Towards online citizens’ radio

Written By: - Date published: 4:31 pm, December 31st, 2013 - 72 comments
Categories: accountability, broadcasting, community democracy, radio - Tags:

There’s a discussion started on the “Where is this democracy” thread, about the demise of  public service radio.  Partly this is in response to Guyon Espiner being appointed to Morning Report on RNZ.

What would it take to set up and run a regular progressive citizens’ online radio show or two?  One that is accessible to as many as possible, including those on low incomes?

The discussion  began with greywarbler saying:

Didn’t Labour shoot themselves and us in the foot when they gave up on the idea of a dedicated public service channel. That would have put on political discussions (commercially so unentertaining) for people who cared about our country and wanted to think about its direction and events. And watch its shows and give its creatives a regular venue. But now we have people revelling in ‘reality’ shows. Cartoons are where we get stuff satiristic and informative.

Labour gave up the tremendous advantages of mass presentation of views and news for information as well as interest. Petty thinkers of the left have left us without this media type and don’t seem to be able to change from the petty mindset so it goes on. All they aspire to is to be hens picking up bits of ideas from the ground, a bit of policy here and there, but not many useful eggs.

I then suggested running an online radio news/current events how, as this would be financially cheap to do, but would probably involve quite a time commtiment.  It would need the involvement of some people with specific skills. This would include some people with leadership and motivational skills, as well as the people to actually front as hosts of the online radio show & conduct interviews.

Some suggestions:

From greywarbler;

The way that talk back radio manage contentious opinions, perhaps to the operator, is to cut them off. There would have to be some sort of control through a group that has a mission statement to guide them, and can limit a Kyle Chapman, an anti Peter Jackson activist or an anti-union.
Maybe there is a way around these problems of access. Limited time etc.

From weka, in response to,

“i reckon research and fact checking would be useful contributions.”

Finding out what proportion of intended audience have/don’t have adequate/cheap internet to listen would be a good place to start. And where those with access are.

Suggestions…. ideas?

 

72 comments on “Towards online citizens’ radio ”

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  1. tricledrown 1
    31 December 2013 at 5:22 pm

    Guyon ebonizor will most likely filter questions on RNZ morning show it will be interesting to see what his attitude is .
    But access to online radio may not be as big a problem with new smart phones costing as little as $60 .
    These phones wouldn’t chew up a lot of data for online radio so the big thing is is their Enough volunteers to run the show.

    • weka 1.1
      31 December 2013 at 5:51 pm

      How much data usage for an hour’s listening td?

      Mobile BB is not cheap.

      Not all networks cover all areas either, so there are limitations to access that way too. Despite what the networks say about how many people in NZ they cover, many rural areas have intermittent or below par coverage.

      • weka 1.1.1
        31 December 2013 at 6:02 pm

        Just downloaded an MP3 from RNZ. 30 minutes long and its 11.5MB, so let’s say an hour is 23MB. I get 500MB in my cellphone plan (topups are $12/500MB I think for cell phones), so that’s 21 hours of listening a month, or just over 5 1/2 hours a week if I don’t use that data for anything else. I don’t know if streaming uses data at the same rate as a download.

  2. karol 2
    31 December 2013 at 5:42 pm

    Interesting comment about phones, trc. I thought online radio was the cheapest to produce – I think broadcast radio needs payment for a spot on the spectrum.

    if the team that produces it was drawn from across NZ, there might be enough volunteers….?

    • Francis 2.1
      1 January 2014 at 2:19 am

      There’s “low powered” spectrum available, though it’s on a “first-come, first-served” basis, so those in large urban areas are probably already flooded out. The 1 watt capacity does allow a reasonable coverage of a 2-3Km radius though, but an online version would definitely be needed as well.

      EDIT: adam explains it better a few posts down 🙂

  3. adam 3
    31 December 2013 at 6:07 pm

    There is the possibility, you can do both an on-line and a terrestrial radio, on the community/low power spectrum. Hard to explain in a post, but simply you can for about $150 get a transmitter and tower to broad cast. The range is small about 27 km, and it has a few caveats. Here the rules and a links to full rules.

    http://www.rsm.govt.nz/cms/licensees/types-of-licence/general-user-licences/low-power-fm-broadcasting

    This can be linked/synced with a on-line radio station – and then interconnected through out the country. So effectively, one starts and broadcasts – then others roll in when the can afford to pay for transmission gear. It also gives local people the ability to concentrate on doing there own thing when they need/want to (broadcasting just on there low powered unit). I’d also argue for it being sinked- to get those people stuck in cars in Auckland.

  4. Philj 4
    31 December 2013 at 6:32 pm

    Xox
    Some smartphones have a radio receiver built in, with no data usage. It’s basically using a smartphone as a radio. Some smartphones need to download a radio app and will use data. The alternative left/progressive radio/TV under discussion, in my view is letting RNZ, and the government, off the hook in providing an intelligent and informative, non commercial public Radio and Television. Both seem to be disappearing before our eyes, and ears. Pushing the ragbag politicians and parties on public broadcasting is a major issue for me when voting for a change of dictatorship.

    • karol 4.1
      31 December 2013 at 6:39 pm

      I understand you last point, Philj. But wouldn’t it be possible to do both – produce a citizens’ radio show and use it to critique RNZ and push them to be better? It’d ne one or two shows, not continuous – that’d take a lot of human energy and time.

    • weka 4.2
      31 December 2013 at 9:00 pm

      “Some smartphones have a radio receiver built in, with no data usage. It’s basically using a smartphone as a radio”

      But receiving radio via broadcast rather than internet right? My old dumbphone can do that.

  5. RedLogix 5
    31 December 2013 at 9:04 pm

    If this get’s to the point of needing a little cash karol – I can have a dig among the pocket prickles.

    • karol 5.1
      31 December 2013 at 9:14 pm

      Thanks, RL. I don’t know about costs – not my field. I’m fishing for both ideas and some specialist knowledge and skills.

      • phillip ure 5.1.1
        1 January 2014 at 5:54 pm

        i will stick my hand up to do what i can to help make this happen..

        ..(i have approx 5yrs experience knocking about bfm in the 90’s..writing/editing/producing/interviewing/presenting/editorialising etc..so some residual skills will likely still be present..hopefully..)

        ..i think it is a great idea..

        ..and even if initially only set up with the scope/commitment of this election year..

        ..it wd be well worth doing..’

        ..for more reasons than you can poke a stick at..

        ..let’s make this election the internet-election..

        ..phillip ure..

  6. Ecosse 6
    31 December 2013 at 9:14 pm

    Yep Radio Citizen sounds like a decent, do able project to me. They are run to some effect in some Northern European Countires. Yet why have the sole rationale to use it, as a “Critique of RNZ to push them to do better?” Why a closed remit? Surely a critique of all, that may deserve it, especially the Right Wing “Talky Radio” Misinformation Merchants? Also part of its raision d’etre, should be used to inform, educate, debate, along the same lines as TS online?..Rather than a “One Off Issue” Kommando Hit & Run Raids on “RNZ”. Surely this should be A Project TS as opposed too Project Karol?

    • karol 6.1
      31 December 2013 at 9:16 pm

      Yet why have the sole rationale to use it, as a “Critique of RNZ to push them to do better?”

      Sorry, I wasn’t clear in that comment – I didn’t mean it to be the sole, or even main focus of the programmes – as indicated in my post.

    • greywarbler 6.2
      31 December 2013 at 9:36 pm

      Keep up the ideas ecosse. No-one is limiting anything at the moment. It’s just ideas and information gathering and everyone on TS is invited – it might need nursing along carefully later but at present anyone can bounce the baby.

      I don’t know much about radio now, and using it on the internet. I envisage there could be experienced people talking about their area of expertise and current events. I enjoy Maori news on Radionz and Maori have run broadcast stations in some places for many years.

      Student radio and community frequencies were made available by Labour when it was selling off spectrum. In Nelson there was a group set up for local broadcasts for local issues set up. There was a tower that was changing hands and space for the community radio to broadcast through it for distance.

      Maori are trying to get government to give them more bandwidth – I don’t know whether it is radio or not.

  7. greywarbler 7
    31 December 2013 at 9:20 pm

    Some possibly useful sites.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radio_stations_in_New_Zealand
    There are 21 radio areas listed in NZ covering the country.
    Non-commercial network stations
    Life FM
    Niu FM
    New Zealand’s Rhema
    Southern Star
    Radio Waatea
    Tahu FM

    Local Radiio Broadcast Stations
    http://radiostationworld.com/locations/new_zealand/nzlrdloc.asp

    NZ Internet streaming
    stations on NZ Radio Guide
    http://www.nzradioguide.co.nz/

  8. weka 8
    31 December 2013 at 9:24 pm

    It’s a good idea karol. I think you would need to have a clearly expressed kaupapa, so that people getting on board all knew what they were working towards.

    Another research aspect would be looking at the pertinent organsiational and legal structures.

    Part of both those things is who has power, and building in safe guards at the start so it can’t be co-opted.

  9. Ecosse 9
    31 December 2013 at 9:28 pm

    oic Karol. Thank you for the clarification. I think the Idea has great potential. Its has my support, for what its worth. Keep up the good work!

  10. Steve 10
    31 December 2013 at 11:35 pm

    The technicalities for starting a news style podcast, or a talk Internet radio station, are pretty simple. I have done it myself.
    Podcasts can not only be downloaded by anyone, but offered to all other broadcasters, net and lpfm, for free broadcast – see http://www.democracynow.org for a high end example.
    The biggest issue faced for such an enterprise is getting journalists etc to go out and research and interview people, keeping it legal and editing shows together etc. Plus of course good quality digital recorders, mics, software etc.
    I have been seriously looking to start a weekly one hour podcast of independent unbiased news, and so am glad to see this discussion started.

    • phillip ure 10.1
      6 January 2014 at 11:45 am

      i would carry them on whoar for you..

      ..so there is a potential 20,000+ subscription-audience..

      ..to kick things off..

      ..the standard/tdb would also carry it..

      ..the reasons to do it just grow and grow..

      ..phillip ure..

  11. Will@Welly 11
    1 January 2014 at 5:18 am

    Thanks karol for the start of the conversation. I think we have now entered the beginning of the end of “state radio broadcasting”. That’s why Richard Griffin was originally employed, Guyon Espiner’s appointment, and the probable transfer of Morning Report to Auckland will see the demise of RNZ.
    So we do need to plan ahead.
    Television wise, we now only have 1 & 2/3 of an hour a week, roughly 40 weeks a year of formal interview style television, Maori TV’s “Native Affairs”, & TV 3’s “The Nation”, recently renewed. Added to that is maybe 1 – 1.5 hrs of “Campbell Live”. TV1 doesn’t rate, their “Q&A” presenter spends half their time laughing, and 7 Sharp, ain’t current affairs.
    So television wise, we as a nation, have been seriously short changed, on ‘free-to-air’. So we really need to watch what happens with our state broadcaster.

  12. Matthew Hooton 12
    1 January 2014 at 8:25 am

    According to IrishBill, MickeySavage and lprent, $35 million a year represents UNDERFUNDING to run a public-broadcaster radio station – see http://thestandard.org.nz/national-moves-to-trash-rnz/

    Even freezing funding at $35 million equates to “trashing” public radio.

    So you will need quite a lot to implement your proposal.

    • karol 12.1
      1 January 2014 at 8:41 am

      Matthew, I’m not talking about an enterprise like RNZ. I’m not talking about trying to replace RNZ. I’m talking about a daily or maybe twice daily radio programme run by volunteers.

      • Matthew Hooton 12.1.1
        1 January 2014 at 9:19 am

        Speak to bFM. They may be able to help.

        • karol 12.1.1.1
          1 January 2014 at 9:29 am

          Yes, I was thinking that bFM was in the same kind of territory. They must have some support from the uni and/or students’ union?

          A citizens’ radio programme would probably be best looking for support from community and progressive groups/organisations.

          • phillip ure 12.1.1.1.1
            1 January 2014 at 6:01 pm

            i wd second the ask bfm-suggestion..

            ..even if as an entity they are unable to help that much..(or aren’t needed..modern studios being just a laptop away..)

            ….there may well be personnel there who wd like to participate/add their skills..

            ..phillip ure..

          • Matthew Hooton 12.1.1.1.2
            2 January 2014 at 10:05 am

            FWIW, from memory, it cost about $20,000 to produce 21 episodes of iPredict TV for the last election (it may have been a bit more, plus I donated one of my junior staff’s time to do admin etc, but it was around $20k). If I say so myself, we covered election issues in more detail, and had higher quality and more eclectic guests, than much other election coverage which would have cost far more (and despite our controversial host). So you are absolutely right that you could produce some online radio (or TV) far more cheaply than RNZ/TVNZ seems to manage. The 21 episodes can all be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxtvZI2XuQk So perhaps talk to Face TV.

  13. karol 13
    1 January 2014 at 8:50 am

    Thanks for the links above – I’ve saved them for future reference.

    It seems to me that such a radio programme would require the following personnel:

    Techies – website managers; offline radio station managers if required

    a managing team (preferably involving some people who are firmly embedded in some wide networks around the country that can be drawn on for support

    some hosts: maybe a team of people like Al Jazeera – where no one person is committed to a regular time/spot,but are included in a schedule/roster based on their availability. Some generalist hosts/commentators and some specialists for specific topics.

    content researchers, interviewers, fact checkers

    scheduling/programming managers – including research on scheduling, topic choices, audience responses, etc

    funding managers

    anything else?

    • BM 13.1
      1 January 2014 at 9:06 am

      Listeners.

      • felix 13.1.1
        1 January 2014 at 7:11 pm

        If his passion for leftie radio is anything like his passion for leftie web forums, then BM will be listening 24/7.

        So that’s a start.

    • Colonial Viper 13.2
      1 January 2014 at 9:33 am

      karol. This is the most amazing idea that you have put together. Literally, it is giving me goose bumps.

      Here are a few random ideas you might find worth considering.

      1) I envision this like a small pirate radio station – think Radio Hauraki but for the 21st century. Also I can’t get the picture out of my mind that it’s also like Partisan Resistance Radio in occupied France.

      2) It’s light, it’s fast, it’s fact checked, informative and meaningful. Low overheads, automated, high tech yet simple. The transmissions don’t have to be continuous, maybe a single live programme day a week, or on 6pm to 9pm every week night. (24/7 access to already broadcast programmes over the internet).

      3) Aaron Hawkins. This is one of the guys you need to be talking to. Long time Dunedin student radio Radio One FM presenter and interviewer, and now, a Green party city councillor here in Dunedin.

      http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/councillors/cr-aaron-hawkins

      http://www.r1.co.nz/

      4) Assemble a 100 person list of all the black-listed and grey-listed experts who hardly ever get MSM air time. These are the people that 99% of the time mainstream NZ literally forgets about. The Hagars, Campbells, Sykes, Mintos, Bradfords, Goulds, Warings, Wilsons etc. Retired journos and editors. From all different fields, backgrounds and specialties. The attraction for them is that they will be asked to contribute on serious and informative issues in a thoughtful way which, journalistically speaking, almost no one else in the MSM does any more. You get some to do a regular spot – the reading of a quarterly or monthly essay or review that they have written, or to act as an interviewer or interviewee. You get others to contribute material, and point you towards interesting subject areas for the programme for the months ahead.

      5) Provide key contributors and volunteers a nominal sum or honourarium to be involved and for their time – maybe $500-$750 for a year. It’s clear that this is in essence a public service volunteer organisation in the old fashioned style, but one which respects contributors’ time and takes no one for granted. Yes, a few people may have to be considered staff or contractors on commercial rates but we minimise those.

      6) There is a monthly donors programme which focusses on bringing in regular $5-$50 sums per month, as well as a major donors programme which focusses on bringing in $1000+ lump sums.

      Just awesome karol.

      • Colonial Viper 13.2.1
        1 January 2014 at 9:46 am

        And it’s an election year. So that’s a simple theme to build around. Keeping the political parties on the Left honest and making sure they innovate (in good ways). Give listeners questions and facts they can challenge candidates with. Presenting Left facts, insights and ideas that the mainstream political parties are too chickenshit, ahem conservative, to talk about any more for fear of being too radical for ‘middle voting NZ.’

        This is not about the royal court gossip, the entertaining Colin Craig BS, it’s about the stuff which cuts to the bone and pressuring the parties on the Left to do more (in whichever policy field is the topic of the day), because so much more needs to be done in this nation.

        The MSM idea of “balance by having evasive idjits from both sides presenting stuff totally irrelevant to the problems at hand” gets burned. And it’s not about “objectivity” – it’s about applying Left value judgements and perspectives to the objective.

        Also civics education and stories around the proud history of the nation eg. 1st Labour Govt, Liberal Govt land reforms, the mass movements of the past eg Save Manapouri, ’81 tour, the politics of the anti-nuclear stuff, Rogernomics and Ruthanasia etc. Educate the young about where we have come from, what NZ people power is really capable of, the things the Left did well and the things it fucked up.

  14. Steve 14
    1 January 2014 at 9:07 am

    I think a good start would be one hour of news and interviews a week, put online aS an mp3 download, and a no derivative creative commons license for other broadcasters.
    My basic rule of thumb is that it takes four hours to produce one hour of broadcast (radio) news, for an under resourced outfit.
    Suggest it includes a round up of the week in politics, business news and social (employment, housing, health and education).

  16. Flip 16
    1 January 2014 at 10:38 am

    I was having this thought myself so would be interested. The sound bites you get on TV are unsatisfying. The most interesting thing to me would be having different views on a topic and then allowing listeners to contribute thoughts and questions for comment. Some sort of visual as well as audio would be good to provide visual info like graphs, animations, video, links etc

    • Steve 16.1
      1 January 2014 at 10:47 am

      Tv takes at least three times the resources of radio. Cameras, lights, different microphones than those used in radio, a lot more time editing and creating graphics etc.
      In my mind, for a budget operation it is unsustainable. People are more likely to listen than watch (on the bus, in the car, walking, exercising etc).

      • phillip ure 16.1.1
        1 January 2014 at 6:10 pm

        of course..never say never..and different situations wd work best in either/both-mediums..

        ..and if audience-expectations are for content..not so much bells and whistles….

        ..a simple vid-offering could work..

        ..people with those skills will likely pop-up..should the opportunity be there..

        ..phillip ure..

  17. Tim 17
    1 January 2014 at 11:53 am

    Just as an aside (I have no desire to hijack this thread because it’s a brilliant idea):

    Currently watching AlJazeera documentary on how a groups of Kenyans engaged in a grafitti campaign (given that other forms of media had effectively been hijacked).
    It made me think of the “Bridges Pants on Fire” billboard too.
    However, hopefully someone may pick up on this idea. Posters, cafe drops et al are also effective (perhaps as a means of distributing BLiP’s long long list of the current junta’s BS)

  18. fambo 18
    1 January 2014 at 5:30 pm

    Not sure if this point has been made already and not wishing to dampen your enthusiasm for what may eventuate as a necessity if National stays in long enough to irrideemably subvert RNZ, but National would have no problem with a liberal news media funded and produced by volunteers. In fact, they would use it as an excuse to further weaken public broadcasting, arguing that if people want this, they should do it themselves. We already have online outlets for alternative points of views but can’t afford to be marginalised while all mainstream media is controlled by the right. Labour needs to be emphatic about funding public television and radio as one of its core policies.

  19. Philj 19
    1 January 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Xox
    A progressive Internet radio hour called ‘Real Public Service Radio’ or ” The Reality Check” sounds great. Sounds like an acceptance of the government’s sell out on their responsibility to provide the public with a quality broadcasting service. Sad really.

  20. KJT 20
    1 January 2014 at 5:38 pm

    Bloody good idea. Count me in as a researcher.

  21. millsy 21
    1 January 2014 at 8:19 pm

    I am very sceptical about online streaming radio. Namely because it sucks up bandwidth, especially when it is tightly rationed by telcos, and also because it is unreliable.

    Perhaps talk to an Access radio station about having an hour long slot to host a show, at least that gets the hardware problem out of the way. Shows could be made available online as an archive?

  22. Steve 22
    1 January 2014 at 8:38 pm

    My experience on streaming radio has been very positive. Reliable and good quality audio. Remember also that speech radio takes a quarter of the bandwidth than an online music station needs.
    In my view, broadcast radio is basically dead in the water. Online radio gives us all the ability to be heard. And People want to hear what they want when they want. They want to POD – play on demand.

  23. Zorr 23
    2 January 2014 at 2:24 am

    This sounds very very cool and there are so many good suggestions above.

    From my experiences consuming modern media and having taken an interest in the past with how Democracy Now manage what they do, there’s a couple of points made that need +1’s

    1) A video portion – having a presence on social video sites like Youtube can make a massive difference if you have people tuning in. A lot of podcasts do this with the participants using webcams (thereby cutting costs if people have already invested in them) and cutting in video where it is available (if possible).

    2) The concept of a “weekly roundup” is really cool and would be well combined with (1) to make video a weekly thing thereby giving more time for production.

    3) The daily/twice daily podcast that is offered to local independent radio stations (such as bFM) so that it is then made available in two places (podcast form and terrestrial radio) as well as reducing costs on transmission. This is, essentially, how Democracy Now does it except with TV stations.

    Finally, it is a brilliant idea and a wonderfully upbeat way to start a new year. I would be willing to invest time and energy helping to make this work.

  24. karol 24
    2 January 2014 at 9:37 am

    Well before any of the above ideas can be put in practice, I need a starter management team (core of 3 or 4 should be OK?), some techies, and a host or two willing to voice commentate and possibly conduct some interviews. Volunteers?

    • Steve 24.1
      2 January 2014 at 10:47 am

      Hi Karol.
      Obviously lots of ideas here.

      I think the delivery format can be worked out later.

      But first and foremost, what is it that is proposed? A weekly podcast, a daily show (ala DemocracyNow), streaming radio with rolling news (big operation).

      Politics. Is the proposed programme to be anti National, pro Labour or unbiased (like DemocracyNow)?

      • karol 24.1.1
        2 January 2014 at 11:18 am

        Weekly or daily – it would be a collective decision based on what is workable. Maybe weekly first, though I would favour daily eventually – or something in between.

        A broadly left/progressive programme.

        It seems to me, at some point there needs to be a meeting of volunteers – via skype or in person – or both considering the need for nation wide participation.

        I can be emailed:
        karolscribe@gmail.com

      • phillip ure 24.1.2
        6 January 2014 at 11:33 am

        a daily show of length depending on curated/original-material used on the day..would seem the simplest..

        ..and an even-handeness would be the ethos/ideal to strive more..

        ..and by ‘evenhanded’ i don’t mean being easy on any of them..

        ..i mean holding them all to the same high standard..

        ..that way lies credibility..

        phillip ure..

  25. greywarbler 25
    2 January 2014 at 4:14 pm

    Could it be that the input could be archived so accessable later? Something simple by date and alphabet or so. It would not be good to be ephemeral. The truth would stay out there and if anyone wanted to reach out and grab it, they could. So there would always be something to listen to even though it was going only part-time as eventually there would be a library equivalent.

    Called instead of Stand-Up Comedians perhaps Stand-Up Community (or Commies for short, little in-joke for the crowd)?

    I am just noting some things that have come to mind and haven’t read the whole of the latest threads. People now can get stuff on their phones can’t they? I am still a baby using mine and don’t know all its uses, and I might get a tablet soon. And those not on the internet could take the big step, or perhaps use their new phones. It is a help to understanding the general person’s experience if they are trying to think politically.

  26. captain hook 26
    3 January 2014 at 11:02 am

    forget about webradio.
    get the cash together and buy a micropulse radio station which work on line of sight.
    one little transmitter in the right place could cover al of auckland!
    They are about $5,000 but worth every cent and with so much more potential that some silly app for a pc.

  27. Anton 27
    5 January 2014 at 1:42 pm

    I’m a bit embarrassed that noone here has mentioned community radio. Thre are a dozen or so radio stations in nz who, for a small yearly subscription would give you professional studio time, and then you can podcast the show as you like. You can syndicate the show through the community network.

    I was involved with the astonishing “sustainable lens on radio” with Shane Gallagher and Sam Mann for year or two in Dunedin, and it was, at last look, one of the most popular sustainability shows on iTunes.

    Dont get trapped in the technology, just go to your local community radio station and they will welcome you with open arms. Use Skype (or hangouts) for distance interviews. Don’t panic about audio quality, its all about the content.

    • lprent 27.1
      5 January 2014 at 5:43 pm

      That is actually a very good idea. For instance Planet FM offers exactly that kind of service. http://www.acab.org.nz/stations/planet-fm/

      You do need the sound-proofed studio. Couldn’t do it in my apartment for instance because of the distracting swoosh of cars and the odd moron talking loadly outside. In the burbs, you’d have to add in the cicada buzz of lawnmowers.

      Can’t see any particular point in broadcasting it. But as a studio it’d be excellent and not badly located for Aucklanders after SH20 fully opens. Because it is voice that we’re after the bandwidth requirements are low and it’d be easy enough for poeple to remote in.

      I have had a look at streaming and/or , and that doesn’t look like any particular technical or financial problem. Doesn’t look like a problem at all.

      In fact, the only issue that I can see would be getting the data streamed/uploaded because of the async nature of links in NZ. Uploads are outright slow.

      aside: It is now six years on from the announcement of the fibre rollout. I put my hand up for it as early as was possible. It finally got laid early last year outside my apartment block. Needless to say I still can’t get it although Chorus are now analysing it. Most IT people in apartment buildings I know have exactly the same issue (and there are at least 10 of us in this building alone).

      • Steve 27.1.1
        5 January 2014 at 6:03 pm

        You might be surprised at the results home podcasters etc can achieve, along with the audio quality of recorded Skype interviews.
        The planet fm suggestion is fine, but it increases the logistics of booking the studio and getting interviewees etc to attend on time.
        A mobile recorder such as a Zoom unit and a good mic (me66) can do wonders in the right hands.

        • lprent 27.1.1.1
          5 January 2014 at 6:18 pm

          You might be surprised at the results home podcasters etc can achieve, along with the audio quality of recorded Skype interviews.

          I’m well aware of that. We do skype and VOIP all of the time at work. Lyn does it with fellow documentary makers all over the world, and activists inside the country. But the problem is that it is still very susceptible to any drop in network which means that you’d better have have good bandwidth. And like any mic, it has issues with background noise.

          Try getting 4 people at once on skype for 15 minutes and you can guarantee that either someones link will crap out or there will be an almighty crash as someone drops a bottle or a motor mower starts up outside.

          It gets a lot easier if you have one side of the system on trusted hardware in an environment with filters and a mixer.

      • karol 27.1.2
        5 January 2014 at 6:16 pm

        Lynn, I have had emails from a couple of people who have put their hands up to be involved. I was waiting for others to get back from their hols before deciding on the next step. I had thought you might be willing to get invovled in some way.

        Community radio does sound like it has possibilities.

      • Flip 27.1.3
        7 January 2014 at 1:53 pm

        One thought I had was to have a regular web conference to enable contributions from a number of people. Record the conference and you have a multimedia presentation. A bit of a mash-up between a presentation, chat, talkback, radio, video in fact any media presentation.

        Need to look at the cost of a platform and the performance constraints around it though. The main thing was that people in cyberspace can contribute online to the discussion. A bit like what happens @ TS except in realtime comments as the presentation (post) happens.

        Need to work on the details but what do people think?

        • Colonial Viper 27.1.3.1
          7 January 2014 at 2:08 pm

          A useful idea. The content will need a fair bit of editing effort and time to make it into something presentable for a wider audience (eg look at things like TED talks, for instance).

  28. Karl Sinclair 28
    7 January 2014 at 11:18 am

    To the new (and some not so new) handle turners of the state gramophone, ponder this:
    Quotes: Herbert Schiller
    “It is not necessary to construct a theory of intentional cultural control. In truth, the strength of the control process rests in its apparent absence. The desired systemic result is achieved ordinarily by a loose though effective institutional process. It utilizes the education of journalists and other media professionals, built-in penalties and rewards for doing what is expected, norms presented as objective rules, and the occasional but telling direct intrusion from above. The main lever is the internalization of values.”

    Paper Tiger TV excerpts Herbert Schiller Reads the NYT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MqIYJf13Hw

    We have with the Sunday New York Times a weekly reminder that the American economy lives and runs on waste, and the New York Times reflects it and utilises it and in its own practices carries on the same wasteful practices…………
    End Quotes

    Is RNZ becoming increasingly like a hybrid of the Sunday New York Times?

    Now examine a sample of the board of directors of RNZ:
    We have an ex media advisor who worked for a previous National Party PM, an ex commercial media employee, a lawyer (ex national party MP), a person with vested interests in primary industries (also chairman of a Banking group?), another person who was involved in the primary industries (brand/media advisor). Would the majority of the board members be right leaning?

    YOU DECIDE…………….. Caveat emptor

    Just for a laugh watch the movie “THEY LIVE”….. Does Mr. Reality snuggle up to Ms Fiction (maybe yes, maybe no…… you decide). http://tu.tv/videos/they-live-1988-full-movie

    Some quotes:
    “They are dismantling the sleeping middle class. More and more people are becoming poor. We are their cattle. We are being bred for slavery.”

    “Outside the limit of our sight, feeding off us, perched on top of us, from birth to death, are our owners! Our owners! They have us. They control us! They are our masters! Wake up! They’re all about you! All around you!”

    “We could be pets, we could be food, but all we really are is livestock!”

  29. Karl Sinclair 29
    7 January 2014 at 12:35 pm

    Anyone seen The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology by Slavoj Žižek on the movie “They Live”.

    It made me think of RNZ. Will RNZ help us to see the “real” message beneath all the propaganda, glitz and so on or have it’s reality glasses started to become colored with rose’ down at the Wine Loft in Wellington.

    – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4WAXQJyxCo

    Also Slavoj Žižek on “The Dark Knight” (The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology) Quotes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRp46PuZDek

    “In order to maintain the trust of the public into the legal system, the idea is as if the ordinary public, where to learn how corrupted it was or is the very core of our legal system then everything would have collapsed we need a lie to maintain order…..”

    End Quote:
    In other words, you (Mr and Mrs Blogs) can’t handle the truth…..
    2 Recent NZ examples:

    • Asset Sales referendum ignored
    • Pyke River

    Just to name a few

    PUT THE GLASSES ON, FREEDOM HURTS……………………………

    An independent, well run radio station may provide more dimensions to the truth game.

  30. captain hook 30
    8 January 2014 at 11:03 am

    Just what we need.
    anything to balnce the shriekers from the steven joyce stable of hyperactive noo noo heads.
    when it comes on line let me know and I have a nifty library of jazz, blues, c&w, folk and 60’s rock and pop that you can have for zilch.

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