So if you caught the show last week, when Winter was my special guest, you probably remember the NIGHTMARE of technical problems and bullshit that BlogTalkRadio heaped upon me.
I’ve been so irritated I haven’t wanted to talk about it, but here’s a little bit of a recap of BTR’s bullshit in my short history with them:
My show was slapped with an “Adults Only” rating by John Sweet when Hilly used the word “Fag” in his presence. The context was political correctness and the usage of speech, and certainly not derogatory. I am, after all, an authority on all things gay.
Immediately after that rating, I lost my “prime time” time slot. “Prime Time” is defined as 7pm-Midnight Eastern time. As you know, I’m on the west coast. This means my show either has to air before 4pm or after 9pm my time. This also means that all of my east coast friends, Mr. Fabulous, Avitable, Karl, Miss Britt, Turnbaby, Geeky Tai-Tai, Shiny, (and more, I’m sure I’m forgetting some people) aren’t able to participate on my show.
When I inquired to BTR why I lost my time slot, the answer has varied between “content” and “too few listeners.” BTR refuses to give me an answer as to how many listeners a host must have to maintain a prime time slot. I know that I average 100+ listeners every week. My numbers are not far from fellow hosts, Fab and Turnbaby. My content is certainly not any more “adult” or “questionable” than Hilly or Fab’s shows.
I’m beginning to think (and I truly hate to be that guy who plays this card) that there is an element of homophobia in my treatment.
Since the adult rating, my show has never appeared on the home page as being “on-air.” Many people have been unable to find my show even when hitting my direct profile page. They are met with a “No Shows Scheduled” page, even when I am ON AIR.
Outside of those issues, the audio frequently cuts in and out. Callers are frequently kicked off. The switchboard frequently freezes.
This past week, the chat room refused to open.
To add insult to injury, there is a handy little “live help” button on the switchboard for hosts. I pressed the Live Help button and was met with the following message:
“Blog Talk Radio Live Help is available from 7pm – 11pm EST.”
Does anyone else see the problem? I’m barred from hosting my show during those “prime time” hours, and the help is only available during that period of time.
What. The. Fuck?
Look, I understand that BTR is a free service. Believe me, I get it… HOWEVER… THEY get a revenue stream from advertisers that is based on content generated by the users, and that includes me.
There is a veritable graveyard full of past internet ventures who launched with much fanfare only to fuck over their users and fail to adapt to technological changes. When was the last time any of YOU used Friendster?
So, that being said, The Jester Show is moving on a trial basis to BTR’s competitor, TalkShoe. My first guest at the new host is Karl!
Here’s what you need to know:
The show can be found here: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/20116.
The call-in number if you wish to participate in the discussion (I can have up to 100 callers on line at once!):
Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 20116
You will be able to listen to the show streaming live by visiting the show page, but unless you create a profile you will be unable to chat.
When you create a profile, you will want to download the TalkShoe application. One of the very cool features of this application is that not only will you have an all in one streamer/chat client, you will also get to see a notification of who is speaking. That should help all of you who have trouble distinguishing all of us with gay accents from each other.
Because Karl has already promoted the show at 9pm PDT, that’s when the show will be. I don’t believe there are any “Prime Time” restrictions that prevent me from scheduling shows at a decent hour for everyone in the future.
Any questions you may have about the process or how TalkShoe works can be answered by visiting the TalkShoe Frequently Asked Questions Page.
I don’t have all the subscription and iTunes links figured out yet, but hopefully shortly after the show I will get that information.
I hope you all decide to help me try out this service and that you will consider using me as your referral source when creating your profiles!
