Popular podcasting site BlogTalkRadio has raised $1.9 million in Series B funding from the Kraft Group, Howard Lindzon, Roger Ehrenberg and founder Alan Levy. BlogTalkRadio, which was founded in 2006 and allows anyone can set up a podcast or “radio talkshow” over the web using phone calls, had previously raised $4.6 million in Series A funding in 2008 led by the Kraft Group.
This additional funding will be used for product development and to help BlogTalkRadio expand its solutions to other verticals. few key verticals.BlogTalkRadio’s unique platform allows individuals and companies to use a phone to conduct a live broadcast via the web. Participants dial a phone number, enter the broadcast and then the entire conversation is streamed on air live through the BlogTalkRadio Web site. The site also archives all radio shows as podcasts, so they can easily be uploaded to iTunes and then shared on other blogs, sites etc. → Read More
A number of services have taken off that make it easy to share pictures via Twitter. A number of iPhone apps also build in this functionality. There are so some that do the same for video now. But audio recording has yet to really take off on the platform, and Cinch, a new service from BlogTalkRadio, hopes to change that, and extend it to Facebook and the web too.
True to its name, the core idea behind Cinch is to make it very simple to share your content. You can create a Cinch account, but if you already have a Twitter or Facebook account that you wish to connect to, that works just as well. Once you’ve done that in the iPhone app (you can also connect to either of those via the website, but the app is more useful), you’re taken to a start up screen which features a big red record button to start recording your audio. Once you’re done, just hit publish to send it out. → Read More
BlogTalkRadio is a popular podcasting site with about 4.5 million listeners a month. And it’s no stranger to large-scale live podcasts, as some pull in more than 20,000 listeners while they’re going on. But on Wednesday, the service is likely to see their popularity taken to the next level as none other than the President of the United States will be on a program live for the site.
President Obama will be making an appearance on a special program called “40 Minutes For Health Reform” which will stream live exclusively on BlogTalkRadio. Specifically, the President’s part will be the last 10 minutes of the show after he listens in on the first 30 minutes during which there will be a roundtable discussion about the topic with the leaders of the non-profit group, Faithful America. → Read More
BlogTalkRadio, the site that allows online broadcasters to generate shows using phone calls, has introduced a new feature they call “Ask the host”. The feature allows fans listening to live shows to interact with the show’s host in real-time using VoIP and their computer’s microphone. After finding a participating live show on BlogTalkRadio’s servers, listeners can “dial-in” with an embedded Flash widget. While the feature may not sound particularly exciting at first (radio shows have let callers participate for ages), BlogTalkRadio says that it will open the door to international participation. In the past, users needed to call a New York phone number, which could lead to costly phone calls for anyone located outside the United States. Done right, this could lead to some very compelling discussion – imagine a talk show on international politics with input from around the world. BlogTalkRadio tries to make online broadcasting as simple as setting up a conference phone call. Since it launched in 2006, the site has added a number of notable members to its service, including The Petagon and Sun Microsystems (which run branded private ‘Stations’ on the site). Another player in this space is TalkShoe. CrunchBase Information Blog Talk Radio Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
New York based Drop.io launched a dead simple “drop box” for files last November. The service is online storage on the back end, with a very simple/clean user interface and upload features on the front end. It is similar to box.net and a number of other startups. Users can upload files via a Flash tool or by simply emailing files to a designated address. Files an also be uploaded via a widget (see example here in the right sidebar). The page itself (example) can be open or password protected. The pages can be anonymous, and each one, called a “drop,” has 100 MB of free storage (you can upgrade to 1 GB for $10/year). There are also RSS feeds and email alerts for drops, although they do not contain enclosures. You have to link through to get to the actual file. All in all, it’s a fairly generic service with a better-than-average but hardly revolutionary interface. Today, though, they added a very nice niche feature called, simply, Voice. Every drop page has a phone number and extension associated with it. Call the number, dial the extension and record an unlimited length voice message (subject only to the overall 100 MB file size limitation). The file will appear momentarily as a MP3 file on the drop page. This is an easy way to record a voice note, or even a simple podcast message. For now you can only have one person on the line, so conference calls aren’t a built in feature. Of course, you can always simply three-way dial the drop.io number as well as another person and record a call, or add drop.io to Skype to record a conference call there. This reminds me of Dave Winer’s TwitterGram project that he created with BlogTalkRadio last year. There are also basic web-based recording functions that turn your voice into a MP3 (see Daft Doggy), although those do not tie into an actual phone number. I like the service because it’s very, very easy to use and has no real restrictions. It would be perfect if they simply added the file as an enclosure to an email or RSS feed as well, but for now that isn’t an option. CrunchBase Information drop.io Box.net Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Podcasts are fun to listen to, but they’d be even cooler if you could listen live and IM your feedback to the host in real time. The soon to launch service BlogTalkRadio will make that possible. BlogTalkRadio is targeting bloggers who want to hold a live telephone conversation with up to 5 people on a phone line at once. Anyone can listen live to the call on the phone or through Windows Media Player, like a live web radio show. Listeners can also download an archived copy of the conversation later. Revenue from contextual advertising is split 50/50 with show hosts. The site is live and users can register for accounts, but it looks like calls won’t be able to be performed until tomorrow. Will a significant number of text bloggers want to go live by voice through a service like this? I’m not sure they will, but if they do BlogTalkRadio looks like a good service. It’s certainly trying to cross some barriers into easy multi-media self production – and make it live. In cases where the two media are integrated well this could be very cool. The New Jersey company is headed by CEO Alan Levy, a telecom entrepreneur who sold a previous start up called Destia Communications to Viatel. Previously profiled TalkShoe is a similar service, but requires a Windows only desktop client. TalkShoe has a more complicated revenue sharing model and doesn’t say what percentage of the advertising goes to show hosts. It allows up to 25 callers at once, compared to BlogTalkRadio’s 4 callers at a time. Waxxi, another service we’ve profiled here before, offers a similar service. Radio Handi is yet another option, see below in comments for more info. BlogTalkRadio looks simple to use. Blogging requires one skill set, though, and juggling live phone conversations mixed with IM from listeners requires another. I imagine that a relatively small number of good blogs will produce good talk radio through a system like this. But maybe I’m wrong. I’m sure many people will want to give it a try. If successful, live talk radio could offer a powerful way to deepen the connection between a blog and its readers. CrunchBase Information Blog Talk Radio Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
