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WWFRN Changes

Hello Everyone,

As of tonight, WWFRN will be ceasing 24hour/7day a week broadcasting.  For many months now (in some cases years!) many of you listeners have let us know that the stream was not always convenient for you, as it required an internet connection to tune into.  We’ve done some research and had some discussions here at HOTT and feel that the best way to deliver our broadcast to the world in the modern age is through the use of podcasts.  We’d done this in the past, but at that time it seemed the majority of listeners either “also wanted a stream” or “only wanted a stream”.  For the last year or so it would seem that the vast majority of people feel that podcasts are more to their liking.

Here’s how we came to this decision :

1.  It’s cheaper for HOTT.  While we WILL keep the streaming capabilities so that we can stream live for time sensitive information or call in broadcasts, we no longer will require a dedicated internet connection for the streaming computer.  This had been required simply due to the bandwidth usage this machine required.  Some folks had assured us that as soon as we posted all of Bill’s broadcasts the contributions would come rolling in.  Well – it’s been since January now and we’ve been paying for the stream out of pocket all summer long.  (Except for August – Thanks Titus!)  Trimming this expense will help. This will save us almost $800 a year.

2.  It’s more convenient for you listeners.  With the stream you had to have an internet connection and you were forced to listen to what was being played, even if maybe, you would have liked to rewind or fast forward.  With a podcast, you are in control!  You can listen wherever and whenever you’d like and on whatever fancy MP3 capable device you have whether that be an iPhone, iPad, Computer, Smart Phone, iPod, et cetera!  You can rewind, fast forward, pause, and replay as often as you’d like.  Plus you can subscribe via RSS or iTunes and never miss a broadcast again!

3.  It’s easier on us.  We no longer have to worry about editing each program to be exactly 60 minutes.  Someone, everyday, had to edit the broadcasts and manage the playlists.  Also, keep in mind that we were used to a 9pm launch time for the show because of the old short wave/satellite days.  There were technicians waiting on our link up, and they expected a full hours worth of content daily.  Even listening to some of the Classic Cooper broadcasts from the past, I’m sure you’ll agree that sometimes there was only 40 minutes of content, but Bill filled the hour anyhow!  These limitations are now gone – we’ll have the ability to post 5 minute mini broadcasts – or –  3 hour and 14 minute epic broadcasts!  And everything in between and beyond!

4.  Instant access to the current show, playable right in your browser.  Every podcast (just like when we used to do this) will feature a play button right on the post.  So you’ll never miss a beat or tune in halfway through the broadcast again!  Start it when YOU like.

5.  It’s the future!  Hey, we don’t record the master for the broadcasts on cassettes anymore – that’s all done direct to digital now – so we figured we’d move ahead with the delivery method for the broadcast as well.  Welcome to the future ladies and gentlemen!  I know it’s a little sad to think that we won’t all be huddled around our radios all at the same time,  but sitting back and getting nostalgic doesn’t get the work done.

So, please enjoy the 24/7 stream until later tonight/tomorrow sometime when we’ll switch to the new method of delivery and post our podcast!

HOTT

 

Comments

  1. I am VERY sad to hear this, as I listened to the stream everyday when I had a computer (just got my machine back from IBM yesterday after a nearly 2 month episode) I will miss the stream very much so.

    • It will certainly be a positive move forward nonetheless. As mentioned, there will be podcasts added daily (at least Monday to Friday) and the live stream will be reserved for special live shows and call ins.
      I’m sure there are others who will miss it as well. The long and short of it is that people didn’t feel it gave them enough value to support it, so we made the right choice of cutting our losses and moving forward with a delivery vehicle that is likely to reach more folks anyhow.

  2. Great! I hope to hear some new broadcasts in the future as well. I think this was a good decision and it will work well for you and the listeners.

    Will these podcasts be posted on the front page similar to the articles and PDF’s you post?

    Keep getting the truth out, and god bless you!

  3. Great work, I wholeheartedly support this move. Especially when you have to make every donation dollar count. I’ve been wanting to say that the PDFs that you’ve been releasing have been AMAZING, and finding out what new treasure is available at your homepage often times is the favorite part of my day. I’ll be sure to send in a check this month in gratitude and to support this great work that you have been doing. I hope God blesses you as your work has so greatly blessed so many of us!

  4. I found the stream one of the best things in my life that educated me, it is a sad day for me hearing the stream is gone.
    So now there is no other way to listen to the hour of the time than to install the trojan horse itunes? I always try to avoid any kind of app-store, cloud system and trojan platform, i think itunes is not safe to use.

    Please check the following:
    http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/troublesome-trojans-firm-sought-to-install-spyware-via-faked-itunes-updates-a-799259.html

    By the way did u receive the 4 silver eagles i have sent from germany Doyel?

    Thanks again for all u have done at the hour of the time, i will never forget.

    • Hi WuXia!
      Don’t worry – any MP3 capable program will be able to play the podcasts (Winamp, Windows Media Player, Songbird, Media Monkey, Amadeus Pro – and the list goes on and on). So if you don’t like iTunes, you certainly have many other choices. Plus, you can play them directly on the website through the built in player as well, so it’s almost as if YOU control the stream! We’ll be posting one today, so please give it a test drive and let us know what you think.
      We hope you’ll keep listening to the content via podcasts – and honestly that’s what most people were requesting from us anyhow.

      Let me give you a little explanation of how we’d been working in the past, and how it’s going to work in the future.
      OK, so we had a dedicated ‘HOTT feed’ machine(a lovely, if a bit tired and old, Macbook Pro) that played the stream content. That machine had a dedicated internet connection because it had to be always on and playing the content 24/7 and used about 50 Gig a month in bandwidth just for this feed. Our streaming/relay server in Chicago (the service we’ll continue to keep) listened to our feed machine and rebroadcast it to the world! YEA – we’re on the air!!!! That Chicago machine is the device you connect to when you click our listen button. As mentioned in the original announcement, we were used to having an exactly 60 minute long broadcast, so we were always ensuring each broadcast was precisely 60 minutes so that they would start perfectly at the top of the hour. It made for a predictable automated system which didn’t require our attention once programmed but it also created a lot of prep work when creating our playlists.
      OK, fast forward to today!
      Now, we aren’t limited by length of program because the programs start when YOU want them to. We also don’t require a dedicated internet connection for the machine feeding our content to the relay server! (Can you say instant $720 plus tax savings? OK!) It’s a relatively simple process to post a podcast as well. Upload, click to link, and input a description! Voila! With no more playlists to program and no more filler music to insert at the end of each broadcast – well that means less prep time required. I won’t give you the Orwellian doublespeak and say “less is more”, but you get the idea. LOL. And, honestly, we think you’ll be happy with the podcasts. Just give them a chance!

      I don’t know if Doyel received your donation, but I’ll send him a copy of these comments and he can reply to you via e-mail when he has a moment. Thanks for your support and please keep in touch!

      Rob

  5. I think this is excellent, I find podcasts to be way more practical. I always miss the beginnings of the broadcasts or have to break up in the middle.
    So that’s great news – thanks!