ALEX SMITH AND RADIO ECOSHOCK

Frequently Asked Questions for Radio Station Program Directors

 

 

WHAT IS RADIO ECOSHOCK?

 

A one hour weekly program.  In early May 2011 it was broadcast by 24 college and community stations, in the United States and Canada, plus one commercial station (Green 960 San Francisco). 

 

About fifty Earthbeat stations are being offered Radio Ecoshock, while Earthbeat re-organizes.  See http://www.earthbeatradio.org/

 

Radio Ecoshock is also broadcast by satellite (Star Choice 845), by cable (in British Columbia, Canada), by podcast, and downloads from our site, http://www.ecoshock.org/

 

Ecoshock is provided free to all radio stations.  It contains no advertising, does not push any politcal party, business, or group views.  The program is funded by the host, Alex Smith.

 

WHO IS ALEX SMITH?

 

A long-time environmental activist, former reporter, one-time private investigator, father, world-traveler, host for the past six years of the non-profit weekly program "Radio Ecoshock".

 

WHAT ABOUT CONTENT?

 

This program combines:

 

* interviews with scientists, experts, and activists from all over the world

* original speeches recorded by Alex Smith

* other audio from public sources or used with permission of the producer

* royalty-free music, sound effects, and old radio clips from my large private collection

 

Occasionally we include either a sample or a complete copyright song, assuming our stations have a licensing agreement with the music industry.  We may include film clips, where we interview the producer. 

 

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT?

 

The main thrust of the program is to help create a better environment, safe for all coming generations.

Listeners hear a lot about climate change, the oceans, safe food production, toxics, living forests and the like.  Climate change is our largest single issue.

 

Secondarily, we also cover related issues like the fossil fuel supply system, including peak oil, dangerous nuclear accidents, drilling and mining safety, and the impact of dwindling or dirty fuel supplies on our daily lives.

 

Very rarely, we cover serious financial problems and our personal economy, especially when it endangers switching to safer energy options, or endangers the environment.

 

And in case the situation fails, we also provide help with self-reliance, localization, transition, healthy eating, and food storage.

 

WHERE DOES RADIO ECOSHOCK ORIGINATE?

 

From a home studio in Vancouver, Canada.  Our home station is CFRO Co-op Radio in downtown Vancouver.

 

HOW CAN ALEX COVER U.S. ISSUES FROM CANADA?

 

Alex Smith lived in the United States, in California and Florida.  His father lived in the U.S., his brother is an  American.  Alex has traveled to all the lower 48 states, knows the country, has followed American news closely for many years.

 

Most of the Radio Ecoshock audience is American (about 80%) followed by Canada (about 10%), the UK, Australia, Switzerland (?!), Scandinavia, Russia, and more.  We get email from all over the world, and will phone a guest anywhere to get the story.

 

Many American listeners are not aware the program originates in Canada.

 

HOW MANY SHOWS ARE PRODUCED EACH YEAR? 

 

Radio Ecoshock provides 45 original shows a year, non-stop from September 1st through the first week of July, holidays included.

 

For the summer months, we post 7 re-runs, based on listener choice - the most downloaded shows from the previous 45 week run.  Stations can get those in advance, before the July 4th weekend.

 

HOW CAN STATIONS GET RADIO ECOSHOCK?

 

The program is posted and distributed in several ways.

 

#1. Posted on Pacifica Audioport each Wednesday by 3 pm (Pacific Time), as two 29 minute segments.  That allows stations 2 minutes for station ID and announcements.  No music underbed is provided.  You get 58 minutes of program, split into two halves, leaving timing decisions up to you.

 

#2. There is a CD Quality mp3 podcast of the full 1 hour show (no breaks) for other stations, going out over Itunes and other Podcast distributers, Wednesday by 8 pm Pacific (often earlier).  Find the podcast symbol on this special net page:

http://www.ecoshock.net

 

Click on that symbol, find the onscreen instructions, and you will get the radio-quality podcast weekly and automatically.

 

Starting May 27th, stations can also download the two 29 minute segments version, (allowing time for station ID & announcements) from http://www.ecoshock.net/

 

#3. The full one hour program is posted at archive.org (Wednesday by 8 pm Pacific).  You can find a listing of our program, in date order, newest at the top, at this url:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=radio%20ecoshock&sort=-publicdate

 

That is a handy page if you are looking for past shows to run in empty time slots.  Most of our shows have a long shelf-life, are safe to run any time, unless the content description specifically states a news item (like "the latest on the Fukushima nuclear disaster").

 

Another easier address which shows our newest program is here:  http://www.archive.org/details/ecoshock

 

Click on the item to see the details page, where you can download the high quality mp3, as you would any other download on the Net. 

 

#4. The show is posted at the independent radio distribution site http://www.radio4all.net

 

Posting times vary, from Wednesday right through Sunday.  Guaranteed to be there by Sunday.

 

Find the latest, and past programs in chronological order on this page:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Radio+Ecoshock+Show

 

The radio4all posting has both the 1 hour straight-through show, and two 29 minute segments.

 

#5. If possible, we like to have an email address for each Program Director.  In some unforseen emergency, it might be possible to send the program to you directly using the YouSendIt file delivery system.  That has never happened yet, but it's a good backup.

 

HOW CAN I CONTACT ALEX SMITH?

 

Email is best (I check often) to: radio @  ecoshock.org

 

In case of emergency, or something you want to discuss, phone: (Program Directors, please send an email requesting phone number)

 

Please remember I am in Pacific Time, please do not call in the morning from the East Coast (you will wake me up).

 

I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS

 

Please email or phone me.  I like to talk radio, and work hard to support my stations.