TWiRT is on Vacation - Back in September!

My dear friends and colleagues,

On June 15th I got "the call".  It was Lisa Kentzell, CEO of TWiT Network, calling to let me know that several shows on TWiT.tv are being cancelled.  TWiRT was one of those shows.  

I've always considered it a real gift that Leo encouraged me to begin the TWiRT podcast in the first place.  While in Petaluma about 3 years ago, installing Leo's first Axia console, I asked Leo out to lunch and described my belief that a podcast for radio/audio engineers would have a great, albeit niche, audience.  Leo encouraged me to start doing the show and, if it sounded good, he'd put it on TWiT.tv.   Twenty episodes in, I got the green light from TWiT; they'd produce the video version of TWiRT.  About a year later, Leo and TWiT made our podcast - along with several others - part of the TWiT family, including hosting and distribution.  And that's where we've been for over a year now, enjoying all the clout and distribution benefits of being part of the TWiT family every week.  

For all the above, I'm very grateful to Leo, Lisa Kentzell, and others on the TWiT.tv staff.

Leo, thanks everso for the opportunity to share making some good content with you and your team.  I'm always grateful for that, and the TWiRT co-hosts, Tom Ray, Chris Tobin, and Chris Tarr, have enjoyed this chapter as well.

So, what's next?  The way ahead isn't perfectly clear.  Here's what we know and what we're thinging about:

1. TWiRT will take a hiatus for a couple months over the summer.  I've been asked to travel to Asia twice this summer, and I need to install some Axia consoles at my stations in American Samoa (KKHJ-FM and WVUV-FM).  Whatever we do for restarting a radio tech show, we'll start doing it in September, 2012.
   
   
2. When we restart in September, the format may be different.  We might do a 30 minute show.  Or we might keep doing the 60 minute show, but not every week.  Here's where we could use your feedback.
   
   
3.  TWiT.tv assures me that all the past episodes will be available at TWiT.tv for the foreseeable future.  
   
   
4. This web site, www.thisweekinradiotech.com, will once again be the definitive place for new episodes and information about TWiRT.  We'll make some improvements to the site - things I'd been putting off as TWiT.tv had been hosting the episodes.

When we restart TWiRT in September, what changes (if any) would you like to see?

• Length of the show?
• More guest appearances? Fewer? Same?
• Show frequency? Weekly? Bi-monthly? 
• Is video important to you?  If so, is YouTube OK for storage and distribution of shows?
• Should we associate with another podcast network, or simply stand alone?
• Other comments, ideas?

Please post your comments below.

Thanks for your support and friendship!

Kirk

Comments

[Kyle]

Defininetly prefer the 1 hour or longer format. I also like the old top-40-style intro and outros.

Also, to get my dittos in, I'm a volunteer audio engineer turned lighting engineer for a house of worship, an audiophile in general, and just a polymath, although I earned my undergraduate degree in CIS. I enjoy the discussions on audio engineering since I have practical use for that knowledge, but I also enjoy learning about other aspects of broadcasting.

[Stephen A]

I'm a few casts behind and just saw the news. All I can say is please keep producing the show. I would suggest a weekly schedule as going by-weekly or monthly makes people forget it's on. I like the special guest and more wouldn't hurt. The biggest issue with this is not repeating subjects to often. Audio is just fine for me as I listen while I drive mostly and I can't watch anyway. If video is a must then you tube works. I did notice the tweet about moving to GFQ. I don't watch much from their network but I will now!

If possible please keep the regular crew around. All of you make a great cast and interact very well together. Your knowledge is unmatched.

Thanks for a great podcast. I look forward to hearing you in September.

[James Johnson of Arlington]

I hope that the former Buckley Broadcasting employee will tell what it is like to have WOR purchased by another company. I hope that Clear Channel will not do anything to hurt you. Good luck with your new employer.