THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
October 23, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Former Rock & Roller Gary Lachman Explores the Amazing Mind of Colin Wilson on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the new Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features and Classic Episodes. Check out our new “Lifetime” membership and special free eBook offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: http://plus.theparacast.com/.
This Week's Episode: Fans of 70s and 80s rock might recall the name Gary Lachman, or his stage name, Gary Valentine, who was a founding member of Blondie, but left the band before it hit the big time. Since leaving show business, Gary has become “the author of more than a dozen books on the meeting ground between consciousness, culture, and the western inner tradition.” His latest work is entitled, “Beyond the Robot: The Life and Work of Colin Wilson,” about someone regarded as “one of the most underrated and defiant scholars of the 20th century.” Gary will also offer some insights into his musical career, New York’s rock scene in the late 1970s, and the interest of rock musicians in mystic subjects.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
Gary Lachman’s Blog: Gary Lachman
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on October 23: “The Paracast at the Crossroads.” We examine the history of the show, he we got on a commercial broadcast network and what it does — and doesn’t — do for us. Gene and Chris ponder the show’s future, a way to finally see some returns from over a decade of hard work. Does the show remain on a terrestrial radio network, or seek a home on one of the newer online networks? Is there a better way to do what we do and market the show? That's a question that you listeners may help us resolve.
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
The Paracast at the Crossroads
By Gene Steinberg
I co-founded The Paracast early in 2006. At the time, I was hosting a technology show, The Tech Night Owl LIVE, and hadn’t given in to my paranormal interests for a number of years. But when the possibility of also hosting a paranormal radio show presented itself, I didn’t stop to think about it. I let my instincts tell me this was the right way to go.
Within months, The Paracast became an online sensation, attracting tens of thousands of listeners who wanted a hard-hitting show that took no prisoners. Unlike other shows that believed every wacky claim that came down the pike, we didn’t pander to our listeners. We did our level best to seek the facts behind the mysteries that have confounded humans for ages.
So while most paranormal radio shows and TV documentaries treated UFOs as if their origin was a given — they must be extraterrestrial — The Paracast took a “wait a minute!” approach and began to ask the hard questions about the anomalies that raised other possibilities. But even if the common theory was, in the end, the correct one, there was no harm in reexamining the evidence.
For a while The Paracast actually began to earn its keep. In those days, we had a salesperson who was determined to build a roster of blue chip advertisers to support the show. But doing that job day after day is extremely hard, and he soon burned out. To this day, after trying out several people, we’ve never found his replacement. The show wasn’t quite popular enough to consistently pull in major advertisers, and being online, one among tens of thousands of podcasts, was hardly conducive to giving The Paracast the credibility it deserved as an advertising medium.
In the summer of 2010, I received an offer to put the show on an alternative terrestrial network, GCN. As many of you know, GCN’s most popular act, then and now, is Alex Jones. Initially the ads run by the network also catered to a more extreme, survivalist audience.
But it was a real network, and it had hundreds of affiliates around the U.S. Accepting that offer would begin to put The Paracast on some of those stations.
The deal called for both shows to be carried on the weekends, which is usually down time on radio stations. But it was a start.
Unfortunately, this left us with two serious limitations. One was revenue. As with many GCN shows, the deal was barter, meaning we provided the show in exchange for nine minutes of advertising slots for each episode. If we managed to sell those ads, it would mean a decent salary for all involved. If not, we’d continue to struggle. Exploiting that potential was very difficult, because the demographics and ratings reports that many advertisers require are generally not offered by radio stations for weekend shows.
After six years with GCN, The Paracast has arrived on 24 stations. This is more than most of their weekend shows, and they are happy with us, but not happy enough to help us build revenue.
So I sought an alternative. After long negotiations, GCN gave us permission to offer a commercial-free version of the show on a subscription basis. They were generous enough not to request revenue sharing — at least for now. Even then, it has always been clear to me that subscription podcasts rarely succeed. So even though The Paracast+ offered exclusive extras, such as After The Paracast, show transcripts and other features, the number of active subscriptions is actually quite small. Most listeners are willing to put up with the ads, and if we went all-subscription, I doubt the show would be able to sustain itself. People may appreciate what we do, but these are difficult times and they have other priorities.
So The Paracast is at the crossroads. There is some income from advertising for both shows, and a small premium subscription base. Together it is far from sufficient to pay a decent salary to a host and a co-host. This is one of the reasons I continue to struggle financially, and many of you know that I’m at an age where other income opportunities are few. I’m probably doing better than I would if I gave it all up and relied on some of those alternatives.
I’ll probably live a lot longer too, doing what I love.
Chris? Well, it’s not at all fair how little he benefits. There has to be a better way.
So does that mean we should give up on GCN? I’m not at all sure. In the last year, their affiliate relationships people have been more aggressive about lining up new stations for us. But listeners still complain about the ads, particularly since most pure podcasts don’t run near as many. But our contract calls for distributing the free show intact, and, as I said, we were lucky to get approval for The Paracast+ as an alternative.
But traditional radio is no longer a thriving business. Radio advertising income is down, and stations have to compete with a number of alternatives, from satellite radio, to podcasts and streaming music from the likes of Apple Music and Spotify.
There are other ways to distribute the show. One possibility is to move everything to the cloud, and work with an existing online radio network, but it would have to be done in a way that provides guaranteed revenue. That’s something that’s already being considered.
During this weekend’s episode of After The Paracast, Chris and I put our heads together to discuss the situation and how best to move forward. This is the sort of discussion that you are invited to participate in. We are open to ideas to take The Paracast to the next level, and we’re not going to dismiss any reasonable possibility without giving it some thought.
I know many of you have built or worked for successful businesses, some of which involve the media. We have an active forum where you are welcome to toss ideas at us, so we can see the best direction to take.
In 2021, The Paracast will celebrate its 15th anniversary, and some of you realize that I shall be quite old then. But I’m still raring to go, and Chris and I are looking for the best path forward. I hope you listeners will help us take that journey.
Copyright 1999-2016 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
October 23, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Former Rock & Roller Gary Lachman Explores the Amazing Mind of Colin Wilson on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the new Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features and Classic Episodes. Check out our new “Lifetime” membership and special free eBook offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: http://plus.theparacast.com/.
This Week's Episode: Fans of 70s and 80s rock might recall the name Gary Lachman, or his stage name, Gary Valentine, who was a founding member of Blondie, but left the band before it hit the big time. Since leaving show business, Gary has become “the author of more than a dozen books on the meeting ground between consciousness, culture, and the western inner tradition.” His latest work is entitled, “Beyond the Robot: The Life and Work of Colin Wilson,” about someone regarded as “one of the most underrated and defiant scholars of the 20th century.” Gary will also offer some insights into his musical career, New York’s rock scene in the late 1970s, and the interest of rock musicians in mystic subjects.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
Gary Lachman’s Blog: Gary Lachman
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on October 23: “The Paracast at the Crossroads.” We examine the history of the show, he we got on a commercial broadcast network and what it does — and doesn’t — do for us. Gene and Chris ponder the show’s future, a way to finally see some returns from over a decade of hard work. Does the show remain on a terrestrial radio network, or seek a home on one of the newer online networks? Is there a better way to do what we do and market the show? That's a question that you listeners may help us resolve.
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
The Paracast at the Crossroads
By Gene Steinberg
I co-founded The Paracast early in 2006. At the time, I was hosting a technology show, The Tech Night Owl LIVE, and hadn’t given in to my paranormal interests for a number of years. But when the possibility of also hosting a paranormal radio show presented itself, I didn’t stop to think about it. I let my instincts tell me this was the right way to go.
Within months, The Paracast became an online sensation, attracting tens of thousands of listeners who wanted a hard-hitting show that took no prisoners. Unlike other shows that believed every wacky claim that came down the pike, we didn’t pander to our listeners. We did our level best to seek the facts behind the mysteries that have confounded humans for ages.
So while most paranormal radio shows and TV documentaries treated UFOs as if their origin was a given — they must be extraterrestrial — The Paracast took a “wait a minute!” approach and began to ask the hard questions about the anomalies that raised other possibilities. But even if the common theory was, in the end, the correct one, there was no harm in reexamining the evidence.
For a while The Paracast actually began to earn its keep. In those days, we had a salesperson who was determined to build a roster of blue chip advertisers to support the show. But doing that job day after day is extremely hard, and he soon burned out. To this day, after trying out several people, we’ve never found his replacement. The show wasn’t quite popular enough to consistently pull in major advertisers, and being online, one among tens of thousands of podcasts, was hardly conducive to giving The Paracast the credibility it deserved as an advertising medium.
In the summer of 2010, I received an offer to put the show on an alternative terrestrial network, GCN. As many of you know, GCN’s most popular act, then and now, is Alex Jones. Initially the ads run by the network also catered to a more extreme, survivalist audience.
But it was a real network, and it had hundreds of affiliates around the U.S. Accepting that offer would begin to put The Paracast on some of those stations.
The deal called for both shows to be carried on the weekends, which is usually down time on radio stations. But it was a start.
Unfortunately, this left us with two serious limitations. One was revenue. As with many GCN shows, the deal was barter, meaning we provided the show in exchange for nine minutes of advertising slots for each episode. If we managed to sell those ads, it would mean a decent salary for all involved. If not, we’d continue to struggle. Exploiting that potential was very difficult, because the demographics and ratings reports that many advertisers require are generally not offered by radio stations for weekend shows.
After six years with GCN, The Paracast has arrived on 24 stations. This is more than most of their weekend shows, and they are happy with us, but not happy enough to help us build revenue.
So I sought an alternative. After long negotiations, GCN gave us permission to offer a commercial-free version of the show on a subscription basis. They were generous enough not to request revenue sharing — at least for now. Even then, it has always been clear to me that subscription podcasts rarely succeed. So even though The Paracast+ offered exclusive extras, such as After The Paracast, show transcripts and other features, the number of active subscriptions is actually quite small. Most listeners are willing to put up with the ads, and if we went all-subscription, I doubt the show would be able to sustain itself. People may appreciate what we do, but these are difficult times and they have other priorities.
So The Paracast is at the crossroads. There is some income from advertising for both shows, and a small premium subscription base. Together it is far from sufficient to pay a decent salary to a host and a co-host. This is one of the reasons I continue to struggle financially, and many of you know that I’m at an age where other income opportunities are few. I’m probably doing better than I would if I gave it all up and relied on some of those alternatives.
I’ll probably live a lot longer too, doing what I love.
Chris? Well, it’s not at all fair how little he benefits. There has to be a better way.
So does that mean we should give up on GCN? I’m not at all sure. In the last year, their affiliate relationships people have been more aggressive about lining up new stations for us. But listeners still complain about the ads, particularly since most pure podcasts don’t run near as many. But our contract calls for distributing the free show intact, and, as I said, we were lucky to get approval for The Paracast+ as an alternative.
But traditional radio is no longer a thriving business. Radio advertising income is down, and stations have to compete with a number of alternatives, from satellite radio, to podcasts and streaming music from the likes of Apple Music and Spotify.
There are other ways to distribute the show. One possibility is to move everything to the cloud, and work with an existing online radio network, but it would have to be done in a way that provides guaranteed revenue. That’s something that’s already being considered.
During this weekend’s episode of After The Paracast, Chris and I put our heads together to discuss the situation and how best to move forward. This is the sort of discussion that you are invited to participate in. We are open to ideas to take The Paracast to the next level, and we’re not going to dismiss any reasonable possibility without giving it some thought.
I know many of you have built or worked for successful businesses, some of which involve the media. We have an active forum where you are welcome to toss ideas at us, so we can see the best direction to take.
In 2021, The Paracast will celebrate its 15th anniversary, and some of you realize that I shall be quite old then. But I’m still raring to go, and Chris and I are looking for the best path forward. I hope you listeners will help us take that journey.
Copyright 1999-2016 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!