Congratulations to Australia’s Golden Lawn Bowlers 2CA/2CC Advertising For A Senior Journalist

Editorial Echoes #8: The Final Episode

March 23rd, 2006 at 06:00am

A final look at the HECS and TAFEs issue, before Samuel spends some time explaining to the few of you still listening, why the podcast is ending….yes, with much regret I must inform you that this is the final episode.

The episode can be downloaded from here.

Edit: Link corrected

Further edit: Here is a transcript, so that those of you who aren’t listening can also know why Editorial Echoes has ended.

This is Editorial Echoes, episode number eight, for Thursday March 23, 2006…the final episode.

Yes, you did hear it right, this is the final episode and I’ll explain the reasons why just a little bit later on, but first, yesterday I did say that I would be out in force to gauge the public opinion on the idea of HECS fees being extended into TAFEs.

Now, the majority of people that I spoke to did not want to have their answers recorded which, I don’t know, I can’t really work that one out, I mean it’s not as if they were going to be personally identifiable from it, it was just going to be random voice clippings of random voices, it was hardly going to be able to identify anyone but “No, not interested, don’t want to be recorded” whatever. Of course the people who did want to be recorded, they all seemed to think it was such a bad idea that it should never happen.

Now, I was very surprised to find that a number of these people were in fact TAFE students. I just can’t get my head around this, maybe they’re in some gallant financial situation where they can afford every single little fee that comes up to them but, apparently for the rest of the people who might not be able to do that, the scheme just doesn’t have merit. In fact, one person said this to me:

“Yeah I don’t think it’s applicable, CIT fees aren’t that exorbitant where you can’t sort out a payment plan or something else.”

That was pretty much the opinion of most of the people who were willing to be interviewed. There were a few people who did agree with me that it was a good idea and I still think it’s a good idea, I mean OK admittedly TAFE fees aren’t as high as uni fees, but students still do have trouble and seeing as they’re not anywhere near, according to some people, anywhere near the university fees, certainly they wouldn’t provide as much of a challenge to the government in terms of funding them, in fact it would be fairly small in comparison.

But, I don’t know, the one thing I do have to wonder…the TAFE students who were against the idea today, if the scheme is introduced, as is being seriously considered, if it were to be introduced, would they be willing to use it?

Anyway I did say that this is the final episode, and well I’m afraid it is. The podcast started off quite well, it was, there were quite a few downloads, the first episode was very successful, and to start with on iTunes it got up to, I think it was…I can’t remember the exact graphic, I don’t have it right in front of me, but it was up there in the top twenty of its category on iTunes which was very good. Then over the weekend it kinda disappeared, which I suppose, that was to be expected, it would sort of drop down a bit, because there weren’t new episodes over the weekend, which was always the plan, it was a weekday podcast, but, it never returned, and having a look at the download statistics I can tell you why.

It seems people lost interest, now I know there’s a few of you out there listening to this, and to the few of you and I think there’s about six, seven of you who have been listening right throughout this, to all of you I say thankyou very much, your support is greatly appreciated, but for the time and effort that I am putting into this podcast, it’s just really not worth it, especially with declining numbers, it’s just gradually dropping. Maybe people just aren’t interested in hearing a few minutes of my opinion each day, I don’t know what it is, I was thinking this might actually be a little bit more successful than this, but we’re struggling to get even ten downloads a day at the moment which basically means to me that it’s just not worth the effort because, let me run you through the production process.

I record the episodes either when I’m out and about or I record them when I’m at home, and it’s something that I’ve thought of, I’ve thought through mostly, I mean on occasion I haven’t quite thought it through properly and it’s coming off the top of my head a bit, but for the most part I’ve thought it through, and so I come in and I record it or I record it on the spot, then I put it on the computer, I have to convert it from the digital notetaker format into a wave file, I then have to import that wave file into Audacity, I have to put in the intro and outro music, I have to increase the volume on the, well I pretty much have to compress the, this bit, the spoken bit so that it’s a fairly consistent volume, I have to play with the volume of the intro music and the outro music so it doesn’t go bizerk, and overall it just, it takes a lot of time.

Then I have to export that, I have to make sure I get the ID3 tags correct, I have to write the changes to the RSS file,I have to write changes to the blog sidebar, I have to write the post that goes with it, and then at some stage, later on after it’s released, so after it gets automatically copied into position which was another bit of tedious work, a bit of automation I was very proud of and very happy with but it turned out to be a bit of a waste of time really, sometime after the episode appears I have to go and update the Editorial Echoes page with the information about the episode so it’s quite a bit of effort and quite frankly if only six or seven or eight of you are actually listening it’s really not worth the effort. I do apoligise for that, I mean I was really hoping this would be a success, I know a number of you were, but ultimately it wasn’t, and that does sadden me to some extent, especially when it started off so promisingly, such consistent download figures, and suddenly it just fell into a big black hole.

So yes, this is the final episode, there shall be no more Editorial Echoes, and that’s a pity, I’ve enjoyed doing this, I have, but, well I’ve already explained why it can’t go on.

Thankyou very much for listening, I do appreciate it as I keep saying, and I’ll keep updating my blog of course, I suppose this means I’ll have a bit more time to devote to it, and Samuel’s Persiflage, my other podcast, will continue as always, the march schedule is sadly behind schedule at the moment and will probably remain that way until one of the people I have asked for an interview actually takes me request seriously, I just don’t, I don’t know, that seems to have stalled, which is a problem, but we’ll see what we can do about that.

Anyway I’m Samuel Gordon-Stewart, this has been Editorial Echoes, the final episode, I hope you’ve enjoyed, I don’t know if it’s possible to enjoy this one, I know I haven’t, none the less this has been editorial echoes, episode number eight, we had eight episodes, it was good while it lasted. I’ll say it again, I’m Samuel Gordon-Stewart, until we meet again, tada.

Samuel

Entry Filed under: Editorial Echoes

Print This Post Print This Post

20 Comments

  • 1. petedixton  |  March 23rd, 2006 at 8:57 am

    Samuel the URL seems to be wrong, I assume the new one is https://samuelgordonstewart.com/wp-content/EditorialEchoes/echo0008.mp3

  • 2. petedixton  |  March 23rd, 2006 at 9:17 am

    Samuel my heart was breaking listening to that episode!! You must be really dissapointed 🙁 I’m one of the 6 or 7 that have listened to every episode religiously, and have every Echos and Persiflage saved to my harddrive at work. It’s discontinuation will certainly leave a hole in my life… Heres hoping that Persiflage goes well for you, and that we see some more blog posts with the extra time you’ll have!

  • 3. Samuel  |  March 23rd, 2006 at 3:52 pm

    Thanks Pete, the link is now fixed. Yes I am very disappointed that it didn’t go anywhere near as well as initially indicated. None the less I’ve learned a thing or two from it, and I can honestly say that it was fun while it lasted.

    I might have to see about doing a transcript of it so that those who aren’t listening, but still reading, know why I had to call a halt to it.

  • 4. lucylou  |  March 23rd, 2006 at 5:06 pm

    Yes please do a transcript because I have no idea why you have decided not to continue when the last I remember was that it was in a top 10 or top 20 list on ITunes.

  • 5. Samuel  |  March 23rd, 2006 at 5:08 pm

    Alright, I’ll do that later tonight.

  • 6. John B1_B5  |  March 23rd, 2006 at 9:12 pm

    Too bad Samuel — but as you said, it’s just not worth the effort !
    Apathy is no doubt “alive and well ” on the Internet ……. not just here but all over the place . There’s certainly no shortage of ‘ingrates’ , that’s for sure !
    Anyway, I shall look forward to your next Persiflage . John B1_B5.

  • 7. Samuel  |  March 23rd, 2006 at 10:48 pm

    The transcript is now online!

  • 8. Andrew  |  March 24th, 2006 at 2:16 am

    Hi Samuel,

    I’m sad to hear that you won’t be continuing with Editorial Echoes, as I’m one of the people who’d been downloading the show daily.

    To be honest, I was a bit skeptical when you announced that your new podcast would be a daily one. Downloading a show every day is a pretty big commitment, and I wasn’t sure that your casual visitors/listeners would be able to keep up with your output. I thought a weekly or even bi-weekly format would’ve been more popular.

    Do you plan to try relaunching the show in a different format sometime down the track?

    Andrew.

  • 9. Samuel  |  March 24th, 2006 at 2:27 am

    Maybe Andrew. At the moment it is gone, but a lot of my things which are “gone” end up coming back as specials. If it comes back it will probably be less regular.

    It was a learning experience, I learned a thing or two about spoken editorials and about recording with a digital notetaker, and even interviewing random people in public (I hope I never get that assignment if I end up working for a newspaper, I pity the people in The Chronicle who not only have to get a quote but also a photo).

    I probably learned a thing or two about the audience of this website too.

  • 10. Chuck A. Spear  |  March 24th, 2006 at 3:09 am

    Man. This was a tuff post to read and an emotional show to listen to. Everyone was talking about the Commonwealth Games at work while I was in the corner inconsolable with the news that my name sake was no more.

    I am thinking of putting together a sub-committee to find out why Editorial Echoes fell into the digital abyss on the weekend. I am also seriously thinking about a petition and or chanting so that Editorial Echoes will rise from the dead and fill our lives with meaning.

    Samuel’s intelligent and sometimes controversial opinions were a good way to get my day started. What am I going to do now?

    I hope Samuel rethinks his position on this and I emplore all SGS fans and listeners to give him the support he needs.

    Tell us Samuel. What have you learn’t about the audience of this website. Because you have taught me a hell of a lot about patchwork art, cable laying, plain english and 2CC. The list could go on.

    RIP Editorial Echoes. Lets hope you come back before the Messiah does.

  • 11. Samuel  |  March 24th, 2006 at 3:15 am

    Two things readily spring to mind Chuck:
    1. Lots of people may be interested to start with, but that doesn’t mean they will be when it finishes.
    2. A download each day doesn’t interest a lot of the audience. I’m very appreciative of those that did retain interest though.

  • 12. John B1_B5  |  March 24th, 2006 at 11:42 am

    I think I shoud receive some sort of “Loyal Member” award .

  • 13. Chuck A. Spear  |  March 25th, 2006 at 2:38 am

    Alan Jones will give you a loyal member John.

  • 14. John B1_B5  |  March 25th, 2006 at 6:27 pm

    I don’t listen to that ass hole .

  • 15. Samuel  |  March 25th, 2006 at 6:38 pm

    Yes John, you and everyone else who continuously listened to Editorial Echoes deserves a “loyal member award”…I think it came in the form of my thanks during the podcast.

    I knew you would deal with heatseeker’s comment with the contempt it deserved.

  • 16. heatseeker  |  March 26th, 2006 at 11:12 am

    Huh, please explain? Whic comment of mine deserved contempt Samuel? Well, I knw they pretty much all do, but which one in particular are you referring to?

  • 17. Samuel  |  March 26th, 2006 at 11:26 am

    Sorry Heatseeker, I’m just so used to you bringing up Alan Jones that I somehow thought it was your comment when in fact it was Chuck’s.

    Sorry Heatseeker

  • 18. heatseeker  |  March 26th, 2006 at 11:35 am

    I agree that Alan Jones is contemptable … and shame on Chuck for beating me to a Gloria punchline!

  • 19. heatseeker  |  March 26th, 2006 at 11:35 am

    And we alll know where Gloria likes to be punched!

  • 20. seepi  |  March 26th, 2006 at 9:30 pm

    Back to HECS at CIT – ;if feers turn to HECS they will not remain as low as they are. This is why people are against it. Uni fees used to be similar to CIT fees – in the hundreds each year. After HECS they have come to be many thousands for each year. People can see this happening to CIT fees too.
    – Also – a lot of your site is appearing crossed out on my computer.


Calendar

March 2006
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  

Most Recent Posts

Login/Logout


Blix Theme by Sebastian Schmieg and modified for Samuel's Blog by Samuel Gordon-Stewart.
Printing CSS with the help of Martin Pot's guide to Web Page Printability With CSS.
Icons by Kevin Potts.
Powered by WordPress.
Log in