The BlogTalkRadio Blog

by Edward Morrissey

Blog Talk Radio welcomes Andrea Shea-King to our Politics channels. Andrea has broadcast her show in Florida on traditional radio for quite some time and has built a strong audience. However, Andrea wants a national reach and the flexibility to do what she wants with her show — and she has come to BTR to continue her success.

Why BTR? Other terrestrial radio hosts have made that choice before her, including Tru Hawkins and myself. BTR gives hosts an easy interface and the ability to take live callers, as well as a free format for her content. We have scheduling flexibility, instant podcasting, an established web presence, and a ready-made network of listeners. We also don’t have restrictions on content or point of view, as radio stations have. Andrea can be herself and do the show she wants to do, without seeking approval from ever-changing program directors.

That’s why we believe Blog Talk Radio will be the future of talk-show broadcasting. While politicians haggle over the Fairness Doctrine and program directors try to avoid offending listeners by offering watered-down talk, BTR offers its listeners the widest possible varieties of debate and discussion. That’s why listeners come to BTR, and that’s why hosts like Andrea Shea-King come to BTR as well.

Of all the new hosts and shows that sign up with BlogTalkRadio, I am most excited by the politically active youth who choose to use our platform to make their voices heard. Our political shows are some of our most popular, and for good reason. We boast a wealth of talent and expertise in a range of political leanings, and from every region.

A group that recently joined the BTR family is YOUTHinkleft. Check it out because you will be floored by the political analysis and commentary that these teens and young adults put forth on their site. YOUTHinkleft shines as an example of how we all have the opportunity to get involved and be heard, whether on our own personal blogs, or on a live blogshow on BTR. This new generation of voters is determined to convey their opinions and be involved in the upcoming election in 2008. Their example is empowering and inspiring. Check out their show hosted by YOUTHinkleft co-founder Brendon Schweers here.

Another wonderful example of political engagement is Daniel Myers of Politics One. A longtime BlogTalkRadio host, Daniel interviews a different political candidate every few days, exposing us to their ideas and offering all of our listeners the opportunity to call in and ask the hard questions. Daniel’s Politics One blog covers the political activity in the blogosphere from a “fresh” perspective. After all, Daniel is only 16 years old.

Let these hosts inspire all of us to stand up and be heard. We have a responsibility to be informed citizens and voters, and we should thank Brendon and Daniel for broadcasting what’s on the minds of young voters and young leaders.

I am excited that earlier this week, we launched Heading Right at Blogtalkradio. Heading Right is managed by BTR Political Director Ed Morrissey. The site is a younger sibling of Heading Left which is run by Nate Wilcox and James Boyce. I must give cudos to James Boyce for creating the branding for both sites.

The numbers speak for themselves and they are impressive:

From the outset, I wanted Blogtalkradio to have a balanced political platform. I am so tired of seeing the polarized media landscape whether it’s online in the blogosphere or on traditional media (newspapers, radio or TV). At last count we have 144 active political hosts on BTR.

Heading Right and Left are dedicated to compiling the top political shows and hosts on BTR. We are reaching out to bloggers on both sides of the aisle. We are creating a set of debates for bloggers, where bloggers on the right and left can engage one another in real time. You will hear more about this in the coming days and week.

If you want to be part of this conversation please contact Ed Morrissey.

Over the past few months I have been posed the question about copyright laws with music and files being played. The obvious answer of course is to check and see if something has a copyright on it and if it has expired. But with the internet sometimes it isn’t all that easy.

As a host on BlogTalkRadio we do need to be mindful of others copyrights. I also have found if you find something you want to play on BlogTalkRadio that has a copyright on it whether it be a song or another audio file, emailing the creator and asking permission usually will get you a yes, as that person will appreciate the exposure if you give them credit for their work. So please ask for permission and who knows you may get a really cool interview from someone you admire!

I did find a website that gave some very good copyright information that was written by a lawyer if you have any question in your mind about something you want to play, you can find that here. Of course I want to thank WhatIsCopyright.org for giving us permission to use this article :0)

If that doesnt answer all of your questions you can peruse the US Copyright office for info by clicking here.

Amy

When BlogTalkRadio was in its infancy one of the first things we had talked about was what a great tool it would be for a teacher or students to use for various things.  A few idea’s we had were debates,  news for school sports, teachers using it to reach out to students to help with certain assignments, and much more.  Alan Levy’s daughter even used it to do a book report and scored an A!

Over the past few weeks we have started to see the education system trickle into BlogTalkRadio and every day that trickle is turning into a steady stream and nothing could make me more happy then to see students and educators using BlogTalkRadio to help with education.

Curtis High School does school announcements on BlogTalkRadio.

Banting Middle School does a show talking about activities at their school.

TeachCast with John is from Louiseville Tech and John gives this description for his show,

“Are you in John’s Microsoft I class? Have you missed a day of class? Not sure what went on in class? Did you attend class, but need a refresher on what went on in class? If so, this show is for you!”

We at BlogTalkRadio would like to welcomes all educators and students to utilize this platform as it is not only a great social media tool, it is also a great tool in the classroom.

Amy