I've followed Dave E. Crockett's (formerly of 93Q KKBQ, 95.7 KIKK, Mix 96.5 KHMX, 107.5 KLDE among others) web ventures on this blog for a while now. He gave the mikemcguff some exclusive commentary on the state of radio and a few weeks ago I talked about his latest venture - an Internet radio station called www.dxsradio.com.
Now Crockett has been nice enough to chat with the mikemcguff blog about the DXSRADIO launch on September 4th.
mikemcguff: So why move from radio to the Internet?
Dave E. Crockett: I think the internet will give me more freedom to explore new ways to present myself. Terrestrial radio has really handcuffed their talent due to recent FCC rules and I can respect that position. However, satellite and internet radio don’t have to deal with that so I feel that terrestrial radio is at a huge disadvantage. It will be the next place where talent can really be at their best.
MM: Do you see the Internet eventually replacing the way we know radio?
DEC: Absolutely. My feeling is that internet radio will kill satellite radio services in 5 years. The internet is basically free and not regulated by the FCC. That’s hard to compete with. Plus huge corporations are all trying to push the Hi-Def radio signal. My personal opinion is that if they can’t hold an audience on their primary channel why would anyone even want to sample the Hi-Def frequencies? And by the way, the FCC will control those channels as well.
MM: Will the upcoming municipal wi-fi (or wireless Internet blanketing Houston) level the playingfield?
DEC: I think it will tip it in the favor of internet radio. General Motors is poised to launch their in-dash computers that will allow motorists to go on-line while driving. As wi-fi expands into cars internet radio will be commonplace. And with thousands of channels from all over the world you better have your act together. Now if you don’t want to wait for the city to launch regular wi-fi you can subscribe to high speed wi-fi through your wireless carrier. The card that slips into your laptop is fairly cheap and the subscription is under $10 a month. But you get more than just internet radio. You get the whole damn internet! What a deal!
MM: What type of music will DXSRADIO play?
DEC: It’s a country/rock blend but I want to add more rock product. The energy level is just a touch too soft for me at the moment! During my show you will hear AC/DC and other metal type bands, but primarily only as “music beds” into breaks.
MM: What type of morning show will you have?
DEC: It will start at 9 am since that’s when most people actually sit down at their desk. Content wise we are looking at having a weather clown and a news person. It will grow from there. (And when I say “weather clown” I really mean a CLOWN!) There will be LOTS of phone calls and I will depend on the audience to have a plan when they call. In other word this is THEIR time to shine! Did I mention I’m going to have a weather clown?
MM: Which program will a listener use to hear the station?
DEC: DXSRADIO.COM is delivered using the Windows Media format so all PC’s and most MACs can easily click the “listen live” button be listen in. We’ve made sure there is no extra software to download. It gets past most firewalls. Our studio software sounds very good and DXSRADIO.COM sounds every bit like a professional radio station.
MM: Will it be subscription based?
DEC: No! And we will only play 8-minutes of commercials each hour. Of course for the first week it will be more like 1 commercial each hour and I’ll be spending the rest of the time begging for money from the audience like a PBS pledge drive! And we are NOT above playing a song for a few hundred bucks! I say bring back PAYOLA! (Is that legal?)
MM: Anything else you want to add?
DEC: Try it! www.dxsradio.com This really is the start of new industry. Rowdy Yates and Todd Nixon (both from KILT) have their internet radio stations up and running and they do a great job. But I really want to take this to a whole new level. Hey Mike, you want to stop by and be the news guy for a day?
MM: Sure!
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