Monday, January 17, 2011

We Have Not Pod-Faded

Got this Anonymous comment on another post today:

Pretending that the podcast doesn't exist is not a classy way of closing it down or reducing it to an occasional ep whichever is the case. On the other hand, it is in the long tradition of commercial radio where one day there's suddenly music or a new guy where there used to be somebody else, and there's never a word of explanation.

Now, really. Does anyone honestly think that I of all people would go gently into that good night without an explanation or announcement? Seriously?

No, we haven't given up the show. We've just hit a few successive snags. First, we were out of the studio on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, both Saturdays. Then, for the past few weeks our engineer, Kaan, has been crippled by an epic case of gout. And now we've just learned that LVRocks.Com will be shutting down as of February anyhow.

So we're in a bit of a scramble. One of the lovely parts of our unusual experience as podcasters has been that we've had a place to do it that didn't require us to futz too much with equipment and such. Instead, we've focused on producing a journalistically credible program with a patina of professionalism that comes from our work backgrounds and Miles' brilliant voice. We love the Internet and all things media, but we're not really technologically inclined. If you don't believe me, take a look at the train wreck that is my website.

That said, it looks like it's time to invest in some proper equipment and start producing the show from our home. I've consulted with pals Hunter Hillegas and Tim Dressen about how it's done and we'll be figuring this out in some form or fashion in the next couple of days.

It is certainly true that from time to time we run out of steam and need a break. We've been at this for more than five years, have put out about 300 episodes although we never numbered them. And the rewards are many: Interaction with so many wonderful listeners, an audio diary of our relationship, the ability as journalists to be in better touch with Las Vegas consumers than probably any other reporters covering this destination, the chance to share the nifty Vegas-related tchochkes we accumulate with our trivia winners, the revenues from donations and advertising that modestly compensate us for the thousands of hours.

We'll be back quite soon. Hopefully we'll have a chat room and webcam, too. And doing this from home will mean Black, Jack and Aces can make cameos. We'll do our best.

Stick around and don't give up on us so easily. We certainly wouldn't give up on any of you in the manner referenced above.

2 comments:

[no longer] Disappointed said...

I made the above comment, and as a long time listener of the podcast, I'm relieved to hear you'll be continuing.

My negative comment, however, was about your not telling us all the things you just told us. You kind of glossed over that in your reply.

You used to either billboard every upcoming podcast or invariably announce when you were skipping a week for some reason. Last week after an unprecedented number of skipped shows, it was radio silence; you didn't even make any reference to the podcast at all, either on Twitter or the blog. That was what caused my pessimism and prompted my comment which, I grant you, was probably an over-reaction.

Best of luck doing the podcast from home. If you use Ustream or a similar service, the live show should be even better.

Joe Smith said...

Don't give up. The Strip is insightful, entertaining and a great Saturday guilty pleasure.