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Celtic Radio Community > Celtic Radio > Modem Stream Ending

Posted by: Macfive 28-May-2003, 12:49 PM

Well I got some bad news with our 24k modem stream. Unfortunately we will be ending our 24k (modem) stream in the next few days. This is not to say that it is totally gone forever. For now though, it is just too costly to have 2 streams. Once we get our website up to speed in the near future, perhaps we can generate some revenue, donations or subscription services to support this site and music.

For now though, the only way to connect will be the broadband connection. Really, the music sounds so much better on broadband than modem. The way it suppose to sound. I am very sorry to those listeners that we will be losing and hope that in the future we will be able to support modems again.

Ok, to help free up some slots we are going to make a few changes. First, our stream will become private and will not be listed on shoutcast. This means that you will need to go to our site to connect to the stream. I would rather have users of the site get the first streams. We will probably increase our broadband listener count to help and we will also allow people that have a static IP address (one that does not change) to purchase a reserved slot for $1.50 a month (actually cost of 1 stream ? we are not making anything off of this - Email me for details).

These changes will take effect this weekend.

Posted by: scottish2 28-May-2003, 01:06 PM

So I take it users using modem will not even be able to access via the broadband links? For me not to big a problem as I plan on getting broadband in Aug or September but just curious for those users who will still be on modem.

Posted by: Michaela 29-May-2003, 01:26 PM

Look this might not be yer fault Paul but i am not very happy about that. I ve been a listener for a bit more than half a year, been contributing to this forum, recommending yer station to others and singing yer praises from here to there. It s just not fair, to say the least. Well , mebbe yer happy to be rid of me not bloking anymore bout runrig and scotland and giving comments on what ive got no right about to .... well ye ken all things go bloody downhilll. I cant get on broadband coz its not my own flat but so it is. But all good things go downhill these days , it s been like this all the time . Well suit yerself. For now tioraidh an drasda and p mhn!!

Sorry but even i have a right to be angry.

Posted by: Macfive 29-May-2003, 02:09 PM

Michaela and everyone else, I just want to let you know that the purpose for shutting down the 24k stream is certainly not deter any comments or discussion here on the forum. And I can certainly tell you that I appreciate, from the bottom of my heart, all you have done in getting people to come to our site. What this is all about is that I simply can not afford the new rates from live365 as well as the expense of having to pay for 2 separate streams. We are pretty much going from having the potential to serve 100?s of people to a few dozen people. It really stinks but since this site makes 0 money per month, I just can not afford to pay more than $25 a month in streaming cost. (especially with 3 growing children to raise!) By far the 64k stream had 3 times as many hits as the 24k stream. And with the new MP3Pro technology making that 64k stream sound like a 128k stream; the choice came down to which stream provided more value.

I am more than willing to open back up the 24k stream if listeners are willing to share the cost of the stream. For $16 a month we could open back up a 24k stream that would hold 20 listeners at a time. If we had 20 listeners that each donate $10; we could open that stream up for 1 year! That is .83 cents a month!

Maybe this could be like a fund raising effort? If anyone has ideas about this feel free to post them. I am more than willing to try anything.

Perhaps once I get the site completely built with advertising, services and more that I have planned, then maybe the site can generate money to pay for the streams. But until then I can unfortunately only afford to pay for the one stream at this time.

To all of our modem friends I am really sorry about the demise of the 24k stream.

Posted by: Aon_Daonna 29-May-2003, 02:13 PM

well... i'm quite sad too.. and also a poor student *bugger*
any broadband connection is not available in the "lovely" wee toon of Cardenden.. so I guess I have to stop listening...

I know that it is expensive, but maybe we can find a solution for this. we all appreciate what you are doing I think... maybe we should get the merchandise story up to bring money in.

Posted by: Macfive 29-May-2003, 09:34 PM

Maybe a fund raising effort might work through pay pal. I am thinking on having a pop-up window open on the main page to explain the problem and what we can do to get the modem stream back.

I'll check their site tonight and see if they have a special option about this. I am thinking I could have this up by Sunday.

Posted by: Aon_Daonna 30-May-2003, 02:08 AM

Well, as I said, let's try and get the shop idea up. That would maybe bring money in, too.
to get t-shirts printed it not as expensive as everyone thinks. And we could maybe pring "I support Highlander Radio + the URL" on the back (in huge letters), that would be a nice advert.
I only know a t-shirt printing place in germany tho, have to find something more in Scotland but I'm sure I will.

(the rpg i'm in is funded by Pay Pal)

Posted by: Macfive 30-May-2003, 04:45 AM

QUOTE (Aon_Daonna @ May 30 2003, 08:08 AM)

I have everything needed to make T-Shirts, but since school has been taking up 80% of my free time since September I just have not had time to get it started.

Hopefully sometime this summer. I have the T-shirt press and a draw full of T-shirts. Perhaps this donation thing will only be a one time event if the T-shirt sales work later on this year, etc.

TGIF

Posted by: scottish2 30-May-2003, 05:14 AM

Paul I take it you're hooked up on the Amazon affiliates program right?