Psst: I'm working on an experiment!

Psst! I'm working on an experiment, and you might want to check it out!

The Charlottesville Podcasting Network started out three years ago to serve as a source for on-demand audio from in and around town. Since April 2005, we've been recording lectures, producing original features and interviews, and serving as the audio archive for several radio shows in town including WNRN's Sunday Morning Wake-Up Call and WINA's Charlottesville--Right Now with Coy Barefoot.

And, so far, we're off to our best year ever with contributions from folks like Elizabeth McCullough and Deepak Singh. We're recording more and more, and continuing our quest to become one of the area's best source for on-demand audio.

So, I've decided to start experimenting with an online stream of all the content, and I'm opening it up to anyone who reads this blog. Right now, it's pretty no-frills affair, and there's no set schedule. In general, I'll run podcasts from the last two weeks or so, and will update the stream every now and then. The stream will take the name Charlottesville Public Media, and this is meant to be a public service. It's not going to be cheap to run, and at some point I likely will set up a donation and look for underwriters to help cover the costs.

The stream will also be a lot more laid-back, as there will likely be times I just turn the microphone on to tell you what's coming up. Just a few minutes ago, I had to voice an introduction for something I was hired to record the other night. So, anyone who had been listening (and some stranger from Keswick was signed in at the time!) would have gotten to hear this meta moment. Until I can get a dedicated computer for this service, I will likely be doing this fairly often.

If you're interested in helping out, things are really taking off in terms of getting this little venture about being more than just me. I'm really ecstatic that I've had a lot of help from folks this year, and there's a lot more to do. We've got a volunteer group, and maybe you or someone you know would like to lend a hand?