An online radio station: something i've always wanted to do

[patrioticliberal]

Would anyone at DU be willing to help start an online (Shoutcast operated, probably) radio station? Broadcasting tons of independent (not Randi Rhodes, Malloy, other Air America) shows? Heck, that Liberty News Television is pretty cool in itself. Some Pacifica/independent shows out there. People could create their own. Thom Hartmann's show could be played.

Just a thought. Would love to do it. I don't think Air America is enough, especially with important events like what Cindy Sheehan is doing, heck, we could have live updates from there. I don't want to hear "The Kyle Jason Show" right now, turned off AAR.

AAR is OK sometimes, but I find myself only occasionally listening to Randi and Mike, I want online progressive radio.

The righties have their own radio online. Ever seen "RighTalk.com"? It's sponsored by FreeRepublic. Jeff Gannon used to have a show with them before he was outed as a gay male prostitute working for the White House.

[LiberalAndProud]

1. Help me sell it.

Talk $ and sense to me.

I have to sell it to 3 (mostly lefy-leaning) other people. and I have to talk bottom line.

[patrioticliberal]

6. I'm not talking to make money. To spread message.

I'm not trying to make "money" from it. NO. Air America is. If you're reading any financial interest in this, you're wrong.

It's to get the message out. For the good of the progressive movement.

I couldn't give a shit about making money, it does need money to be funded though to pay for bandwidth.

[LiberalAndProud]

9. break even.

give me a break even

or ...

it'll cost x per year with y benefit.

WHAT?

[patrioticliberal]

11. look

This is not to make money. It is to get the progressive message. I don't care if it makes a penny.

It does need money to be funded though - NOT to put in our pocket, but to pay for the bandwidth so people can listen online without it constantly buffering or crashing. Make sense?

Air America is a business and first and foremost they're out to make a buck before promoting the liberal message.

Go listen to RighTalk, I dare you. Some real shitheads on there, Jeff Gannon/James Guckert was on there. FreeRepublic links to it and says they sponsor it, so they probbably have fundraisers to raise money for it to keep going. I doubt they do it for "money making" either, just to get their lies out there.

The network I propose would be based on TRUTH.

[KyndCulture]

2. If you want to do a podcast...

http://www.radionewsamerica.com


We already do 5 a week... liberal news on weeknights and a peace and protest podcast on weekends.

We've gotten incredible response so far and we're only 3 months old.

[FloridaPat]

4. Neat site. Will have to listen sometime. Thanks

[patrioticliberal]

5. Not a podcast -live streaming

Heck, Ben Burch live streams Thom hartmann's show at whiterosesociety.

I'd like to have a pretty good live stream going. Maybe not 24-7 at first but just look at RighTalk, they DO have live streaming.

I know that's by our enemies (FreeRepublic) but we should just as eaisly beable to create our own with a few hundred $$.

[KyndCulture]

14. its more than a couple hundred dollars, trust me.

[patrioticliberal]

16. Well I jus tdon't think podcasts are effective

People would rather hear it live.

[ClassWarrior]

10. Thanks Dennis. Just subscribed to the news program, but...

...iTunes doesn't have "Not In My Name."

NGU.

[KyndCulture]

15. AH thanks for telling me, I've been fighting with itunes over those tags.

[patrioticliberal]

12. I'm talking about *LIVE* streaming Internet radio

*LIVE LIVE LIVE*

*NOT* a stale old podcast :)

[patrioticliberal]

13. HECK, we could even be live from Camp Casey right now

[KyndCulture]

17. you are talking HUGE money.

a thousand or more dollars a day. Live streaming is very expensive. So if you can find a backer, I'm all for it... this is NOT something you can do on a donation basis. That's why the AAR streams cut out all the time, more streams, more dollars, more servers.

[patrioticliberal]

18. Funny, Ben Burch does a live stream easily

oF Thom Hartmann's show, every Monday-Friday.

[evilqueen]

20. ben burch has mega-gigs of bandwidth available...

If you don't have more than 100 GB/mo bandwidth (not hd space, bandwidth), you are looking at spending upwards of $1,000/mo. to do LIVE radio on servers that allow that kind of thing. And that cost will only allow about 64 listeners or so.

Podcasts are the less expensive alternative. You may see them as "stale" but I think of them more like TIVO convenience. I listen when *I* want to, not when you want me to. I control what I listen to and when. That control is taken out of your hands. What's also convenient is that I can subscribe via iPodder or Odeo, and the application goes and gets the new files whenever they appear and are available. I don't have to keep returning to the website of the broadcaster to "tune in", unlike many streaming radio stations.

[evilqueen]

30. I also forgot to mention...

Podcasts are portable. You can download them and then transfer to an iPod or other portable device and take them with you. Very convenient for anyone who isn't near an internet connection all the time... like at Camp Casey, for example.

I use iPodder. It's open source, free, and cross-platform compatible (windows, mac, or linux)
http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php

[KyndCulture]

21. Not trying to pee on your idea man...

just want to educate you a bit... I wish like hell we could find a backer to stream, we'd be doing it, we've got studios in 3 cities right now.

[patrioticliberal]

22. FreeRepublic sure has the money to do theirs.

Who pays for it? Republican National Committee? Do they just pull the money out of their butt?

[KyndCulture]

23. Probably... if the RNC can afford bloggers on the payroll hehehe.

[ClassWarrior]

3. I'm interested.

Please keep me in the loop.

NGU.

[patrioticliberal]

7. Any way you could help to TECHNOLOGICALLY start it?

I can setup a station, but it wouldn't be able to have many listeners to it. Up to 10 at max, probably before the server would crash (no bandwidth).

[ClassWarrior]

8. Nope. That's not my area of expertise.

NGU.

[bananas]

26. What kind of server?

do you have a seperate computer for the server,
or will you be using your main computer?
What OS?
It shouldn't be hard to set it up for 10 listeners.

I'm wondering what your idea is as far as content.
Do you have a demo mp3?
How would it be different than the pacifica stations,
or Ray Talaiferro on kgo?
Are you going to take calls, or just sit there and rant?

[patrioticliberal]

27. Obviously more than 10 people would want to listen,

Hopefully.

Don't have a demo MP3, but Pacifica isn't a "Democrat' station and you're never going to find them asking people to raise money for Paul Hackett etc.

As far as KGO - sure, someone could have a show like that, but a lot of times I don't think Ray really makes much progress with his show anyway, just has some people who agree and a few right wingers whose opinions arent changed anyway.

But who knows maybe that could fill that 1-5 AM spot (not Ray, because heck, Ben can't even archive stuff from KGO anymore).

People could take calls. Up to the individiual hosts.

[patrioticliberal]

28. BTW

You can take calls via online - "Skype" (free) .
You use your computer microphone.

As far as server, I have Shoutcast server (free software) on computer here.

[DanCa]

19. Yahoo launch cost

I was wondering what this is, and if it can be programed with left music. While i got the perfect face for raido I dont like mic work.

[anarchy1999]

24. Check in with the RadioLeft guys. They've been at it for a long time.

n/t

[mazzarro]

25. I like the idea and will want to be involved somehow and someway

And me as an interested member of the group.

[Just Me]

29. If I hit the lottery, tomorrow,...I'd build the AAR base and spread it.

Once AAR had a strong enough economic base, I'd build satellites with broad-based perspectives.

No way would I water down (drown) the baby of progressive radio at this time.