Have you considered taping the shows and providing them as podcasts off of the website? It would fit in with the innovation theme that you touched on in your other post, and it'd be of benefit to readers like me who'll never get to listen to the show because of the time it's on.

Ryan,

Our plan is to post the show on the web site in downloadable chunks later in the day. Our agreement with KJRB prohibits simultaneous webcasting for obvious reasons.

We may add a podcast version as well, but that will have to wait until our online staff launch our new and state-of-the-art website on Sept. 3.

steve

Have you considered not having a radio presence at all?

I recognize that I risk becoming known only as a curmudgeon, but I'll take that risk.

Maybe I missed the part where someone was able to explain exactly why a newspaper needs (or wants) a radio show.

Terry,

You're not a curmudgeon. It's a good question.

Here's the short answer.

Revenue from the print newspaper will no longer support a large newsroom of the sort we continue to enjoy at the SR. That is not a temporary condition. That is a present and long-term reality.

If we don't develop additional revenue streams, the American newspaper newsroom that provides almost all of the news and information citizens need will shrink to almost nothing. In some places that already is happening.

The fact is we have far more reporters in our newsroom right now than all other community news media combined.

We can use the content they produce to reach audiences that no longer read the paper only if we repurpose that content for other platforms.

Today, we utilize newsroom content in print, online, on mobile devices and on radio. Before too long, you'll see more of our content on TV.

This is good for the community. Our news and information will reach more people. And it's potentially good for us if we're able to tap into revenue streams that previously were unavailable, such as radio.

We're just starting to see revenue from our radio initiative. It isn't significant yet, but it's there.

And at the same time we're bringing local news to a medium where cuts, station closures and corporate consolidations have eliminated or severely limited nearly every other radio news source.

So, going into radio was a no-brainer for us. So far, I'm really pleased with the result.

As I said in an earlier post, our overall reach in our market is greater now than at any time in the past, it's just spread over several platforms, not just in print. Expanding that reach is how we'll keep the wolf away from our door.

steve

steve