I wrote the response above early in the morning. But I think it needs to be expanded so you listeners understand how the system works, so maybe I don't have to repeat it again.
The Paracast is a commercial radio show, available via traditional radio stations and online. As a result there are ads, the same number of ads as thousands of other radio shows in the U.S. I realize the advertising breakdown is different elsewhere in the world.
I realize some listeners don't like the ads, but that's the price of free radio and expanded distribution. Yes, we lose some listeners this way, but we get far more listeners because of the multi-distribution method. We need lots of listeners to make the show attractive to advertisers, our sole source of income. If we distributed the show strictly online, we simply wouldn't reach near as many people.
We are only paid for our own ads (nine minutes worth per episode). We aren't paid for network and radio station ads, nor do we have any say as to which ones they run. We are also required by the network to include the same ads with the online version of the show. So we aren't able to offer a premium ad-free version. That's the network's decision, and feel free to ask them to change their policy.
Offering a strictly premium show is a non-starter. Most people don't have the disposable income to support such ventures, which means we'd probably lose 98% of our listenership if we went that route.
This doesn't mean we're stuck with this system. We might have more options if we had some leverage.
The key to getting that leverage is to convince more radio stations to carry The Paracast and our other show, The Tech Night Owl LIVE. That's where you listeners come in. If you live in the U.S., please consider contacting the talk stations in your city and ask them to carry our shows. If you get some real interest, let us know, and we'll get the network involved in setting it up.
And, frankly, we are in desperate need of professional sales and marketing help to build ad sales income, enhance our online presence, and convince more stations to carry the shows. We've run the help wanted ads for years, but get few applicants. This is a real position, one that will pay a generous commission on every ad sale. If you're willing to get involved in building The Paracast and giving us the leverage to make some of the changes you want, click Contact Us below and send us your details. Thanks.