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Announcing The Paracast+ (or Something Like That!)

Forums New posts
Gene Steinberg said:
Yes, a very different picture here in the USA. We have 11 breaks in the course of an episode. Nine include our own ads (the first minute of a break), and we hope our listeners will pay attention to them, since these advertisers comprise pretty much our only source of revenue for the show. The network and local stations deliver the rest of the ads, from which they derive their revenue. That's how the business works here.

For us, it's a question of survival. If we're not networked, advertisers don't take us seriously. If we charge for each episode, we lose 98% of our listeners who have better things to do with their hard-earned money.
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I really dont mind the commercials that much. I just ffwd thru them. Most of them don't apply to us euros anyway. No use for a supertuck deluxe unless youre looking for a way to get imprisoned quickly... :)

---------- Post added at 07:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:37 PM ----------
Gene Steinberg said:
We've always been heavily UFO oriented, actually. Nothing has changed.
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What I miss are shows like the one with Klaus Dona.
 
Is it possible to have transcripts available for shows -- premium content or not?

Much easier to go through a transcript and refer to a part of it or quote it in the forums. And to read the transcript if listening isn't possible for some reason.
 
jimp said:
Is it possible to have transcripts available for shows -- premium content or not?

Much easier to go through a transcript and refer to a part of it or quote it in the forums. And to read the transcript if listening isn't possible for some reason.
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Possible, but it can't be free, since we'd have to pay someone to do it.
 
As I said elsewhere, our contact says run the spots. So we can't mix an ad-free version, unless some lawyer out there will look at the contract and tell us otherwise.

The problem also is that I don't want to clog up the show with ads, spiffs, etc. We have fixed breaks for ads, and spots we can fill. But we don't want to increase the number of ads beyond what we offer.

I appreciate the offer to buy ads once your situation improves.
 
ufology said:
3. Sign-up rewards: For example, Get your guests to donate a few autographed copies of their book, then make it into a special package deal along with a CD of their show and include a Premium Membership with purchase. Flog it during the interviews and you'll probably get a few takers.

J.R.
USI Calgary
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That is a BRILLIANT idea.

Run a paracast oriented autographed copy, like "Keep listening to the gold standard of paranormal radio - authors sig" up on Ebay, If they balk at donating a copy offer to split the proceeds, this will also likely prompt the person who purchases the book to post a review at the paracast, which in turn may drive sales of said book.
 
Here are some more updates to Paracast Plus or Paracast Pro, or whatever we end up calling it.

1. Offering older episodes of The Paracast on the premium service is a non-starter, unfortunately. The network sells ads on the basis of the fact that they will be heard in the archives, no matter how old. Episodes prior to July 2010 might be considered; we'll see. But not the ones that were carried by GCN.

2. Special audio and video programming will be part of the package. Perhaps an "After The Show" discussion, plus special interviews that contain material we weren't able to include in the core program.

3. Chat rooms. This has been a request, and the ones that work best need to be carefully monitored to prevent abuse.

4. Custom forums. We'll have a special premium area only accessible via paid members.

5. Discounts on premium merchandise. A possibility, but our take on these items is minuscule as it is. We'll see.

More to come. We want to finally get rolling on this, with a debut by early fall.
 
I really dislike the custom forums idea (even when becoming a member), the other ideas look well thought out and entricing enough imho.
 
It's all about having some premium-only areas of the forum. Same design though.

We're still open to suggestions, and we'll probably request some Web experts to help us with a few of the design issues.
 
Gene Steinberg said:
We're still open to suggestions, and we'll probably request some Web experts to help us with a few of the design issues.
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A routine extra interview with Jim Moseley? A chat-type discussion with the weekly guests seems a really interesting idea, too.
 
Bad idea, or it could be a good idea. I'm thinking of another paranormal podcast that has such an extended + feature which works quite well for them. The hook being that the regular show has such good pacing and dynamics that the listener is enticed into prolonging the experience with the extended + portion of the show. Herein lies your problem. I'm sorry to say that because of your advertising spots the pacing of the Paracast is quite crippled as it is. The constant break interruptions or off topic comment insertions do a disservice to your guest's dialogue. Or maybe its just poor post production. I don't know but perhaps you should think about addressing these issues before offering the same as a value added subscription extension. BTW, that last program with Paul Budding was audibly atrocious. Whether it was Budd's accent or the voice connection, the program should have been pulled or edited in such a way that he could be understood. I hope you take my comments in the same spirit they are given, naked and howling at the moon.
 
You raise questions for which there are no answers. As with all networked radio shows in the U.S., ad breaks are fixed in terms of the timing. The networks use automated systems so that all the stations who carry the show can be in sync for national and local advertising. It's not poor post production, but the way the system has worked for many decades.

With regard to Budding, we are constrained by the quality of the guest's telephone or online voice connection. It's not as if we can fly in engineers in black helicopters. There is already some enhancement from us and the network, but you can only go so far.
 
Folks, now that we've done a major update and reorganization of this forum, we're moving closer to a final game plan for the premium service. More to come shortly.
 
Hi Gene & Para-Team,
Reckon the price is cheap and where else are you going to get top quality interviews from Gene's long years of experience in the para field? Maybe Gene you might throw in some Tech shows as well?

Good move and those winging about the price think how much would you spend on fast food or beer?

Peace,
BF
 
We are still exploring options for a Paracast Plus feature. With the new forum software, it's necessary to seek other options for a premium area. So I still welcome your suggestions.
 
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