So. Tomorrow (that’s Thursday) at 1000 on the dot, you might hear a slight bump in transmission. Then, you should notice two things. First, the schedule will have changed to what I’m calling TX4, which I hope will be the last test transmission – and is definitely the first to be broadcast from our proper playout system. Second, that cute little screen on your DAB radio should come alive with what us new-found experts call ‘DLS’ – scrolling text, revealing at last the name and artist for all songs on Amazing Radio. You can see what you’re listening to. You can tell your friends. You can go to amazingtunes.com and buy an ethical download more easily. Hurrah.
TX4 almost doubles the number of tracks, and it’s now a proper 24 hour schedule, not a loop. But it’s still not the real thing, partly because you’ll decide when we get to the real thing, not me, partly because we chose this playlist, not you. It’ll be the last time. We’ll only stop using the phrase ‘test transmission’ when you’re in charge of the playlist. We need to build up to that.
Next, I’ll blog a bit more about how it goes properly interactive, and what I think the schedule could be like. I’ll talk about some of the people showing an interest in this, what John Peel’s former producer said, today’s Reuters story and why Dutch radio is interested, and about the interesting emails I’ve been getting about playing Amazing Radio in public.
But not now: it’s almost midnight, and I got up this morning at 03.42. Time to ‘lay down’. (Strange how I’m not the least bit tired).
