Funny Times marks 40th year with new podcast hosted by editor Mia Beach

Written from press release

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Funny Times, the Bloomington-based independent cartoon and humor publication with a cult following, will launch a 10-episode podcast this fall to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

The series, titled The Funny Times Podcast, debuts Oct. 3, 2025, on major streaming platforms and will be hosted by editor and local personality Mia Beach, the publication announced Wednesday. Episodes will feature upbeat interviews and roundtable conversations with cartoonists, writers and readers, exploring the past, present and future of satire and what makes people laugh.

Founded in 1985, Funny Times publishes more than 100 cartoons and about a dozen written features each month for a subscriber base of roughly 45,000 worldwide. Bloomington’s Limestone Post writer Michael G. Glab once described the paper as “an old newspaper Sunday-comics section on megavitamins.”

Beach said the show aims to extend the publication’s trademark mix of levity and reflection at a time when independent media faces funding cuts and shrinking audiences.

“Our readers tell us that Funny Times is a lifeline when the world seems out of control,” Beach said. “We hope this podcast will feel like a balm for the frazzled modern mind.”

Producers say the podcast will blend behind-the-scenes history with conversations among well-known cartoonists and satirists, promising a tone that’s “funny, thoughtful, existential and sometimes mischievous,” much like the paper itself. Despite broader industry headwinds, Funny Times continues to publish in print and grow readership without corporate sponsorship, the company said.

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