THE FINAL FRONTIER OF FREE SPEECH

Posted: November 5, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: RANDOM THOUGHTS | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m back.  It’s been way too long and I have to start being more consistent with my writings.

Usually I have to be inspired by something to write about.  There have been a lot of inspirations lately but then they are fleeting before I know it and I never write about it.

But today I am back:  A lot has gone on but I will focus on the most important one.  May 1st, 2015, I became and Internet Radio Station owner.  Myself and my two radio partners from my show, Vegas Unwrapped, joined forces and purchased VEGAS ALL NET RADIO.

SQ VANR logo 2 2013-11

One of the most amazing things is that we purchased the station from a rather big radio company that owns stations all over the South Western US.  It has always been a dream of mine.  When Vegas Unwrapped started nearly 7 years ago, I told Ricky Cash that there has to be end to justify the means when it comes to hosting our own show.  I wanted to be in control of every facet of our business and not rely on the procedures and rules of the station we aired on.

Then we met a guy by the name of John P.G. Stiles (JPeg) over a year ago when we Ricky & I were guests on another radio show.  John handled the video taping of the show we guested on.  We asked him to film a Vegas Unwrapped episode and see what that did for our show.  You can check out all the videos at www.youtbe.com/unwrapped2010 if you want a peak behind the wizard’s curtain.  You can also see the videos of many of our different shows by going to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCniowhQoXCe3OwWPcFDBGjw/featured?view_as=subscriber 

John saw our vision about owning our own station and our desire to give back to the communities that our listeners are in.

Everything came together on May 1st.  There were 23 shows on the roster at that time and I am please to report that as of this writing we have 51 shows on the air.  Simply click on the station logo above and it will take you to our station website and then click on the “Programs” tab to see the lineup.

We offer a little bit of everything, Sports, Entertainment, Education, Veteran Programming, Health, Life Coaching, Holistic Modalities, Music and so much more.

We will be adding LIVE Streaming within a couple of months and eventually Internet Television.

I am proud of what we have accomplished but we have a long way to go.  If you ever thought of hosting your own radio show, we can train you to do that.  If you would like to advertise on our station I have programs that average around $5/spot.  That is a price that is very hard to find elsewhere.  BY 2017 research is trending that advertising dollars on Internet radio will surpass the revenues of television advertising dollars.  http://rss.securenetsystems.net/index.cfm?page=Growth_Charts

Internet radio is here to stay and will continue to grown to levels that I don’t think others have even thought about.

Don’t be left behind standing on the platform as the train passes you by.

That's me!

Until next time……

AP

WHAT’S GOING ON

Posted: June 28, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: EXPERIENCE | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

p & c

Once again time flies by and it is has been 3 months since my last posting. If nothing else, I should be doing this weekly at least sharing the news as to who the guests are for that week’s show.

Nonetheless, here is a recap of all that has gone on since April 1st when we moved to our new station:

BANNER OF INFORMATION

BANNER OF INFORMATION

VEGAS UNWRAPPED can be heard every Thursday night from 7-9PM PST on wwwvegasallnetradio.com.
VEGAS UNWRAPPED can be heard on the first Thursday of every month from 9-10 PM PST on http://www.klav1230am.com.

brian hoffman
Our archives/podcasts can now be heard on our show page on http://www.vegasallnetradio.com. http://www.aircheck.us and within a week on http://www.thecityfm.com. We are grateful that more stations want to hear our show.

We also produce the newly launched show POOLE PARTY: A SOIREE OF MADNESS which airs on Tuesday nights from 7-8PM PST as well as THE WARZONE, also on Tuesday nights from 8-9 PM PST. Both shows air on http://www.vegasallnetradio.com.

We have taken on representing talent. We are pleased to represent PAIGE POOLE: THE TRUE ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTIST. You can Google “PAIGE POOLE” and much of his work can be seen there. If you are in need of his services, you can contact me at vegasunwrapped@gmail.com.

My radio partner Ricky Cash & I co-hosted a the MISS NEVADA UNITED STATES BEAUTY PAGEANT on May 26th on the Internet. I think it was he first time a beauty pageant was simulcast on YouTube. You can check it out on our YouTube channel, VEGAS UNWRAPPED.

beauty & the queens 2

Two weeks later we were the emcees, on stage, for the MRS. NEVADA PAGEANT. We had a blast at these pageants and we have been offered the opportunity to do it again next year for both pageants.. As of this writing Cash & I will be hosting a model search show being put on by the MISS NEVADA UNITED STATES organization. It is a fundraiser for the organization and we are only too happy to help.

pageant

We recently signed on with a Marketing/PR firm called GYS ENTERTAINMENT, LLC to help market and promote Vegas Unwrapped Productions, Aaron Phillips & Ricky Cash.

Along with my Vegas Unwrapped responsibilities I have also been expanding my radio schedule as I continue to be contacted to co-host other shows.

Wednesday mornings I can be found on THE CHI-TO-BE RADIO EXPERIENCE from 9-9:30 AM with host Stacey Hall. This show can be found on http://www.talkshoe.com.

Friday mornings, I record a podcast called THE FRANCHISE RADIO NETWORK which can be found on http://www.thecityfm.com

Lastly, I co-host “SUNDAY CHAT” from 3-4PM PST, on Sundays of course, in the beautiful Greenspun Communications Building. The show can be heard LIVE at http://www.rebcast.com or on archive at http://www.aircheck.us.

Wow, I just got tired looking at that schedule.

One thing we have worked very at is “grass-roots” promotions. This year has been the year of public appearances. For instance, I hosted a poker tournament fundraiser for a non-profit organization at The Green Valley Ranch Casino here in Las Vegas. (I did get to meet Randy Couture!) phillips & couture

This has been a major step in having our LOCAL listenership grow by way of Internet Radio.

You can find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/vegasunwrappedinternetradio. Please go and LIKE our page as we march towards 1000 LIKES.

Find me on Twitter at @aaron_phillips_

July 4th is just one week away as I write this. Be safe and enjoy the holiday for what it represents.

Until next time……

Value of Internet Radio Part 2: Archives/Podcasts

Posted: June 30, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: BENEFITS | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In my previous entry, I alluded to the process of “Archiving” or “Podcasts” as a great benefit to Internet radio.

Think of this “TiVoing” on the Internet.  Most people record their favorite television shows because we want the convenience of watching them when we want to.  We are not always available to watch them at their regularly scheduled time.  We may work late, have a family obligation, fall asleep early, homework to do with the kids, etc. But we can’t miss the latest episode of “SURVIVOR”!  So we record it and watch it at a later time when WE are ready.

Archives and podcasts allow for the same feature when it comes to Internet radio.  My show, Vegas Unwrapped airs every Wednesday night from 7-9PM PST on www.vegasunwrapped.net (CHEAP PLUG!).  According to our demographics, 70% of our listenership comes via our archives.  With our busy lives, we look for convenience in everything we do.  It’s also nice to have a show based out of Las Vegas. Las Vegas is one of those places that people visit every year more than any other place in the world.  This is huge because whether it is a traveler, families looking to move here or locals who want to know what’s happening in Las Vegas, people search online for news like this. The advertisers on Vegas Unwrapped love this!

The advertising spots we play during our show stay embedded in the archives/podcasts.  It’s getting more bang for the buck.  Our advertising packages are based on LIVE airings during our shows each week. But because of the archives, they are getting more exposure to the audience.  It’s like getting a bunch of free runs of their ads!  And who doesn’t like things for free!  Live terrestrial radio shows and television spots can’t guarantee that!  Once the commercials go out live while the show is being viewed, they are gone forever.  Personally, when I watch a television show that I recorded, I fast forward through the 5 minutes of commercials.  On our show, we take only a 2 minute break every 15-20 minutes. There isn’t enough time to miss anything.

So if you are looking for convenience, flexibility and better value for your advertising dollars, think Internet radio and where you will attract the largest audience to hear your message.

Until next time…..

Value of Internet Radio Part 1

Posted: June 28, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: BENEFITS | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

 

One of the things I have noticed as I talk to people about Vegas Unwrapped is that the concept of “internet radio” is relatively new to many people.

I find this a little surprising given the advance of technology.  However, it is the concept of “listening” to radio on the computer that seems to confuse people.  We spend so much on a computer like device, that the transition to be entertained on the Internet should be easy.

My next couple of posts will consist of specific benefits that using Internet radio for your marketing and advertising can bring to your business.

Let’s start off by mentioning good ‘ol “terrestrial radio” or as we commonly know it as your “AM or FM” signals.  Traditionally most of the terrestrial stations serviced the listening area of however far their signal could be heard.  Depending upon the “wattage” of the station and in some rural areas, the clearness of the atmosphere, usually determined how far-reaching a station could be heard.  I did a sports show on a local AM station here in Las Vegas that was designed to be heard in the local Las Vegas market.  However, there were many shows when we would receive calls from listeners as far away as California.  Our show aired at 10PM PST so airwaves had less of an issue traveling at night and getting past the mountains.

Internet radio doesn’t have this issue.  With a simple Internet connection and a website to “stream” from, anybody from anywhere can listen to a broadcast.  Look at the convenience of access to the Internet.  Cars are now being manufactured with Internet chips right in the dashboard.  Our cell phones make it easier to access on demand entertainment form the Internet.

I will give it up to the terrestrial stations for realizing that Internet radio is a huge competitor.  Many of them now offer “live streaming” of some of their shows so they can heard over the Internet.  However, they are still subject to the regular FCC regulations about what is being aired.  As of right now, there are no such regulations for shows actually hosted on the Internet.  Although the stations have started to stream their content, many of them do not offer an important feature called “podcast or archive”.  I will spend more time on this in a future post.

It is my opinion that with the continued technological advances and more conveniences that are available on the Internet, terrestrial radio will be very different in the years to come.  Where will you be when that happens?

Until next time……