In case you missed this, Thomas MacEntee posted this notice
on his blog, GeneaBloggers, last month. I
have to say that I have always been impressed with the “energy” that Thomas has
brought to all his endeavors, his blog, the radio program, his FGS duties,
conference talks and so much more! And,
I’m not surprised that he’s had to make this decision – after all we all only
have so many hours in a day during which we can do what we need to do and
follow our passions!
Which GeneaBloggers radio program(s) have you personally found
most helpful?
=================================
So, what’s going on
with GeneaBloggers
Radio, you might ask? Well I’ve been doing a bit of soul searching –
actually a lot of soul searching – in terms of goals and direction for my radio
show. I hope you’ll let me share some of my thoughts and also allow me to give
you a status update.
Status and Stuff
First,
the status. I’ve decided to put GeneaBloggers Radio on an “irregular” schedule
for the time being. This means the show won’t be broadcast on its regular
Friday evening schedule.
Second,
this doesn’t mean that GeneaBloggers Radio is ending or going away. I
need a break and more than just the periodic night off. How can I tell?
Well, for me there are two indicators of when it is time for a change –
just like hitting a plateau in a diet:
o
If I don’t feel that “fire in the belly” or that “driving force”
to produce a body of work, like a weekly radio show, then it’s time to
re-evaluate.
o
And if something feels “forced” and I’m “going through the
motions,” then that is also a good indicator that change is needed.
What It Takes To
Produce A Weekly Radio Show
Producing
a weekly radio show is hard work. It takes about five hours each week to just
line up topics, guests and do the production work. Then there is the publicity
and marketing. Then the actual show. All told, each 90 minute episode
requires at least nine hours of my time each week. I can handle the amount of
time, but when my heart isn’t in it, well then, as I said, it is time to figure
out if that same nine hours can be used in another manner to help spread the
good word about genealogy and family history.
Is Radio Right for
Genealogy?
I
still believe that Internet radio is a valuable venue and media channel for the
genealogy industry. I also ask that while GeneaBloggers Radio is on hiatus,
that my listeners follow some other great shows:
o
Research at the National Archives and Beyond with Bernice Bennett on BlogTalkRadio
o
Your Ancestors Want Their Stories to Be Told with Jane E. Wilcox on BlogTalkRadio
And don’t forget that
there are over 60 archives episodes of GeneaBloggers Radio located in the On
Demand Section here or via the iTunes
store!
The Future of
GeneaBloggers Radio
Finally,
I’d love your feedback about GeneaBloggers Radio and the direction it should
take in the future. I’ve thought about developing a genealogy radio game
show similar to NPR’s Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell
Me! which would
require a good deal of production resources. As I’ve said, the entire concept
of genealogy radio is open for discussion . . . please email me your thoughts
or let’s start a discussion in the comments or over on the GeneaBloggers
Radio page on Facebook.
A Heartfelt Thank You
Whatever
happens with GeneaBloggers Radio, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the
many guests and co-hosts who’ve graced the air waves and helped make the show a
success. However, the biggest thanks go to the many faithful listeners
who made me and the show part of their “Friday night date.” The good times are
not over . . . they’ll continue, but on a different schedule and perhaps a
different format.
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