Satellite Radio

[ValenciaSon]

How about the podcasts on satellite radio? Is there satellite radio in Europe?

[gary]

How about the podcasts on satellite radio? Is there satellite radio in Europe?

Not in the uk as far as Im aware except as part of the Sky package (there is only really one sattelite broadcaster)

the problem with a live broadcast is you have to be there - or record it - but if youre going to record it you might as well listen to the podcast - its on demand and we already have the equipment.

What worries me is that some publisher will make Ben and Marina an offer that they cant refuse and the podcasts will be lost to us....

[cubix]

What worries me is that some publisher will make Ben and Marina an offer that they cant refuse and the podcasts will be lost to us....

Then we have to hide them under a rock or something ;D Even though it would be sad, it would be cool to see a little podcast started for fun turn into something huge

[Ben]

What worries me is that some publisher will make Ben and Marina an offer that they cant refuse and the podcasts will be lost to us....

Don't worry, I can't see it happening just yet!

As for satellite radio, no sign of it in Spain yet. And I can't see it ever replacing the podcast concept. As far as I can see satellite radio is just normal radio with a different delivery mechanism.

[gary]

Don't worry, I can't see it happening just yet!

It might solve the copyright thing for school subscription so that they could photocopy and distribute to their students ......

[ValenciaSon]

Well it does have a different business model than standard over the air radio. I wondered since it is subscription-based and an audio format, if it could be an ideal medium for a growing, proliferative podcast source.

[Alan]

I think ultimately, everything will be distributed through the internet. Phone calls, television, email, radio, groceries . . . ok maybe not the last one.

Digital radio is making inroads, although there aren't many stations yet. I think this is just the same as the satellite radio, except the digital signal is sent from a local transmitter rather than bounced off a dish in space. I have a wee box for my computer that can receive satellite signals or aerial signals, just depending on what it's connected to. I might multiplex them together :) Once the analogue transmitters are turned off, I'm sure we'll see many more stations on either Freeview or paid subscription.

[gary]

Well it does have a different business model than standard over the air radio. I wondered since it is subscription-based and an audio format, if it could be an ideal medium for a growing, proliferative podcast source.
Difficult to make people pay for something they've had for free - I admire Ben/Marinas business model - a great free service plus extras for a very, very small subscription. Charging a small amount to a big potential audience is a great way forward and, as I have said in previous posts B&M deserve to be successful, this is the best language resource I have seen in a long time. I am amazed that no one in another European country has jumped on the bandwagon and done Notes From France, Notes From Germany...etc - Of course Notes From a Small Island has already been done by Mr Bryson!!

[ValenciaSon]

You know cable TV in the US, started out as a free service, just to whet the appetite of the potential customers. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

[Chiny]

Perhaps not widely known but there is satellite radio covering Europe http://www.worldspace.com/ . I have used one of these (very small) radios in Spain and it worked very well, just stuck in the kitchen window with no special dish or setup. I am unclear whether encryption is now used - the service was free.

--
Chiny