BlogTalkRadio.com — Online “radio” for all

This is my first post for the Campaign for Progressive Radio (CPR) San Diego blog, though I write for CPR as its secretary and am a co-producer/scriptwriter of a documentary about KLSD radio and media reform.  CPR evolved from the ad-hoc grassroots group “SaveKLSD” that sprung up in August 2007 in an effort to save KLSD prog talk radio from demise (alas, it didn’t work, but Stacy Taylor back on air). CPR meets every 3 weeks and is a new group that is still finding its footing and as the prog talk situation in SD evolves.  Anyway,  this post is adapted from my personal blog (on media reform and some silly stuff and non-sequitars).  I just found BlogTalkRadio.com – this is a very cool blend of a “radio” talk show that is online instead on the radio per se… Check it out at http://www.blogtalkradio.com. BlogTalkRadio’s MyDD show (My Direct Democracy)from Netroots Nation is also in my list of blogs on the left nav. Netroots nation has a bunch of blog radio shows appealing to progressive — there’s one from DFA (Democracy for America, an organization that morphed from Dean for America, as in Howard Dean when he ran for president). BTW: Netroots Nation is a great nonprofit that seeks to use the Internet to advance progressive goals. http://www.netrootsnation.org/

BlogTalkRadio’s “About Us” text: Blogtalkradio is the social radio network that allows users to connect quickly and directly with their audience. Using an ordinary telephone and computer hosts can create free, live, call-in talk shows with unlimited participants that are automatically archived and made available as podcasts. No software download is required. Listeners can subscribe to shows via RSS into iTunes and other feed readers. Our network has produced tens of thousands of episodes since it launched in August of 2006.

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Stephanie Miller joins the 540AM XESURF lineup

San Diego liberal talk fans still in KLSD remission do have at least a little something to cheer about, as a strong signaled station in the market adds one of the most popular progressive talk shows in the country to its lineup.

The Stephanie Miller Show has been added to Saul Levine’s XESURF (540AM), which covers the San Diego market from its Tijuana tower. Her show will air in morning drive from 6-9A weekdays. This will be her first affiliate in the market, as KLSD never carried her show.

Read more on the LTR blog site…

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Save KLSD: The Film – Nearing completion

A documentary about how corporate influence corrupts government regulation, limits the free flow of information, and adversely effects American democracy.

The producers of this film report that they are nearing the end of the filming stage. This film is about how media consolidation has affected radio and our democracy, wanted to give you an update on our progress. It tells that story “through the events that led up to the demise of KLSD as San Diego’s only Progressive Talk station – as the owners of the station, Clear Channel, flipped the format to Sports Talk.”

They also point out: “It’s interesting to note that the latest ratings of the station are so low that they don’t even show up in the listings, which is the first time that’s happened in the history of the station.”

You can watch an updated preview clip at: www.saveklsd.com/KLSD_Preview.wmv

Please visit their web site (www.saveklsd.com) and consider a donation to help with the cost of production (details on their site).

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So, You’ve Lost Your Local Progressive Radio Outlet?

Gary Johnson offers advice to those of us who find ourselves without progressive radio.

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How to listen to streaming radio

One easy way of hearing your favorite programs is by using your computer and its speakers as a radio. A WiFi connection helps to get the best audio quality, but decent audio quality can be had for spoken word with even a low-speed dial-up connection (but watch the phone bill). There are many audio players that can be downloaded from the internet for free and used for streaming. I recommend iTunes and Winamp for best features and fewest problems. I would stay away from RealPlayer and Windows Media Player because they crash often and give poor audio quality. Some streaming sources will require you to use a certain type of player, so you may not have a choice. The iTunes has a good selection of “radio” streams you can browse including “Talk”, where you will find Air America and KPFK (Pacifica community radio) among others. To hear your favorite programs streaming through your computer’s speakers, just find out when it is broadcast live, then find a website that carries live streaming audio. Click on the link, and usually that’s it. Here are a few good sources of streaming audio for some of the most popular shows:

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