • Maintain consistency with hosts, logos, and branding
  • Filter your interview list by show
  • Search interviews by show name or host names
  • Prepare for automation (future features will use show data for exports and workflows)

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of shows list page]

Creating Your First Show

Quick Start

  1. Click "Shows" in the top navigation
  2. Click "Create Show" button
  3. Fill in the required fields:
    • Title: Name of your show (e.g., "Python Bytes")
    • Hosts: At least one host name (e.g., "Michael Kennedy")
      • Click "Add Another Host" to add more hosts
  4. (Optional) Add an Image URL for your show logo
  5. (Optional) Add a Website URL for your show
  6. Click "Create Show"

That's it! Your show is ready to use.

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of create show form]

Show Fields Explained

Title (Required)

The name of your show. This appears in:

  • Show list page
  • Interview cards (when associated)
  • Search results
  • Future export formats

Best Practices:

  • Use the official name of your podcast/series
  • Keep it consistent (don't use variations)
  • Make it descriptive and recognizable

Examples:

  • ✅ "Python Bytes"
  • ✅ "Talk Python To Me"
  • ❌ "python bytes" (inconsistent capitalization)
  • ❌ "My Podcast" (not descriptive)

Hosts (Required - At Least One)

The names of people who host your show. You can add multiple hosts for co-hosted podcasts.

Adding Hosts:

  • Click "Add Another Host" button to add more host fields
  • Type each host's name in a separate field
  • Click the minus (−) button to remove a host (must keep at least one)

Examples:

  • Single host: ["Michael Kennedy"]
  • Co-hosts: ["Michael Kennedy", "Brian Okken"]
  • Multiple hosts: ["Host 1", "Host 2", "Host 3"]

Best Practices:

  • Use full names for clarity
  • Keep names consistent across shows
  • Order matters (primary host first)

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot showing multiple host fields]

Image URL (Optional)

A URL to your show's logo or cover art. This is displayed in:

  • Show list page (as thumbnail)
  • Interview cards (when associated)
  • Future export formats (PDF, etc.)

How It Works:

  • Provide a URL to an image hosted elsewhere (CDN, S3, image hosting service)
  • InterviewCue displays the image from that URL
  • No file upload required (external hosting only)
  • Future Enhancement: Direct image upload will be available in a future version

Image Requirements:

  • Format: JPG, PNG, or WebP
  • Recommended Size: 1400x1400px (square) or 3000x3000px for high-res
  • Protocol: Must be http:// or https://
  • Accessibility: Image must be publicly accessible

Getting Image URLs:

  • Upload to image hosting service (Imgur, Cloudinary, etc.)
  • Use CDN URLs from your hosting provider
  • Link to images on your website
  • Use S3-compatible storage URLs

URL Validation:

  • InterviewCue automatically adds https:// if you forget the protocol
  • Only http:// and https:// URLs are allowed (security)
  • Invalid URLs are rejected with clear error messages

Example URLs:

  • ✅ https://example.com/logo.png
  • ✅ https://cdn.example.com/shows/python-bytes.jpg
  • ✅ http://example.com/image.png (http:// is allowed)
  • ❌ javascript:alert('xss') (rejected for security)
  • ❌ file:///path/to/image.png (rejected)

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot showing image URL input with preview]

Website URL (Optional)

A link to your show's website, RSS feed, or homepage.

Examples:

  • https://pythonbytes.fm
  • https://talkpython.fm
  • https://example.com/podcast

URL Validation:

  • Automatically adds https:// if protocol missing
  • Only http:// and https:// allowed
  • Invalid URLs are rejected

Managing Your Shows

Viewing All Shows

Navigate to "Shows" in the top navigation to see all your shows.

What You'll See:

  • Show image (thumbnail) if provided
  • Show title
  • Number of hosts
  • Number of associated interviews
  • Action buttons (Edit, Delete)

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of shows list with multiple shows]

Editing a Show

  1. Go to "Shows" page
  2. Click "Edit" button on the show you want to modify
  3. Update any fields (title, hosts, image URL, website URL)
    • Use "Add Another Host" button to add hosts
    • Click the minus (−) button to remove hosts (must keep at least one)
  4. Click "Save Changes"

What Can Change:

  • ✅ Title - Update anytime
  • ✅ Hosts - Add, remove, or reorder hosts
  • ✅ Image URL - Change logo or add one if missing
  • ✅ Website URL - Update or add URL

What Happens:

  • Changes apply immediately
  • Associated interviews automatically reflect new show data
  • Search and filtering use updated information
  • If interviews are associated, you'll see a note about how changes affect them

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of edit show form]

Deleting a Show

Important: You can only delete shows that have no associated interviews.

To Delete:

  1. Go to "Shows" page
  2. Click "Edit" on the show
  3. Scroll to the bottom and click "Delete Show" button
  4. Confirm deletion in the popup

OR delete directly from the list:

  1. Go to "Shows" page
  2. Click the "Delete" button next to the show (only enabled if no interviews are associated)
  3. Confirm deletion in the popup

If Interviews Are Associated:

  • Delete button is disabled on the list page with a note: "Can't delete: interviews linked"
  • You must first disassociate all interviews from the show
  • Then you can delete the show

What Gets Deleted:

  • The show record
  • Show metadata (title, hosts, URLs)
  • Interviews are NOT deleted - they just lose their show association

Associating Interviews with Shows

During Interview Creation

When creating a new interview:

  1. Fill in the interview name and other details
  2. Find the "Show" dropdown field
  3. Select your show from the list
  4. Create the interview

The interview is now associated with your show!

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of interview create form with show dropdown]

During Interview Editing

You can associate an existing interview with a show (or change the association):

  1. Open the interview and click "Edit"
  2. Find the "Show" dropdown field
  3. Select a show from the list (or "None" to remove association)
  4. Save the interview

Changing Associations:

  • Select a different show to change association
  • Select "None" to remove show association
  • Changes take effect immediately

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of interview edit form with show dropdown]

Show Dropdown Options

The show dropdown shows:

  • "None (no show)" - No show association (default for new interviews)
  • Your Shows - All shows you've created, listed by title

Important: You only see your own shows in the dropdown. Other users' shows are never visible to you.

Filtering Interviews by Show

Using Search to Filter by Show

On the interview list page, you can filter interviews by show using the search feature:

  1. Go to your Interview List page
  2. Use the search box at the top (keyboard shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl + / or Cmd/Ctrl + K)
  3. Type the show name (e.g., "Python Bytes")
  4. Or type a host name (e.g., "Michael Kennedy")
  5. Results filter instantly as you type
  6. Press ESC to clear the search

What Gets Searched:

  • Interview names
  • Show names (if interview is associated with a show)
  • Host names (if interview is associated with a show)

Example Searches:

  • python bytes - Finds all interviews for "Python Bytes" show
  • michael kennedy - Finds all interviews for shows hosted by "Michael Kennedy"
  • talk python - Finds interviews for "Talk Python To Me" show

Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • Cmd/Ctrl + / or Cmd/Ctrl + K - Focus search box
  • ESC - Clear search and blur search box

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of interview list with show filter/search]

Show Information on Interview Cards

When an interview is associated with a show, you'll see show information on the interview card:

  • Shows the show title
  • Displays host names
  • Shows the show logo (if you provided an image URL)
  • Helps identify which show an interview belongs to at a glance

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of interview card with show information]

Show Organization Strategies

Single Show

If you only have one podcast or series:

  • Create one show
  • Associate all interviews with that show
  • Easy filtering and organization

Multiple Shows

If you host multiple podcasts or series:

  • Create a show for each series
  • Associate interviews with the appropriate show
  • Filter by show to focus on one series at a time

Example:

  • "Python Bytes" show → Weekly Python news interviews
  • "Talk Python To Me" show → Long-form Python interviews
  • "Tech Startup Stories" show → Startup founder interviews

No Shows (Optional)

Shows are completely optional. You can:

  • Continue using InterviewCue without shows
  • Create interviews without show associations
  • Add shows later when you're ready

Backward Compatibility:

  • Existing interviews work perfectly without shows
  • No requirement to create shows
  • Adopt shows gradually as needed

Best Practices

Show Management

Consistency:

  • Use consistent show names (don't create duplicates)
  • Keep host names consistent across shows
  • Use full names for clarity

Organization:

  • Create shows for recurring series
  • Use descriptive show titles
  • Keep show metadata up to date

Image URLs:

  • Use reliable hosting (CDN preferred)
  • Ensure images are publicly accessible
  • Use square images (1400x1400px recommended)
  • Test image URLs before saving

Interview Association

When to Associate:

  • Associate interviews with shows when they're part of a series
  • Use shows for recurring podcast episodes
  • Organize branded content series

When Not to Associate:

  • One-off interviews don't need shows
  • Test interviews can remain unassociated
  • Personal interviews may not need shows

Search and Filtering

Effective Searching:

  • Search by show name to find all episodes
  • Search by host name to find all their shows
  • Combine with other search terms for precise results

Troubleshooting

Image Not Displaying

Problem: Show image doesn't appear in the list or on interview cards.

Solutions:

  • Verify the image URL is correct and publicly accessible
  • Check that the URL uses http:// or https:// protocol
  • Ensure the image format is supported (JPG, PNG, WebP)
  • Test the URL in a browser to confirm it loads

Can't Delete Show

Problem: Delete button is disabled or shows an error.

Solution:

  • The show has associated interviews
  • Go to each interview and remove the show association (select "None (no show)" in the dropdown)
  • Then you can delete the show

Show Not Appearing in Dropdown

Problem: Created a show but it doesn't appear in interview edit dropdown.

Solutions:

  • Refresh the page (show should appear)
  • Verify you're logged in as the show creator
  • Check that the show wasn't deleted
  • Ensure you're looking at the correct user account

Search Not Finding Shows

Problem: Searching for show name doesn't return expected interviews.

Solutions:

  • Verify interviews are associated with the show
  • Check spelling of show name in search
  • Ensure you're searching on the correct account
  • Try searching by host name instead

Quick Reference

Action How To
Create show Shows page → "Create Show" button
Edit show Shows page → Click "Edit" button on show
Delete show Edit show page → "Delete Show" button (only if no interviews)
OR Shows page → "Delete" button (only enabled if no interviews)
Associate interview Edit interview → Select show from dropdown
Remove association Edit interview → Select "None (no show)" from dropdown
Search by show Interview list → Use search box (Cmd/Ctrl + / or Cmd/Ctrl + K)
View all shows Click "Shows" in top navigation

What's Next?

Now that you understand shows, explore related features:

Future Enhancements:

  • Direct image upload - Upload show logos directly instead of using external URLs
  • Show metadata in export formats - Show name, logo, and hosts in CUE, Markdown, PDF exports
  • Show-specific export templates - Customize export format per show
  • Show detail page - Dedicated page for each show with statistics and episodes
  • Show statistics and analytics - Episode count, total duration, popular episodes
  • Show sharing with team members - Collaborate on shows with other users
  • RSS feed generation - Auto-generate podcast RSS feeds from show data

Need Help?

Happy organizing! 🎙️