...And The Whole ANN Team Faints From Exhaustion

While perusing through our vast server network at ANN's World Headquarters (and Tanning Salon) in Florida, Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell made a surprising discovery Wednesday: up to that point, we'd done 299 of our extremely popular Aero-Cast segments.

That means that with tonight's ANN Daily Briefing, we've hit 300 broadcasts (combined with the Touch-And-Go and our Daily Feature, we'll actually hit 302).

Whew...

That number includes our earliest forays into the realm of podcasting at Oshkosh in 2005 -- when much of our time was spent learning to work the extremely finicky early recorders, with at-best limited success.

It also includes our tentative first steps into feature audio reporting... and on through to today's far more polished daily Aero-Cast segments, consisting of a Touch-And-Go, a more in-depth Daily News Briefing and our ANN Special Features -- five days per week. Best of all, this effort represents thousands of stories, hundreds of interviews, and the insights we've gained from working with amazing folks who are truly the heart and soul of the aviation and aerospace world (like AOPA's Phil Boyer, shown below right, in our first Aero-Cast Daily News Feature Interview, last year).

"This is but the tip of the iceberg. ANN is all about getting immediate and valuable information about aviation and aerospace out to flyers and aviation professionals all over the world. Part of that effort is also about taking the lead in finding new and innovative ways to get that information out as quickly and as comprehensively as possible. Over the next few months, we promise to not only increase our audio and online news coverage but to add even more exciting news products to the mix. We have an amazing team of people doing this for ANN and we're tremendously excited about new developments we're working on, as we speak. You ain't seen nothing yet... " noted ANN's Jim Campbell.

Truth be told... if we'd known then what we know now, we might have started out a bit more slowly... but what can we say? We hit the ground running, and you -- our listeners -- responded. And we're grateful.

Of course, the ANN staff is also VERY grateful for Senior Editor Pete Combs, who brings his 30 years of experience in print, radio, and television journalism to the microphone each and every evening.

Many of our listeners (it's still VERY cool to be able to say that... our listeners) have commented on the professionalism Pete exudes behind the mike... no doubt helped, in part, by the dulcet baritone of a voice that was made for radio (which is fortunate... as, alas, his face was also made for radio.)

When told of the milestone, Pete said, "I didn't realize we'd done so many. It's sort of like giving birth to an elephant... every night."

Pete says he's become a firm believer in Aero-Casting. "It's not broadcasting, it's 'narrow-casting' -- reaching out to a much smaller audience than might justify a full-blown radio network," he said.

"The concept is so exciting that radio stations and networks all over the world are getting in on it. But for pilots, I think it has a special application. You can download our podcasts at the front-end of a trip and listen to it enroute as time permits -- as well as on your PC at home or at work."

Note: ANN is currently taking resumes for future positions with our Aero-Casting News Team. If you think you have the credentials to be a part of this effort, we'd love to hear from you. We're looking for knowledgeable aviators with strong news and audio/podcasting skills. Please send your resume to the boss if you would like to be considered...  

FMI: www.aero-news.net/podcasts