||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Progressive News & Views (since 1982) |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another Nail in their Coffin Without going into the technical aspect, a podcast is the only way some people can listen to Air America and there are many who only have that kind of access, where they can download and listen later, either with an mp3 player or using any freely available software on their computer. Other choices are not an option. And when cost is a factor it also eliminates that capability. It isn't about the options you mention. As for cost of radio, this is a group whose demographics might surprise you and is among their most loyal listeners because of the extra step they must take, often over dialup with it's delays to even get the audio-cast. It is a mistake to cut them off. Many are retired, on limited income, on budgets, and some can't afford necessities and least of all Air America. As for me, I don't care. Air America doesn't offer the best left/progressive political choice on the net - there are dozens of other choices increasingly getting their audio online. I have been on the net since it's inception before it was commercial and any monetary gain on the net was antithetical to an open net. I helped get Arpanet started when I worked on the project develop an alternative to traditional communications - when magnetic pulse was a serious consideration, BUT, as it originally intended, it was going to be free, or many of us would not have been as enthused as we were. This charging for access to information is a bastardization of the process for the net and for Air America. They are going down the tubes and this was just another nail in their coffin. Hank http://pnews.org/ On Sun, 5 Feb 2006, alfoders wrote: > --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "(ACRYLIC)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> their new premium service which requires a fee for anything you > listen to. > > Sorry Hank, but I believe that the internet stream will still be free, > only the podcasts will be "pay-per-listen". So you can still listen > to the AAR broadcasts in real time at no charge. > > It costs a LOT of money to start a radio network. You need to line up > sponsors, affiliates, investors, staff, talent, a HUGE initial capital > outlay for equipment, etc. (NPR was the last radio network built from > the ground up over 35 years ago.) > > AAR gets no money from their internet stream but the advertisers get > free time on listeners' computers. This service will continue to be > free to all listeners with internet access. > > The podcasts used to be free, and I listened to them constantly. > However, podcasting is expensive. The advertising is edited out of > the stream, stored and archived on servers and made available for > immediate download to listeners. For a modest $70 per year, I think > it is worthwhile to listen to interesting liberal talk radio on my > iPod whenever and where ever I want. Other price plans (monthly, > daily, per-show) are available as well. (The $70 is the "full boat" > covering ALL broadcasts.) > > I hope AirAmerica Radio Network will continue to be a player in > liberal broadcasting in the future. > > Do you have an AAR affiliate in Jax? WEUS 810AM in Orlando is > supposed to start carrying AAR next week. > > > > ----- / o o \ ====OO=====OO========================= Hank Roth's Place - http://pnews.org/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] (on the InterNUT since 1982) ============================================ Fightback - notification news and views list Subscribe/Unsub at: http://pnews.org/dada/ ================================================ Fightback - (pnews "progressive news and views") OPEN discussion - subscribe or unsubscribe in subject line: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ================================================
