Where Ya Been?

This little ol’ blog celebrates its eighth birthday this month, which is pretty damn old for a blog, you must admit. But I sit here feeling blog-daddy guilt at how neglected it’s become, yet again. Posting is sporadic, and I’ve let the design go to hell (due to some weird WordPress bug that got fixed, but I haven’t had the chance to dig in and repair the design).

So, I guess a little explanation is due.

First of all, I am not giving up on mediageek. The radioshow continues to go on, especially since having a weekly spot on a radio station demands that sort of discipline. But furthermore I still think this enterprise is worth it.

But I’ll admit to having my doubts over the last couple of years. When I started in 2000 there really wasn’t any other blog (that I knew of) covering media policy from independent/reformist angle. There were also much fewer sources for media news, and much of the time I found stuff by reading between the lines of the mainstream press and digging in the FCC’s archives. I think I had more time on my hands and was much quicker on the trigger to get news posted when I did find.

Now, nearly five years after the FCC’s failed attempt at decimating media ownership regs sparked to life a new and invigorated media reform movement, I often feel like I’m not nearly on top of it enough. On top of that the number of critical media groups, websites and blogs has truly exploded. Groups like Free Press and Media Matters for America are doing a great job of getting news and analysis out there–and they’re better funded than I.

Late last year I was telling my friend John this, arguing that it was time to just give up on the media policy analysis on mediageek. He challenged me on that and pushed me to rethink that direction. And I have.

However, a complicating factor has been that I recently have been on a job search and now have accepted a position that soon will be taking me out of the comfortable, familiar environs of Champaign-Urbana, where I’ve called home for more than fourteen years. This process has been fairly distracting, and uncertainty over my ultimate destination placed doubts in my mind about whether or not I’d be able to continue with the blog or radioshow after the move.

Luckily, the prognosis is good for the mediageek empire. At the end of March I will be moving a mere 150 miles north to the great city of Chicago. Although I therefore also will have to leave community radio WEFT, home of the radioshow, there is a very good possibility that there will be a radio station home for mediageek up north. I don’t really want to say more until the possibility is more certain. In any event I feel pretty confident that I will be able to continue producing the show mostly uninterrupted, even if by using a home studio for a while.

I anticipate that my time to work on the mediageek blog will actually increase. First, because I’ll be in a new place with fewer obligations and social ties to distract me. Second, because I want to take this opportunity to refocus my energies on mediageek. Additionally, there is so much interesting independent media action going on in Chicago that I want to expose via the radioshow and blog. Geographic proximity makes this so much easier, at least for me.

As the move date draws nearer I’ll share more details of the transition and the new job, which is quite mediageek-friendly. Please let me know if this info is interesting or boring for you, dear reader. The easies way is to comment right on the blog. You no longer need to register with my blog to post comments — you just have to enter a valid email address (which is not published with your comment).

Comments are closed.

Powered by WordPress. Designed by Woo Themes