Wasteland Radio: Three Years Swim

Today I want to tell the story of a niche Internet radio. About its ups and downs and a little about technical implementations. But in fact, this is exclusively an advertising, paid post, but if this does not scare you, then get ready to taste a lot of letters.

Becoming

So, it all started back in 2008. The trees were taller then, the grass was greener, and I was naive.

My provider decided to give each user a white ip-address. And if there is a white IP, then it’s a sin not to use it. The choice fell on the creation of an online radio station. I had a little experience at that time, winamp with icecast was spinning on my home computer, which broadcast my music collection to LAN (work and home were on the same network, and this freed me from the problem of dragging and keeping my favorite music at work). If there is an IP address, then there must be a server, and with this in mind, I assembled a small piece of iron for the radium server out of illiquid, it was 433 stumps and 128 RAM. FreeBSD was chosen as the axis, and the broadcastcast server is still the same icecast (in terms of its characteristics, it satisfied me more than shoutcast). After assembling this good into a single whole, the question arose: what to broadcast and what to broadcast. There were no big problems with the second one, the first Fallout was once again delivered to the home computer, and it was then that the format began to form: jazz, blues, early rock and roll and a slight dilution with dark ambient. And through the method of three P (Finger, Floor, Ceiling) the name is chosen: "Wasteland Radio." But then the first question arose: what to broadcast. Winamp did not satisfy me anymore, because I wanted beautiful transitions, rotation rules, and sound beats every hour, and the home computer could not be online for 24 hours. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celeron under 1000 megahertz. it was then that the format began to form: jazz, blues, early rock and roll and a slight dilution with dark ambient. And through the method of three P (Finger, Floor, Ceiling) the name is chosen: "Wasteland Radio." But then the first question arose: what to broadcast. Winamp did not satisfy me anymore, because I wanted beautiful transitions, rotation rules, and sound beats every hour, and the home computer could not be online for 24 hours. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celeron under 1000 megahertz. it was then that the format began to form: jazz, blues, early rock and roll and a slight dilution with dark ambient. And through the method of three P (Finger, Floor, Ceiling) the name is chosen: "Wasteland Radio." But then the first question arose: what to broadcast. Winamp did not satisfy me anymore, because I wanted beautiful transitions, rotation rules, and sound beats every hour, and the home computer could not be online for 24 hours. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celeron under 1000 megahertz. early rock and roll and a little dark ambient dilution. And through the method of three P (Finger, Floor, Ceiling) the name is chosen: "Wasteland Radio." But then the first question arose: what to broadcast. Winamp did not satisfy me anymore, because I wanted beautiful transitions, rotation rules, and sound beats every hour, and the home computer could not be online for 24 hours. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celeron under 1000 megahertz. early rock and roll and a little dark ambient dilution. And through the method of three P (Finger, Floor, Ceiling) the name is chosen: "Wasteland Radio." But then the first question arose: what to broadcast. Winamp did not satisfy me anymore, because I wanted beautiful transitions, rotation rules, and sound beats every hour, and the home computer could not be online for 24 hours. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celeron under 1000 megahertz. "But then the first question arose: what to broadcast. Winamp did not satisfy me anymore, because I wanted beautiful transitions, rotation rules, and sound beats every hour, and the home computer could not be online for 24 hours. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celery under 1000 megahertz. "But then the first question arose: what to broadcast. Winamp did not satisfy me anymore, because I wanted beautiful transitions, rotation rules, and sound beats every hour, and the home computer could not be online for 24 hours. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celeron under 1000 megahertz. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celery under 1000 megahertz. SAM Broadcaster was taken as the broadcasting program (why it? Just from the Niks broadcasting programs I did not know anything at all, and a Windows application with a bunch of features was taken). Well, for the iron component in the corridor, a second piece of iron was already installed under the control of Windows 2K, here I was more lucky, there was already a celeron under 1000 megahertz.I can say that these two "servers" in the winter increased the temperature in the corridor by a couple of degrees, and there it was warmer than in the kitchen. The features of SAM's configuration were the use of PAL scripts. In fact, SAM played the auto-DJ function with little logic.

This period was marked by a small number of listeners (as advertising was carried out according to the “tell your friends” method), experiments with the format and knowledge of automation capabilities. Peaks of 10 people were considered success.

Youth

Youth began suddenly. I came across a Fallout online project known as FOnline, and then Fallout 3 came out. It was at the end of 2008. From the second came disappointment and the thought that the format was chosen correctly. But FOnline was more productive for the radio. The phonlinephile society gave a steady influx of listeners and replenished the ranks of the “workers” of the radio. At the same time, the goal is set: to be not only in the format, but also to be roleplaying, entourage project. The first broadcasts begin in voice, the events of the FO game server, world news are consecrated, the first series of pseudo-advertising messages is recorded: “Do not forget that every weekend a caravan arrives in Arroyo, which buys moles of rat moles.” Then the presenters come to the project. Almost every evening - airing. The outputs were produced according to the podcast system: first we write, process, we drop it on the server, at the appointed time, the podcast sounds on the air. This system was based on the fact that no one had a live broadcast experience. The number of PAL scripts for SAM rasslo. As a result, auto-DJ synchronized its base with FTP, the rotation worked on a more complex system, the music base grew by a hundred gigs, thanks to the rules for repeating the repetition of a track, it was very rare. The home Internet channel could no longer withstand the peaks of the audience.

Maturity

The growing number of listeners and popularity in certain circles no longer left a chance for home Internet. A simple VDS is purchased, on which icecast and ice0 are placed (which serves as a backup stream formation, in case the Internet channel falls at my place). The home server is undergoing upgrade and demolition of Windows, as well as replacing it with freeBSD, SAM is still very thick for the functions of a simple auto-DJ. Instead, it uses the same ice0 with a perl script. The same functions fall on it as on SAM; at the same time, perl is challenged to implement everything that SAM was capable of (more precisely, what I used in SAM). This period passed somewhere from mid-2008 to 2010. During interesting programs, the 100 megabit channel could no longer cope, but on average it was enough. Wishing people came, and there was already a “competitive” basis for admission to the team (through an interview) with the aim of eliminating inadequate comrades. Unfortunately, in addition to the influx of people, there was an outflow. This idea ceased to interest someone, someone found it difficult to do something for a virtual “thank you”. Experiments were conducted with software, ices0 changes to liquidsoap, the module for ordering songs is tested (which died safely after about a year.

Start of fading

The end of 2010. Due to some disagreement with the developers, it was decided to step back from the direct events of FOnline. The first attempts at direct advertising in other communities. The growth of listeners ceases to go; apparently, the radio has already completely filled its niche. Also, people from the team leave in more numbers than they come. As an experiment, an “alternative” view of the Wasteland radio - Last Wave, starts. Format: Dark ambient only, no lead and dumb talk. Listeners like it. There is no global transition of people from one wave to another. The software is the same, the expansion of the music base is slow and leisurely.

Sopor

all of 2011. Absolutely all people left the project, as in the beginning, the radio becomes the project of one shaman. The last airing took place a very long time ago. Radio switches to “eternal” automatic broadcasting, which pleases those couple of dozens of devoted listeners. One of the reasons for “canning” the project was the plan to create a radio project based on another online game with a very strong community. That experiment was a success, but that's another story ...

Rebirth?

Present time. Behind the project are many difficulties. Not one move between hosters. The death of screws with all the content. The death of backup screws, and even once the death of the main screw with the site and backup. Periods of silence and hyperactivity. Momnta, when I was homeless, carrying a server in my bag when moving on friends. Thanks to wasteland radio, I met good people who are still on my friends list. I comprehended the basics of Internet broadcasting Tao, improved my perl skills, php, * nix administration, team leader skills (though I haven’t really succeeded here) and trolling. I even tried flash and AS once (I didn’t like it).

What is the project now? Eternal oblivion among the audience. Thinned to one third of the music base. Downed rotation rules. One hundred years of non-updated information on the site. And the memory, the memory of those happy days when we were younger, our heads were hotter and there were no thoughts that you were doing something wrong and wrong.

You can end, completely close the project, delete all the content and sleep peacefully, not recalling it as an old dream, but you do not want to upset those few who continue to listen to the radio and throw so much spent opinion into the water. Still, I continue to believe that this project does not deserve to die, but is only waiting for the right moment to spread its wings, like a mythical phoenix bird.

I want to express gratitude to all those people who worked on this project. I also thank the Russian-speaking Internet broadcasting community: radiotalk

Well, now the advertising links, to the most curious:

Wasteland Raido website
MP3 Stream 128 kb
AAC Stream + 48 kb

Last Wave Website
MP3 128 kb Stream

Flash Player