Are You Listening? - Webmaster Radio Grows Up!
Interview by Kath Blackwell
In fact, the adult entertainment industry as a whole is responsible for expediting advances such as cable and satellite television, the VCR - it even had a hand in the success of DVD. Adult entertainment, technology and the Internet - they are definitely a winning combination.
Perhaps that's why Internet radio has been such a success in our industry - webmasters have attended, supported and participated in Internet radio in many forms, from weekly talk shows about "nothing" to educational, tutorial-based programming - even mainstream format talk shows and online interviews, complete with a live chat room audience. Industry pioneers may have gotten the ball rolling, but today's radio networks are carving out a brand new niche.
Just within the past year one company has come to the forefront and cranked things up a couple of notches. The AEBN Network of programming has definitely raised a few eyebrows since its launch - and has effectively raised the standard by which all industry radio networks will be judged.
AEBN Network Radio - Raising the Bar
Klixxx spoke with AEBN representative Bishop, a long-time industry veteran and the driving force behind the new AEBN Network (www.aebnradio.com). According to Bishop, the idea for AEBN Radio first started in the middle of 2003. However, after Darren Austin came to work at AEBN in late 2003, launching his new DarrenAustinShow.com soon after, the seeds for the AEBN Network had been sewn.
By the 2004 Las Vegas Internext Expo, talks began between Bishop and Gonzo of Oprano.com to launch an Oprano radio show, which launched soon after, in February. Netpond Radio and PLR Radio moved over to the AEBN Network just after the Oprano radio show started - already giving AEBN Network a full schedule within months of launching.
"AEBN provides the means for people to broadcast," Bishop told Klixxx Magazine. "We do not produce the individual shows. Netpond, Oprano and PLR are all responsible for the content and production of their own shows. We provide the means to broadcast in exchange for advertising considerations." In fact, AEBN Network recently initiated a campaign inviting webmasters or web companies to produce their own radio show through their network for just under $200.
"We were looking for new ways to advertise to the adult webmaster community," explains Bishop, of AEBN's radio show campaign. "We have been purchasing ad space in all the normal places, and it has worked well for us. We wanted even more exposure - and radio just seemed like a good idea. We are giving fellow webmasters a voice online at no cost to them, in exchange for commercial time during the shows. All anyone needs to broadcast is about $200 worth of hardware and a high speed Internet connection. Set-up is simple and the hardware isn't hard to find. All the broadcaster really needs is the desire to talk to the webmaster community."
Flexible, affordable and easy to use - AEBN Network brings the power of radio to the masses. But - they are firm on one thing and won't budge - the network is for webmasters only. "I've had many people contact me about doing shows for surfers," says Bishop. "We are not interested in doing surfer radio at this time."
The AEBN Network currently broadcasts four weekly programs:
Monday - 5pm Eastern, TheDarrenAustinShow.com with Darren Austin
Tuesday - 9pm Eastern, OpranoRadio.com with Gonzo & CJ
Wednesday - 8pm Eastern, NetpondRadio.com with Jayman and PattyeCake
Wednesday - 9pm Eastern, PLRRadio.com with Dman and MattyD
"There are more shows coming," says Bishop of AEBN Network's plans for the future. "I'd rather not say what they are until it's official - it's not a done deal until the shows air. We will send out press announcements as new shows come along."
So what is the "big deal" about webmaster radio? Why has it been blessed with such a success in the webmaster community? Aside from the entertainment value, what does webmaster radio have to offer to its listeners?
"I don't take webmaster radio as serious as some," explains Bishop, who feels that the entertainment value is one of the most important and valued results of webmaster radio programming. "Webmasters spend all day slaving over the keyboard and sometimes they just need a break. Webmaster shows could aspire to be more than entertainment, but I think they should consider themselves successful for their entertainment value alone. The industry is maturing and I assume that most of the [listening audience] has been around for awhile. I don't expect to teach seasoned webmasters anything new. Entertain them and keep them aware of current industry events - that seems like a good goal. However, that is just my opinion. The individual broadcasters may have very different opinions. Each broadcaster has control over the content of their show and will say and do whatever they want."
When asked about the goals for AEBN Network and plans for the future Bishop says, "AEBN gives a loud voice to people who want to address the adult industry. We are not offering this service to make money. All AEBN wants is an opportunity to make webmasters aware of the services we offer - we are a pay per view sponsor and a content company first and foremost."
The Darren Austin Show - The Show That Launched a Network
The former host of Darren Austin Live, and an entertainment and industry veteran with movies, television shows and headlining industry corporations as part of his impressive resume, Darren Austin is the host of AEBN's Monday night program at TheDarrenAustinShow.com. Having already earned himself a solid reputation for taking on real life topics and hitting tough subject matter head on, Darren Austin's show really brought a powerful listening base and gave substance to the AEBN Network from the moment it was launched.
"I don't contribute as much as the other shows on the 'Net who talk about webmaster related issues only," says Darren about The Darren Austin Show. "I like to take my TV background and what I know from that and mix it in with webmaster issues. I think that webmasters sometimes need a break from the "industry talk" and escape that world of computers and TGPs and just listen to something different. That is what I offer."
For those who have listened to Darren's more infamous shows, he is moving away from the "shock jock" reputation that he'd established back when Klixxx featured him on the cover in December 2003, and is moving more toward his show's motto and goal, to portray Real Life - Real Issues. "I hope that [my listeners] can see me grow and expand outside of the box as far as the famous hate shows that I have done [Church of Satan, God Hates Fags, Gays in the Military, etc.]," Darren tells Klixxx Magazine in a recent interview. "I feel it is time to move away from that. I started looking for locals here in North Carolina, and throughout the US, for real people who have something interesting to tell - and that is my new focus."
"My favorite show so far was on April 12th, 2004, entitled, I Slept With My Cousin, Now I'm Pregnant and I Want to Tell Him," reveals Darren. "This was a challenge for me because I had never done anything like this before, and seeing real people dealing with their real life issues on the show in front of me was very compelling. I learned a lot from just that one show. I intend on doing more like that and continuing to handle it with - what I hope to be - class and dignity."
With so many shows under his belt now at AEBN Network, Darren has enjoyed both the good and the bad; "The hardest and most draining show I have done was on February 9th, 2004 and it was called Spider Boy. I had to pre-record this show and it took three hours to complete it. This was the day before my father was to have open-heart surgery, so I guess I tried to escape the real world and throw myself into the show. But there were moments where the real world and the show collided and everything hit me and I lost it. We had to restart and edit. In the two years that I have been doing this, that was the worst ever for me because it was not about the guest, it was about me having issues and trying to hide them."
And what star interview would be complete without the proverbial "dream guest" question? "Oprah Winfrey - definitely," says Darren, an admitted Oprah fan. "I would love to sit down with her and chat about who she really is and try to get her to reveal things that many people don't know."
Working with AEBN on this project really seems to suit Darren, as his fan base continues to grow as much as he has. "Working with AEBN is a dream," he explains. "They allow me to be creative and I am able to control my own show the way that I see fit. Working with some companies in the past, they did not allow the freedom to do that. It was just a name, but here I am free and I actually get to use the title Executive Producer. I have several interesting guests coming up on my show this year and I am going to start doing shows that take me out of the box that I have been in for so long. I want to grow and expand and do things that I have never done before so I can get better and better."
Tune in to TheDarrenAustinShow.com Mondays at 5pm Eastern!
Oprano Radio: Making Waves
What do "Moron's Chair," "Face Off" and "Bored Talk" have in common? Well they are all special segments in the OWNED Show at OpranoRadio.com. Hosted by industry veterans CJ (Purve.com, CelebrityBling.com) and Gonzo (Oprano.com, and more recently AEBN.com), Oprano Radio dares to be different - and dares its audience to sound off, participate and become involved in the weekly program - but what else would you expect from a radio show born from the Oprano "Family" line? Oprano Radio features industry-focused topics, interviews working webmasters and program owners, as well as invited community members, debating one another on industry topics LIVE on the air.
So, other than two self-described "colorful characters" running the show, and a full docket of controversial guests and vocal listeners, what inspired the OWNED Show on OpranoRadio.com? "I'd like to give you an inspirational story," says OWNED Show co-host CJ. "But the reality is that Gonzo and I joked about it and a few weeks later we did our first show. I've been keeping a very low profile in the industry for the last couple of years, and now that I'm back with some new affiliate programs and a new network of sites, I need to stop being such a hermit!" Gonzo agrees about the show starting as a joke and then just taking a life of its own, "The OWNED show started out as a spoof of GFYish threads in hackereze '0wn3d.' We just figured we would take that joke and make it into something serious. We both had listened to one too many shows where the guest was cool and you are part of the cool crowd for listening. You go to their show to get stroked - if you're on ours there's a likelihood you're gonna get spanked!"
The AEBN Network launched its do-your-own-show campaign through Oprano Radio. "We prove that all you need is a mike, a copy of Winamp that streams to a Shoutcast server, and an Internet connection," says Gonzo of Oprano Radio's relationship with the AEBN Network. "You can beat your chest all you want about having millions of dollars invested into a radio show with years of experience. With [AEBN Network] all you do is add personality, no experience required."
But they do have experience - both in the adult online industry and in industry chat programming. According to Gonzo, before Oprano Radio he ran a weekly text chat for a small resource site that he'd hooked up a live365.com radio account to so he could stream music with the text. It eventually grew into a radio show. Soon, Bishop and AEBN "discovered him," and his show. After he'd been hired to manage the Oprano Properties for Serge and Mike, they agreed to combine forces as a branding exercise to create Oprano Radio, and have it run on the new AEBN Radio Network. "I don't work for AEBN - Bishop does, however I can tell you that the relationship between Oprano and AEBN should prove to be a lasting one. I don't expect this to be the last project we co-brand with them. We are exploring co-branding/cross-marketing on many levels including our resource site OpranoPlus.com."
With such a wild show - and a no-holds-barred attitude - what sort of audience is the OWNED show aimed at? "Our show is purely aimed at Opranonauts," says CJ, talking about the webmasters who are regular posters at Oprano.com. "But anyone is welcome to listen of course. The Oprano Team has been putting in a lot of work lately to bring the Oprano Properties together and to provide sites to hard working, professional webmasters." The weekly radio show is being used as an opportunity for community members to chat while they listen to the show and get a weekly update on what's happening both in the industry at large, and within the Oprano programs as well.
"It's probably easier to list the type of webmasters we aren't aiming at," continues CJ. "Hobby webmasters, unprofessionals - and morons! We aren't aiming at webmasters who only care about themselves and their own businesses. Our webmasters believe in smart networking, good business - and great food and wine."
"I think our show is aimed at webmasters who are serious about doing business," says Gonzo, agreeing with CJ's sentiments about not targeting non-working webmasters. "If you are tired of hearing the usual suspects talking about lobsters or margaritas on the beach, tune in. We will blow the whistle on ANY scumbag in this industry including page jacking auto downloading toolbar thieves and psychotic 300 pound 62 year-old hacker groupies that hijack our message boards with unrelated tales of rejection."
The overall goal of OWNED, according to CJ, is Oprano Family Business. "Who would you want to do business with, who have you done business with, and who would you never do business with? OWNED is a variety show of sorts, its Jerry Springer crossed with Judge Judy - and a bit of Howard Stern thrown in for good measure. We want our listeners to be educated, amused and entertained, but to not get comfortable for too long." Gonzo agrees, "The advertiser knows we show no mercy on scammers. We have been running commercials for people and things we know and trust. If you are advertising with us and you get caught in a scam - you aren't safe. This gets rid of the hype and leaves the listener with advertising he can count on!"
Because CJ and Gonzo are both seasoned webmasters and involved community members in the adult online industry, they have a unique perspective on the show, its future and the future of the industry as a whole. "The industry is full of people who are trying to hang on, and as a result there are a lot of rubbish programs coming out every week," explains CJ, describing the current climate. "Even the old timers who we expect to always have the answers are producing very average products these days. The only people who seem to be doing extremely well are those running the biggest scams, currently self-downloading toolbars which control traffic."
"With that said," CJ continues. "I'd like to talk to Robin Nixon about what his plans are for Porn Biz Generation 2; I'd love The General to join us to talk about his mainstream products, and as a guide for 'what not to do'; even Brad Shaw would be a perfect candidate. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we don't intend to fit into the great scheme of things, we intend to change it."
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