Posts Tagged ‘sandgolem’

So, for readers who aren’t already familiar, could you introduce yourself and give us a quick rundown of what 91.8 is exactly?

I am Sandgolem, a humble guy that just found he loves being behind a microphone, I set out about 2 and a half years ago to create a radio station and it finally happened with 91.8 The Fan. 91.8 The Fan is the first contemporary anime radio station. Basically, we all used to listen to anime radio stations that were all music all the time. We thought where is the talk show with interviews? Where are the fun hosts and cool contests? So we set out to bring that to the fans. Basically a site where you can see something new posted everyday and a radio station that has round the clock DJ’s and entertainment.

I’ve seen you mention that the station has been two and a half years in the making. Where did the idea for a streaming anime radio station first start?

It basically started with a podcast we used to do called “Into The Rough” which was a gaming podcast that Kanashimi, Kibs, and myself all undertook. From there I discovered my love for broadcasting and the adrenaline rush I got when facing a microphone knowing that thousands are listening to your every word! Since that day we have been working towards launch non-stop!
What has your daily life become now as opposed to a few months ago when the station was still growing and finding its legs?

My daily life? Well… basically the station has become my life (laughs). I’ve discovered that most days sleep can be optional. Though it’s really a labor of love, every day I log in and see all the people that enjoy our work and love hearing their favorite DJ. And it just causes me to work harder on the site and radio station even more!

What were some of the biggest challenges in getting the streaming station off the ground? Anything along the way that ended up being a much bigger challenge than you initially thought?

Not so much a challenge since everyone on the staff always understood how tough a job it was going to be from day one. I suppose if I had to say anything I would say finding and organizing the volunteers for start-up was hard. However, that being said as long as you’re willing to work hard and focus in on the station then things generally go smoothly. There are of course always hiccups in live radio such as last minute guest reschedules, and technical glitches but that comes with the territory.

What kinds of things can fans look forward to in 2010 for 91.8?

Fans can look forward to a TON of new stuff! One of our big announcements includes the re-launch of our anime directory. Our anime directory is a bit different than your typical one though, ours lists all the places you can find all the legal and free anime to stream online. What’s great about it is that it will really depend on users to survive, so it is another way for our visitors to get involved.

Then we have the live call in board going up soon on the station, which basically allows users to call into the show for free anywhere in the world to request songs, ask guests questions, and generally be a part of our show!

Lastly, the big thing on our site that is looking to launch as soon as possible is our Musical Database Interface on the site. Where you can see all the info about each song that is playing right down to the lyrics, can put in request via this system for the DJ to play it, rate as well as be led to all the places you can buy it legally online.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer some questions! Good luck to you and 91.8 in the coming year!

Thanks! I loved stopping by to chat with you!