Open Access
The first and most unique aspect of 1Radio was that it was free and anyone could join up.
Registration was quick and simple and open 24x7. All it required was a name and email address.
Anyone could register and within seconds they’d have an account, a unique Shoutcast password and access to a month-long schedule where they could begin booking slots.
If you were already a dab hand at broadcasting, had the necessary software and knew how to configure it, you had all the information you needed to be on the air at the next available empty slot.
In those early days, every slot was empty. So, you were virtually guaranteed to be on the air in less than an hour.
This was our unique selling point, a pretty innovative approach in the scheme of things and there were no other stations like it. I doubt there are few stations offering this opportunity and immediate gratification, even now. It’s a bit of a risk to allow someone - anyone - access to your audio stream and do whatever they want. But we took the chance.
Many people came, signed up and were instant presenters on a brand new, professional looking web radio station. If they knew what they were doing, they’d be successfully up and running within minutes, and eagerly awaiting the next hour to come around so that they could get on air and start broadcasting.
With each new day and each new hour, you never knew what to expect. That was the brilliance of it. Each hour could potentially feature a different person, from a different place in the world with different tastes in music and, admittedly, with differing competence and ability. But it truly was a diverse, distinctive and exciting thing to behold.
Of course, not everyone signing up had the necessary knowledge, software or skills and didn't get up to speed as quickly as you would hope. For these individuals, there were crib sheets and instructions on how to get started. I also let people contact me via MSN in order to help them get sorted. And finally, there was the shoutbox and forum where presenters could also seek help.
Would-be presenters really were given everything on a plate and, on the whole, they loved it.
Posted by Tim on Wed 03 Aug 2022 at 11:53 and viewed 1,320 times.
The 1Radio Schedule
Ecards
