There's no denying it, Waterford Whispers News has some of the most sensational headlines the world has ever seen:
'Church Hires JK Rowling To Rewrite The Bible'
'Will Gay People Eat My Children"' & Other Referendum Questions Answered'
'Dozens Injured In Stampede After Second Checkout In Lidl Opens' (picked up as a real story in a German paper in 2015)
‘Gardaí Urge People To Avoid ‘Broad Daylight’ In Mugging Clampdown’
'Shocking Image Of US Police Officer Arresting Black Newborn In Maternity Hospital'
And although the captions leave many readers shocked, they are very luring and have a message behind each story. The essence of satire.
But how did a Tipperary man end up create Ireland's leading online satirical site?
Speaking on The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, the mastermind behind WWN, Colm Williamson tells us how the concept came to him back in 2009 when he had to relocate to Waterford after "the arse fell out of everything" during the recession.
What began in his kitchen as a hobby and some fun for his family and friends quickly escalated into a huge following, with Colm saying, "I think last year it was 13 million readers". He now has three writers (including himself) and a "web guy" working on his enterprise. Not bad for a bit of 'messing'.
It's all in the timing too, "I'm constantly looking at what's trending and what is in people's news feeds".
Williamson reveals plans for a new WWN Podcast next year, to which Iano has a few suggestions to help 'monetize' his plan.
There's also a couple of his personal favourites from over the years - like 'North Korea Lands First Ever Man On The Sun', which was actually believed and reported on by media behemoth CNN News.
2019 will see lots of WWN Live Shows that the Tramore blow-in describes as, "the Six One News with an audience. Only it's fun".
His fifth annual book Waterford Whispers News 2018 is out now and available in all good bookstores.
And here's what he looks like. The man, the myth, the legend:
Check out the chat in full by pressing the play button in the image at the top of the page.
