Air America Radio gone 'members only'?

[upi402]

I always logon to AAR to stream broadcasts, but this time I was told I couldn't anymore until I register. Does anyone know what's up with that?

[GrpCaptMandrake]

1. Saw that myself this evening

Apparently, they want us to register so that they can later pitch their "memberships."

Also looks as though they're going to try to put the ki-bosh on anyone else archiving the programming.

[BuyingThyme]

2. If this is true, it's a BAAAAAD move.

[jefferson_dem]

Check it out. "Free" (for now) registration required.

http://www.airamericaradio.com/user/register

[Pirate Smile]

6. I don't mind them wanting to have a member ship list to help

promote themselves re advertising, etc.

I've already registered at so many newspaper websites that I certainly don't mind registering at AAR. I hope it helps them.

[ClassWarrior]

3. Yup. There ain't an AAR station in my market - and the people here who...

...are agitating for one are the people who stream and podcast it.

Out of sight (or hearing), out of mind.

NGU.

[MADem]

8. Use a mailinator address for your email

(you'll have to check it until the response email shows up to get the instructions, but then, it fades away) and make up all the login shit. Become George Washington, Male, age 76, from the White House zip code...or Major Arsehole from Camp LeJeune, or General Nuisance from SOCOM!!

Eventually, BUGMENOT will have a few logins, I suspect.

Who really tells the truth on those log in forms? I never do--screw 'em. It's MY information, not theirs!

[BuyingThyme]

10. What's mailinator?

[MADem]

13. Go here

http://www.mailinator.com/mailinator/index.jsp

I've been using it for years, cuts way down on junk mail. I highly recommend it. You can only RECEIVE mail, mind you, and the account and the mail disappears after a few hours, so if you sign up for something and need a feedback email, you have to keep checking to see when it arrives. Then, cut and paste the info, and off you go!

[BuyingThyme]

15. uoY knahT

[MADem]

18. !emitynA n/t (or should I say t\n??)

[libnnc]

4. this is not good

I don't like this at all. And another hoop to jump through just to get to listen. My partner and I are used to just a few clicks. She's gonna be really pissed.

[SimpleMan]

5. I don't know...

It seems to work fine for me using RealPlayer.

[bluestateguy]

7. It's still free

Just register, and make sure to de-check off the part that commits you to getting regular sales pitch e-mails.

[Nomad559]

9. I have all of the streaming

audio links here.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/Air_America/Radio.html

:)

[Rosco T.]

11. Bandwidth costs money....

.. simple fact of life. If you read the message it says the live streaming will remain free, you may have to have pay to get the archives.

Bandwidth costs money, no matter if it's live or downloading a podcast.

[alfredo]

12. I just logged on with no problem

I am using an appleScript to launch Real Audio.



tell application "RealPlayer"
run
open location "http://play.rbn.com/?url=airam/airam/live/live.rm&proto=rtsp"
end tell

[texanwitch]

17. Thanks, that worked.

[alfredo]

20. Love AppleScript.

[BrewerJohn]

29. I'm using Windoze and have a fairly geeky method

which still works fine. I use Media Player Classic (see, for example
http://www.divx-digest.com/software/media_player_classic.html
)
and I have the RealPlayer codecs, from Real Alternative or some other source (don't quite remember anymore), which MPC can access.

I have the direct streaming URL
rtsp://rx-wes-sea154.rbn.com/farm/*/airam/airam/live/live.rm
bookmarked in MPC. I just click on its menu item and I'm there.

This will work with Winamp also, as long as you have the codecs and a Winamp plugin that can access them.

On edit: I don't know why the rtsp URL broke, but just copy it and remove the space after 'farm'.

[upi402]

14. Yep, it's free, but with commercials it should be open.

The AAR station in my area is airing football and basketball games in place of Randi Rhodes and others. There was even a phony 'interview' during election time. The guest was promoting a conservative initiative. So I like to stream it, to the detriment of local advertisers.

It should be free and easily accessible until it grows a lot more. It's also politically liberal and the data mining firms will be raping it like a Rumsfeld detainee. It ain't Secure Socket...

RealPlayer is what I usually use and it wont let me listen like I always did. No good -in my opinion.

[TheFarseer]

16. I listened to Air America the other night

it was solid commercials for 15+ minutes, so I turned it off to listen to the game if they're going to be like that. I'm usually pretty underwhelmed with their programming anyway.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Been a member for one year and change

I registered way back when so had to ask them what is my password?

Look folks it is a business and we do this for so many other places...

[upi402]

21. Been a member 1 1/2 yrs too! But it's still not playing on either player.

And I still think it's kinda weird.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. log in, I had to.. listening to the replay of malloy

as I type

[w13rd0]

22. It's a business, and they...

...need information regarding listener audience for advertising and marketing purposes. I don't have a problem with it as long as they make efforts to ensure the internet streaming audience they've built isn't left in the cold. I registered some time back, and if they want to send an occassional sales email to me, that's fine, as long as they don't sell the address with which I registered to third-parties. The entire Internet/subscription model and how to handle it is something every service-oriented internet-business is dealing with.

[pstans]

23. I think it is good

They can track where their listeners are and then target the areas with the most listeners to get new stations. I will probably try and listen on the computer more instead of XM now, in hopes they get a station in my area.

[Roxy66]

24. No...I logged in was able to listen right away

[egadsbrain]

25. Uh oh... Air America Place is down?!?!

I just went to download some shows from the AAP archives and the site won't load. I hope this isn't part of the Goldberg business plan...:grr:

[derby378]

27. God, I hope not

That's how I download all the Randi Rhodes archives.

Don't get all cheap on us, Danny - remember, without us, AAR wouldn't even exist.

[upi402]

28. Had to logoff/logon, then it timed out quickly

me thinks I'm done. I'll just go elsewhere.