Broadcast Feedback

Would like to solicite all of your help in evaluating our current broadcast lineup. What do you like, what do you dislike.

A few items in the works:

1) New Music Hour - probably playing 2-3 times a week were we only play new music that we have received in the last 60 days.

2) Rebecca (Station Announcer) will be announcing the start of specialty programs. We have some of the cuts, we just need to mix and produce them.

A big question I have is our soft streaming music from 12 am to 6 am. Our numbers really drop off during this time. The question is would we be better off just having regular play of music during this time with requests? Understand that 90%+ of our listeners are U.S. based. What do our European members think?

Your suggestions and ideas are appreciated!

Hey Mac I was thinking that mayby you could have Rebecca do a few commercials saying perhaps when the live chat is scheduled or the schedule of special features ex. join us monday-Fri at 5 pm est for the featured artist... just to help us that cant remember and are too lazy to search the schedule

Excellent Idea! I actually have about 8 new cuts from her which are more housekeeping type celticradio infommericals. More will be done soon.

One thing I should mention is that we basically have 4 projects left to complete on the site. And one of these projects involves a potentially BIG and new website that could help CelticRadio.net immensely - but this will be kept underwraps until it is completely finished!

When these 4 projects are completed, 95% of our energies are going to be focused on the broadcast, content, delivery, promotion, merchindise, etc. So big changes will be happening before the end of the year and suggestions for our broadcast will definitely be included and will be done a whole lot quicker than in the past year or two.

Paul, is there a way to set it up so the entire library of songs could be randomly selected, instead of just the 15-20 (?) cd's that are in the rotation? It get's boring listening to the same songs over and over.

If the above cannot be accomplished, the songs that are in the current rotation can be evaluated by their score. There are some obvious stinkers voted on by the listeners, that need to be removed from the rotation, not from the library (all songs deserve a place in the library). Speaking of which, what ever happened to Blaq Lily??

New Music hour would be great but it needs to play twice per selected days. A selected time that most Euro's are listening and once when the America's are listening. Two days during the week should be plenty. Random selections could be played from multiple new cd's, instead of playing the full cd. This way, the listener gets to hear more new bands during that hour.

With more and more bands finding out about CR and submitting their music, this probably is a good time to start addressing these issues before it becomes overwhelming.

Sadly, that slack period for you (12 am to 6 am) is peak listening for me, but I realise I'm in the vast minority.

I like it when you feature an album and play several tracks from it.

Apart from that, and the idea of buying single tracks online, I'm really happy with the way it's going.

Mac, I vote for requests 24-7 (except for specialty shows, of course) I don't think too many people use CR for sleeping music. Most people who have it on are awake at the 'puter. They won't mind the loud stuff... heck, they probably would be the ones requesting it! Also, it's not really fair to our European listeners when they can't request until 11AM-12noon.

I'm a night-owl myself and there's nothing I enjoy more than jamming to CR while I code into the wee hours of the morning but if I could do it less of the soft stuff, I'd like it.

I love the idea of the new music hour (or two), and as A Shrule Egan has suggested, maybe twice a day. I also like the idea of mixing up the music from different artists, not just a single one.

I've never listened to the soft streaming music, but only because I'm not usually up that late. I would actually love to hear it. May I suggest that rather than completely getting rid of it, limiting it to only 2 or 3 days out of the week, or playing an hour here and there throughout the day. It's certainly a way to get to listen to some other music that one may not get to hear otherwise.

I think that's all I have to say. Can't improve something too much that is already so wonderful.

Paul,
I know I have been very vocal about the soft streaming music from 12 am to 6am. I have been calling it sleepy time music. I have not been listening much lately since I cannot make requests, or even listen to the music that I like here on CR. I don't know if you still have the Celtic Hearts station but if someone wanted to listen to the soft celtic music, that is the place to go. Plus by not having the music that keeps me here my posts have dropped off since I don't spend as much time on the site as I usually did. I am hoping that you will put the sleepy time music to bed. Thanks for letting me give you my $.02.

Hi there!

I'm an European user meself, but I'm a bit confursed witht he schedules and tiem zones...

I liked the Idea of the new music hour . I normally get tired of listening to featured artist for a long time, so I think it is ok to have some requests in what I think will be our (European) listening time (while you're sleeping I think). It's good to listen to what others like!

Paul,

Some of us in the US do go to work before 0600.

Guess I'll chime right along with everyone else. I've not been listening in much recently, I admit it. Been listing to my own local playlist. I've been on nights a while now. I hope I can catch more of the Highlander Radio I really grew to love once I go back to days. Lacks energy over nights. And don't worry about providing soft music for me at night. I use music to sleep, and sometimes it's something hard. Prime example a couple days ago I couldn't sleep. Put in Magic of the Celtic Harp. Then Lisa Thiel, and remained laying there pretty much kwide awake. Figured heck with it, put in my DVDA of Metallica's black album, and was out by "The Unforgiven". Other times though, Those other two albums work well. I generally put on whatever I feel like listening to at the time...

Keep the party tunes in the mix 24x7

I think the new music hour is pretty important, because it lets you showcase the latest music from brand new artists. I would even consider making it a 2 - 3 hour show every few days.

A show featuring an artist might be another good one.

Don't be surprised if some listeners actually listen to CR when they're sleeping. But there are others who will listen overnight. Personally, I would rather see the requests and interactive aspects of CR, since those people who listen while working are actually listening. Everyone else is just unconscious.


Erik Deckers

The top ten list right now is mostly slower songs from artists that have faster music in their repertoire. Doesn't that fact speak volumes about what your listeners want to hear? If it is not broken, don't fix it!! Just add to it.

I think you should be able to request songs at night too so that if you want to hear a more up beat song as well as the slower music then you can. With that, everyone is happy...they can hear both.

As you stated, the greater percentage of listeners are here in the U.S but if Americans who work the night shift or the Europeans have the ability to request up tempo tracks too in their waking hours then the overnight numbers will probably go up. Just turn the requests on at night and see how it goes from there.

I'm with the enabling of requests and all music 24x7. I know when I am doing a Server Update at 2 or 3 am, I'd rather listen to lively music than slow music, or I'd like some ballads mixed with peppy music... and of course I miss the old ways of requesting without buffering... but eh!