2025 BEST PRACTICE AWARDS

Best Consumer Education Program

by KRYSTINA SKIBO

Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services aims to change that.

While searching for different ways to tell their story and educate consumers at the same time, Montgomery County ABS decided to launch a podcast called“ Spirited Discussions” in August of 2024. Each episode features experts either from within ABS or the industry as a whole to answer questions about alcohol sales and services as well as public health and safety.

The podcast’ s main goal is to help residents and businesses understand alcohol products, trends and policies in Montgomery County. Created for a general audience, the series aims to demystify the County’ s system and help stakeholders understand how impactful a control system can be.

Now on its tenth episode,“ Spirited Discussions” continues to experience steady growth with more than 100 downloads per episode, placing it in the top 25 % of the podcast industry for per-episode listens.

“ Traditional communication tools like town hall meetings have given way to more convenient and accessible digital formats," says Jocelyn Rawat, communications manager at Montgomery County ABS and host of“ Spirited Discussions,” says. " The podcast allows us to connect with a broader audience and tell a fuller story in a format that is more inviting for residents and more cost effective for the department. Now a year into publication, we continue to see steady growth with each new episode."

The shows pair a Montgomery County ABS subject matter expert with an outside partner, such as a licensed establishment, alcohol supplier, product ambassador or public health expert. These pairings, facilitated by a host, allow ABS to tell stories from multiple perspectives and provide a sense of the interconnectedness of the alcohol sector.

Notably, episode 3, titled“ Control Model for Alcohol Distribution,” which features the director of Montgomery

The“ Spirited Discussions” podcast aims to help residents and businesses understand alcohol products, trends and policies in Montgomery County.

“ Literature’ s Most Famous Drinks” is“ Spirited Discussions’” second most downloaded episode.

County ABS and the president / CEO of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, holds the top spot for the most downloaded episode. This shows that there is a public appetite for understanding the system.

Second and third place for top downloaded episodes go to“ Literature’ s Most Famous Drinks” with the public libraries, and“ Top Ten Bestselling Beers, Wines and Spirits” with Breakthru Beverage.

Montgomery County ABS plans to record episode 12, titled“ Perspectives from around the Country,” at the NABCA Administrators Conference in Bethesda, MD. This special episode will break from the model of two guests per episode and will feature members from each jurisdiction, offering snippets about their state, how the control model works for them and alcohol trends nationally.

While public health campaigns have made strides, comprehensive approaches such as Montgomery County ABS’“ Spirited Discussions” podcast better equips individuals with the knowledge to make informed decisions when it comes to alcohol. And the more knowledge that is given to consumers, the safer the industry can become. www. stateways. com Fall 2025 • StateWays 17