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What is it all about?

Imagine having an on-line information station dedicated to the outdoors at your fingertips? Somewhere you can visit for inspiration, information and entertainment at any time of the day or night, from anywhere in the world and select programmes to suit your mood and taste!

Well, now you can at The Outdoors Station. A UK based independent creator of free on-line audio and video programmes, catering for outdoor enthusiasts. We have thousands of listeners around the world interested in all aspects of outdoor life. They enjoy our wide mix of lifestyle and activity news, interviews at all levels, equipment reviews and sharing the thrills and adventures of others.

We talk to anyone with the same passion for the outdoors and this includes a
wide variety of activities. Be it – skiing, hiking, boating, walking, kayaking, canoeing, biking, adventure travel, climbing, equestrian activities and running. Plus of course, we get the latest news and information from exhibitions, the outdoor trade, the media, bloggers and other podcasters around the world.

The Outdoors Station was started back in mid 2006 as the popular words ‘Podcasts’, ‘Listen Again’ and ‘Portable Media Players’ started to appear on every media delivery service. Why can’t the Outdoors World have their own information resource and common place and share passion and useful information with a view to enjoying their outdoor activities more! All interests are welcome, land sea or air based. Manufacturers and distributors have information to share about products or services and are often frustrated by the current delivery options. Media is expensive to produce and most companies are usually already working to capacity, which means they can’t spend time exploring and developing new communication channels.

Enthusiasts also love to share. Our stories may not seem impressive to us, but there’s always someone who is inspired by what they hear. How problems are overcome, and enjoyment delivered.
 

Outdoor people from all over the world are wanting more. More information, more facts and more understanding behind the products or equipment they may be considering, or even already using. They are a technically savvy audience and have all the facilities to access, store and review information presented using new media. All they need is a PC, broadband and if they want to take it away with them, a portable media player. (See what gear do I need?) (See portable media players)

So why not bring both ends of this spectrum together AND add a few more benefits which will spice up the mix? The current podcast team is Bob Cartwright, Andy Howell and their long suffering and patient partners Rose and Kate. Many late nights are spent bringing you this content so if you enjoy it, do let us know so we can add it to our listeners page.

 

The podcast revolution

It is hard to believe the Podcast revolution is only just over 12 months old! And yet it is everywhere, in the news, on the radio and on TV, as end users are encouraged to ‘time shift’ their entertainment to suit their needs. You’ve probably seen thousand of commuters move each day plugged in to portable media players, phones and laptops. Joggers, hikers in fact anyone traveling can now be seen plugged into some kind of portable entertainment format.

So why not dedicate a channel purely for those interested in this outdoor world? A channel which holds audio and video information, which can be downloaded free of charge, and used for reference, ideas and research prior to making a purchasing decision?

Rather than hoping a retail outlet will put up a tent for you in the shop, or have time to fill a rucksack full of practical items on a busy Saturday, or seeing if you can take a jacket out in the rain, what if you could see it all on video or hear all your questions answered or compare similar products just by clicking ‘download’.

Another website we have produced for, has set the bench mark for the production of quality podcasts in the UK and since October 2005 has achieved over 100,000 downloads, all around the world just on the subject of lightweight backpacking. The popularity of the programs have spread purely by word of mouth. Just imagine if the outdoor industry were to run with it? You could have wall to wall, product or service information before you make your way to your chosen retailer! Fantastic!

(What is a podcast?)

What about the ‘extra’ bit to help retailers?

This takes a while to sink in, as we are moving away from the traditional advertising concept. As an example let us say an audio or video podcast is produced about a ‘Widget’, which we place into iTunes and all other podcast directories around the world for download. So far so good. It will simply appear on desktops all over the world next time a subscriber switches his PC on. However, as the content would be non-retailer specific, any retailer, anywhere in the world could put a ‘link’ back to it from their website without worrying about bias, such as ‘Want to know more? Click here to download the ‘Widget’ podcast from The Outdoors Station’.

Retail staff could also use the programs as a resource and additional background knowledge. They could even play them on a audio system in retail outlets for their customers!

The ‘links’ could also appear in chat rooms, forums, emails and so on. No data is passed, so therefore there are no attachment firewall issues. The end user knows that by one click they are going to get the relevant information to support the ‘Widget’, which will help them make a purchasing decision. Be that audio or video. They have the ‘choice’ to download the program or not. This means their mail box isn’t full of unwanted rubbish.

Oh and those ‘links’ we mentioned? We will provide those ‘links’ to the sponsors of the programs for free distribution to their retailers world-wide, all as part of the package, so there’s nothing complicated to worry about.

Who is paying for it?

As you might expect the media production, the hosting and the administration of such a service requires funding and this is covered by various forms of sponsorship.

There will be two types of programs here on The Outdoors Station.

Progam Type 1> Programs where the sponsor funds the production and hosting package. These will be clearly labeled and identified as such, so the listener understands where the information has come from and who has paid for it. For example; ‘This program is sponsored by Wiget Rucksacks and today we are looking at what’s new in their range of day packs for the 2007 season’.

Program Type 2> Independent programs produced by The Outdoors Station. News items, general topics, hints, tips and interviews with people in the outdoor world who just get out there and enjoy it!

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