Does Altrok Radio Need You? Yes. Yes, we do.

[Sean Carolan]

(Note: Altrok Radio can probably best be described as a "Peel-aware 
Alternative Station".  Not everything on it has come through anything 
that one might describe as a "Peel filter", but a lot of it has - but 
we tend to play things we've added even after they hit the 
mainstream, partly because we've got eight hours a day rather than 
six per week to work with, and partly because, durn it, we played 'em 
first.  This makes us a bit more mainstream than, say, Marcelle's 
work - though we also respect that [a lot] and suggest you pay 
attention to that, too.

We've also been more than happy to welcome bands that Peel 
championed, and Peel recognized that; he was kind enough to mention 
us on-air when we hosted Persil in Asbury Park, and we hosted 
Seedling on another occasion.

But, importantly, if this sort of thing is an imposition, there's no 
need for me to continue it.  Let me know.)

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Folks,

You know how regular radio survives, right?  "Ratings," I hear you 
all say in unison, and that's true.

Ah, but what are "ratings"?  Basically, they're what gets collected 
when a ratings company sends out a little booklet, called a "diary", 
to random people.  People who bother to fill out the booklet - and 
ONLY those people - are the ones whose opinions matter in regular 
radio.

And "those people" are never *you*, are they?

Then stations are programmed, advertisements are sold, produced and 
played, all based only on that little diary book.

Doesn't seem like a really solid basis for such a huge business, does 
it?

Altrok Radio is different.

In fact, here's two really important ways that it's different:

- When you listen, I know someone's listening.  I don't necessarily 
know it's *you*, but I know there's someone out there.  Or that 
there's nobody out there...though that happens less and less these 
days, thanks to you.  But the more you listen, the more visible I am 
when someone out there starts looking for something different to 
listen to.  We've got to save them from finding yet 
another "alternative" station playing Nickelstank, don't we?

- When you go to the Altrok Radio website at 
http://www.altrokradio.com and check out our advertisers, I actually 
make the money I need to keep the station going.  So I don't have to 
do pledge drives, but I do have to keep asking you to look at things 
that might interest you.  You don't even actually have to buy 
anything (though you certainly can if you like.)  Note that I haven't 
the slightest idea who's advertising until I look at the page myself; 
it's all done automatically, but I do on occasion see things I'm 
actually interested in.  (And that's why advertising exists, right?)

But it also means something else: it means that when you have an idea 
that might make the station better, I'm listening.  And if we're 
doing something (that's within our control) that you don't like, we 
want to hear about that, too.

Ultimately, we can only stay around if you care enough to keep us 
around.  It's sort of like the whole "Tinkerbell can't survive unless 
she hears your applause" thing, except in far less fairylike 
surroundings.  (No, really.)

So clap already.  Or click.  Whatever.

And thanks.

-Sean
 Altrok Radio at http://www.altrokradio.com
 Playing When Posted: Beangrowers, "You Are You Are"