Odds & Ends

A couple of bits and pieces, nothing substantial enough by itself to mandate its own post.

You'll find the "Dreamtime Podcast Episode Guide" and the "Expecting Rain Theme Time Forum" links over in the right-hand column and in the FAQ broken for the moment and possibly for the next several weeks.  The Expecting Rain administrators abruptly shut down all the forums yesterday for "maintenance."

Reading between the lines, it's obvious that some of the ER forums are suffering from that disease that all online forums seem to eventually succumb to.  Human self-interest always seems to triumph, even when you know you're destroying something.

It's unfortunate, we hope the ER admins. can work something out, and we wish Karl Erik the best.  Expecting Rain is probably one of the best examples of why labors of love are so much better than labors for money.  But this incident is also a good reminder about why you shouldn't put your trust in on-line reference sources, which have a tendency to disappear without warning.  Over the past three years, I've lost valuable TTRH facts and trivia that were posted by various people at the "White Man Stew" forums (the first, and for a time, the best, on-line forum about the show) and Expecting Rain.  At times when I'm doing research I think, "I should download and archive this."  And, of course, I never do.

***

On a happier note, Sirius XM has released its long-promised application for the iPhone/iTouch, and if you're a user of either you can download it now, for free, at the iTunes Store.  If you're an internet subscriber, either standalone or as an add-on to your Sirius XM radio subscription, the app gives you access to what the press release claims are 120 channels on your iPhone.

Ironically, the press release trumpets, "SIRIUS and XM subscribers can also listen to 100% commercial-free music featuring exclusive shows from SIRIUS XM's satellite radio service such as Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour" as well as shows including Tom Petty's Buried Treasure, Bruce Springsteen's E Street Radio, The Grateful Dead Channel, Eminem's Shade 45, Jimmy Buffett's Radio Margaritaville, "Little Steven" Van Zandt's Underground Garage and Outlaw Country channels, B.B. King's Bluesville, Willie Nelson's Willie's Place, Elvis Radio, Siriusly Sinatra, and Metropolitan Opera Radio.

I haven't tried the application yet, but comments on its page at the iTunes Store indicates most people are satisfied with it, the major complaint being that the odious Howard Stern, as well as MLB, NFL, and NASCAR programming are all unavailable, probably because of licensing issues.

Ironic, as I said, as the application probably would have opened up a whole new audience for Theme Time Radio Hour, which was, at its peak, the top music show at XM Radio according to my sources.  But I guess the re-runs still will attract new listeners, probably many of whom won't even realize they are listening to repeats.  The shows are in many ways timeless, designed, as one of the people I interviewed for my book said, "to live forever."

The Future of Theme Time Radio Hour and A Modest Proposal

According to yesterday's New York Times, Sirius XM Radio is preparing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. No surprise to those who follow the Theme Time Radio Hour News & Views column or our DylanTweets.

What that means for the remaining episodes of Season 3 or a Season 4 of TTRH is unclear, and will probably remain unclear for some time. From what I've read, it's a probable "good news/bad news" scenario.

The Good News is that it's unlikely that SIRIUS XM would just flip the switch to "off" if they file for bankruptcy. As the Times reports, they're preparing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which, in theory, could allow the company to reorganize and continue in some form. However, the "in theory" part is an important caveat. See "Fly in the Ointment" below.

The Bad News part is that its likely that the bankruptcy would cause SIRIUS XM to cancel or attempt to renegotiate its contracts with "high-priced talent" (to quote the Times) such as the odious Mr. Stern, Martha Stewart, and, although he isn't named, Mr. D.

If so, that might affect the remaining shows of Season 3 (I'm guessing that there are still between 8 and 11 episodes to go, counting today's "Happy" show), and would certainly impact any Season 4. I would assume that the continuation of Season 3 will depend on the shows that have already been delivered to XM, and the contracted payment schedule.

There's one more fly in the ointment, which you'll see if you review the various news reports. Echostar, the TV satellite company, has been buying up SIRIUS XM debt. The exact reasons why they're doing it are unknown. Echostar may see satellite radio as a complement to their other offerings. The company may want SIRIUS XM's most desirable assets, which are the satellites and related equipment. In any case, a threat of bankruptcy could trigger Echostar to force an immediate takeover of SIRIUS XM or, if the bankruptcy goes through, Echostar could petition the courts to allow it to take over the company. What that would mean is again unclear, but would probably be the end of SIRIUS XM as it exists today.

The Future?

I've been thinking about this for the past month or so, after it became pretty obvious that the End Days were upon SIRIUS XM Radio, and the future for TTRH continuing on satellite is cloudy.

This is just blue-skyin' of course. While I know enough to know that it's technically feasible, I'm not sure the whole royalty system - especially with all the ongoing controversy around royalty payments for music played on internet radio - would make it economically worthwhile or even possible.

Here's my idea. Gray Water Park Productions/Big Red Tree create a subscription-based TTRH site, and move the show over to the Web if SIRIUS XM goes down and the contract is voided.

Subscribers worldwide get to hear a streaming new TTRH 24 x 7 each Wednesday - similar to the old XMX - plus have 24 x 7 streaming access to archives of the older shows.

The site charges a subscription fee - somewhere around $2.99 to 7.99 per month - for access to the site. Maybe they take advertising too, similar to the page that XM/Cadillac put up (and which is still there, btw).

With your subscription you get the shows, plus member bennies... forums, maybe stories behind the shows, like Dreamtime (I'm not angling or anything, Mr. D ), maybe a virtual walkthough thru Studio B. Maybe Mr. D. really reading your emails on the show. Stuff like that. The imagination runs wild... An iPhone app that streams TTRH!! ...streaming video of Our Host Live from Studio B!!!!

Now, one of the bennies is that people worldwide get easy access to the show, and all the shows, as opposed to now, where you have to jump through hoops to listen to the show at its scheduled broadcast times or wait for the torrents/mp3s to show up.

The whole torrent/mp3/streaming over at dylanradio thing is a conundrum, of course. I'll note that I'm internet friends with most of the people who do that work. Whether their continuing efforts would have a significant financial impact on a streaming TTRH radio show, I dunno. And, if so, if they were politely asked to stop so the show could go on, would they? And you know that whoever stopped, boots would continue to show up, 'cause that's the nature of these digital days.

Would most people subscribe to a TTRH stream or would they want to download the shows to CD/mp3 player? Would they want both? Me, that's what I would want. I've been a XM internet subscriber since 2006, but I also "illegally download" the shows, because I want a permanent record.

Again, I'll say I dunno, and I'm not interested in the debate about the legalities/ethics. I just want my TTRH to go on... at least as long as Our Host wants to do it.

Bottom line is that big changes are coming to SIRIUS XM, and my advice is to enjoy the TTRH we have while we still have it. I think it won't be long till we're telling newbies, "Boy you should have been around when Mr. D. was broadcasting every Wednesday. Sure you can still download the shows, but it's not the same."

SIRIUS XM Expands/Limits TTRH Listening Options In One Move

Edited 11/30/08 to reflect that "The Village" has been replaced by "Holiday Traditions" programming through December 25th.

The dust continues to settle in the reorganization of the SIRIUS XM channel lineup, but here's where the Theme Time Radio Hour schedule stands as of November 13, 2008.

SIRIUS

On the SIRIUS side of the spectrum, TTRH will air on the SIRIUS version of "Deep Tracks," (SIRIUS Channel 16) Wednesdays at 11 am ET.

"Encore" presentations will air Mondays 8 pm ET, Thursdays 12 am ET, and Sundays 8 am ET, all on SIRIUS Channel 16.

XM

The graphic on the "official" TTRH page is still erroneously listing the show as 10 am, and the page still contains the link to the defunct XMX channel's page.  The table under the graphic reflects the correct times and channels as noted below.

On the XM Radio side, TTRH will also air on Wednesdays at 11 am ET on the XM version of "Deep Tracks," XM Channel 40.

XM "encore" presentations on Deep Tracks Channel 40 are on Mondays at 8 PM ET, Thursdays 12 am ET, and Sundays 8 am ET, paralleling the SIRIUS Deep Tracks schedule.

UPDATED 11/30/08

XM is also now listing two additional weekly "encore" shows on "The Village."  However, regular programming has been discontinued on Channel 15 during most of December in lieu of holiday music.  The XM Radio site notes that "The Village" will return on December 26th.

Wednesdays, 12 pm (Noon) ET, XM Channel 15 "The Village"

Mondays at 12 am (Midnight) ET  - XM Channel 15, "The Village"

XMX Channel 2 "Retired" And Listener Response

A reply to an email concerning the fate of XMX Channel 2, which had aired the current TTRH show all day Wednesdays on XM Radio, stated that the channel had been "retired." Currently, there's nothing in the new XM or SIRIUS channel lineup to suggest there will be a replacement for XMX.

Dreamtime received more email on the SIRIUS XM channel changes than we have on any subject since the start of Season 3. We had a few messages from SIRIUS subscribers welcoming TTRH to the SIRIUS line-up, but some noted that the show did not air when they were typically listening in their cars. To a person, XM Radio listeners - whether internet or satellite radio subscribers - complained about the deletion of XMX from the new channel line-up. Several wrote that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for them to continue listening to TTRH at the current times. A few went to the extent of complaining that they would cancel their subscriptions.

Although I don't know the inner workings of SIRIUS XM radio, it seems a counterproductive business move not to have at least one channel whose programming consists of repeating popular shows from other channels. To get all business-speak, it seems like a win-win situation. SIRIUS XM gets more air time for some of its more popular shows, probably at no additional cost (I think it can be safely assumed that the TTRH contract probably allows unlimited rebroadcast). Cadillac gets their sponsorship acknowledged more often. The listening audience grows since people have more options to hear TTRH. Now that I reflect on it, I wonder what percentage of TTRH's claimed 2 million listeners were picking up the show on XMX?

Getting XMX Back On the Air

TiVo, cable DVRs, podcasts, it's an on-demand world. Thanks to their podcasts, I listen to more public radio now than I ever have because I can shift my listening to Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, Fresh Air and Car Talk to the times I want. Thanks to TiVo, my nightly channel line-up consists of shows I want to watch, rather than what a network programmer thinks I should be watching at that particular time.

SIRIUS XM is missing an opportunity not offering some version of on-demand in their channel line-up. A few of the newer SIRIUS XM radio receivers let you schedule and record shows for later listening, but most don't. We need XMX - or something like XMX - back on the air for Theme Time Radio Hour, as well as for Tom Petty's Buried Treasure, and for other SIRIUS XM shows we would listen to if it was convenient to listen to them.

If you agree, send an email to programming@xmradio.com and express your opinion.

Can we get XMX out of "retirement"? I don't know, but I'm betting that the only way it's going to happen is for us to tell XM we want it back, and we want the all-day TTRH back too.