Erie Looking Productions

Many things are going on so this is a consolidated post. Reader discretion is encouraged.

I. The LISNews Netcast Network Operating

So far, so good operationally. We're providing audio content for those who want it. We've been gaining non-librarian listeners for Hyperlinked History and Tech for Techies. A beautiful thing is when they outright tell me via Identi.ca that they're subscribing.

Network content always needs to grow. Our main focus in terms of content areas is to bring up matters with an applied focus. Pure library science is fine but we already have LISTen: An LISNews.org Podcast covering that somewhat. Some subject areas that are desired to get applied programming on include as examples: science in our lives, health science, transportation systems.

II. The Nature of the Network

Is the work of any network producer in creating programs an act of librarianship? I would definitely say no to that proposition. In the disciplinary spectrum, what the producers do is more appropriately mass communication and/or journalism. There is not a librarian way of podcasting or a nurse's way to podcast or a civil engineer's way to podcast. In the end, it is an art of mass communication.

III. The Network And The Public Radio Exchange

We've been trying hard to get pieces posted to Public Radio Exchange. The problem is getting stations to buy what we produce. I would love to have Hyperlinked History broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States as part of a block with Tech for Techies and highlights of LISTen. While we can get ourselves in front of stations, listener demand is far more important and useful. If you want to share the network with people beyond your wired-in, cloudy community then contact your local NPR affiliate today and ask their program director to pick us up.

IV. The Network And Listeners Abroad

Quotes have been sought for how much it would cost to get network programs relayed via shortwave to places abroad. For covering Europe we have a viable option with one US shortwave broadcaster. The cost of that will run about one hundred US dollars per month. For the Pacific, we're not so lucky. The quote we just got for relay coverage was for just under one hundred and ten US dollars per week. For those abroad with bandwidth restrictions, such as in Australia or New Zealand, this may be better in the long run in terms of one's cost in listening.

This is still very much a work in progress. We do not have the funds on-hand to approach this at this time. To reach European listeners, we'll have to pay out at least USD$1,200 for airtime. To reach listeners in the Pacific, we'll have to pay out USD$5,720 for airtime. As for operating our own station, frankly we could not afford the cost of that at all let alone secure the requisite license from the Federal Communications Commission.

Why the worries about listeners outside the United States? In many respects, there are apparently far more listeners outside the United States than within it. We're not the only ones in this state of affairs either, too.

Thoughts - A Grab Bag Posting by Stephen Michael Kellat is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.