Hello, fans of RNR. Thanks to those of you who have checked in to make sure we're still alive and kicking. As you can tell, we're taking a bit of a longer pause between episodes to get some things in order and enjoy the weather. Aye, there's plenty of news and opinion that still need covering, so we'll be back soon with another episode. In the meantime, send us your story ideas, letters, summer plans, etc...you know how to drop us a line.

(April Fools) The Richmond News Review announced today that it has acquired ownership of both the Palladium-Item newspaper (previously owned by Gannett Co., Inc) and Kicks 96 Video News (previously owned by Brewer Broadcasting).

"As we talked about the possibilities for collaboration, we realized that it would be a natural fit to have the Pal-Item and Kicks 96 assets become a part of the RNR's organizational structure," said Chris Hardie, producer and host of the podcast. "Through anonymous community donations and funds received during our recent listener pledge drive, we were able to put together a buy-out package that made sense for the Gannett and Brewer stake-holders." (Read the rest of this entry...)

If you have Internet access on your PDA, cell phone or other wireless device, you can browse the Richmond News Review website to read the latest news and opinion we're covering. To view the RNR on your mobile device, just type in http://richmondnewsreview.com (and bookmark it so you don't have to type it again!). Some devices might not be able to access the site, and others may display it as a regular web page. Let us know how the mobile version of RNR works for you!

I've posted some promotional spots for the RNR for use in other audio productions (e.g. your own podcast, radio shows, etc.) There's a 30-second version and a 15-second version, both in MP3 format. If you're interested in promoting the Richmond News Review and need a spot in some other length or format, just let us know.

Hello, Richmond News Review fans, welcome to 2007! I know it's been more than a month now since the last episode, and for that I'm sorry. Rest assured that we're working on some exciting new features for the show, and that I expect to be back in the host chair again soon. Until then, thanks for your patience, and please keep your feedback and support coming.

Some thoughts on the future of this podcast (shared in a recent episode and reproduced here for your reading pleasure):

Back in July of this year I finally set out to do something about my itch to produce an alternative perspective on news and opinion our community, and the Richmond News Review was born. It's been an amazing experience thus far – I've learned so much about producing a quality audio show, I've made great connections with people who share a desire for this kind of information, and I've had a lot of fun. It's also been difficult at times – the investment of time and money has been constant or even increased as I've tackled new segments, while the incentives in the form of feedback from listeners have been on the decline. While I have felt and still do feel the support of my core audience throughout, I do have to evaluate the sustainability of this effort, especially in the light of all the other projects I am taking on.
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The Richmond News Review is on break for a week or so. We're enjoying some time to step back and think about what we've done so far, and what segments, interviews and other "features" we can bring to the show. While we're away, please feel free to comment on any of the existing episode posts, write in with your feedback, or call our Listener Feedback Line at (765) 997-1727 and leave a comment there (and all of these get you entered for our iPod Nano Giveaway). Thanks for listening, we'll be back soon!

The Richmond News Review is a little over a month old. We've done a lot in that time: produced six shows, had two interviews, and garnered a small but loyal and growing group of listener fans. But there's still a lot to figure out about the identity of the show. I've talked about whether or not a locally-based podcast can survive, and the feedback from at least some listeners out there is that the RNR is performing an important service. But as some people start to refer to us as an alternative source of news, I want to be really careful about what standards and expectations we set.

Is the RNR a primary source of news?
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A few people have asked me what process and equipment I use to produce the Richmond News Review, so I thought I would share some of that in case it's useful to others.
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As I've put together the show each week, it's been on my mind that podcasting as a phenomenon (at least so far) has largely been about covering topics with very broad appeal. Or at least, topics that might find potential interested listeners scattered across the country and the globe - music, global events, television shows, movies, etc. I think this is partly because podcasters thrive on knowing that their material can reach people they've never met, people far away from them in geography and perhaps even in background and lifestyle. So it's natural to wonder whether a podcast like the Richmond News Review that is mainly tied to some geographical locality can survive on different forms of support and encouragement. Is there enough interest (local or anywhere) in having a show that's focused on local news and opinion to justify its existence?

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