March 16, 2007

When The Hobby Becomes The Profession

Just a little over three and a half years ago, I began this blog as a creative writing outlet and a chance to hone my skills. When I launched Captain's Quarters, I had no idea how it would grow, that it would attract this wonderful community of readers and commenters across the political spectrum, or that it would change my life.

Today, with the support of family and friends, I made the transition from hobbyist to full-time worker in the New Media. I have accepted a position as Political Director of Blog Talk Radio, an exciting new venture known to the CQ community but one which I hope to help expand exponentially. It's a chance to work full time in the field which I have grown to love, and an opportunity to help others literally discover their voices.

Why Blog Talk Radio? After weeks of interaction with the owners and the staff, I have come to believe in the product and see it as the next frontier in the democratization of media. In a way, it has even more accessibility and enterprise than blogs did when they first began. For no cost, anyone with a decent broadband connection and a phone can host their own live "radio" show, streamed on the Internet, and accept callers and conduct discussions. When we start adding advertisements, hosts will earn money for their work in a revenue-sharing arrangement with Blog Talk Radio. To top it off, the show automatically podcasts itself and the replay stream is available within minutes of the end of the broadcast.

It's on the cusp of breaking into the mainstream. Last night -- opposite my show, of course -- Blog Talk Radio featured Jennifer Hudson in her own show. The Academy Award-winning actress and singer could interact directly with her fans and talk about her life and her experiences in Dreamgirls and on American Idol. The show attracted over a thousand live listeners and at one point had 125 live callers waiting to talk with Ms. Hudson.

That, by the way, happened with just hours of promotion time available to plug it.

Unfortunately, as one door opens, another closes. I will be leaving my career as a call center manager behind, after eighteen years in my particular industry. My company (which will remain anonymous) has treated the First Mate and I with affection and respect, and we have loved our time with the firm. My two bosses are among the most ethical and honest people with whom I have worked, and when I resigned earlier today, the VP to whom I report could not have possibly been more supportive of my decision. My actual departure date is still being negotiated, but it's fair to say that I will lend them my support in one manner or another for some time to come.

But, I hear you ask, what does this mean for Captain's Quarters? Well, that's the best part. I will have more time and flexibility to blog, as Blog Talk Radio wants to maintain and increase my presence in the commentary community. They see that as an asset for them as well as me. They also have agreed that I will have complete editorial control over the content of CQ. I will helm another blogsite for Blog Talk Radio, which is still in the conceptual mode; it will be similar to their Heading Left and will exist as a conservative partner to it.

Bottom line: within a few weeks, I will be a full-time worker in the New Media industry, working from home, and blogging even more constantly than before. I thank CQ's readers and the many friends I've made over the years that have helped me attain this position -- and I know all of you will find the next few years even more exciting.

UPDATE: Local reader Mr. Michael wonders whether I will give up my other outlets - the Examiner and the NARN. I'll still free-lance on occasion as I have always done, and write op-ed pieces for the Examiner; I'll have more time to do it, especially since I'll have about a two-second commute in the mornings and evenings. So far as I know, the Patriot will have no problem with my new status, so I plan to continue partnering with Mitch on Saturday afternoons, 1-3 pm CT, as always.

UPDATE II: I just called into QandO's Blog Talk Radio show, and had a blast with Dale and McQ. I swear I was not responsible for shifting their start time! Be sure to listen to the podcast.

Also, I want to thank Joe Gandelman for a very nice post about this announcement. Once I get started at Blog Talk Radio, I'll be working with Joe on a couple of projects ...

UPDATE III: Contrary to rumors, I occasionally link to Jeff Goldstein. And Jeff, the nice thing about Blog Talk Radio is that it doesn't come under the authority of the FCC. Drop me a line ....

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/cq082307.cgi/9424

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference When The Hobby Becomes The Profession:

» Captain Ed takes the Boeing from Cadillac Tight
Congratulations to Ed Morrissey, who has finally broken into full-time punditry, after many years of hard work building an audience for his Captain's Quarters Blog. Ed's blogging has been consistently good -- So much so that he's linked by both... [Read More]

» Captain Ed Hits The Big Time from Blue Crab Boulevard
Wow, this is fabulous news from (and to) Ed Morrisey of Captain's Quarters. He is now (or will be in a very short time) a full time employee of the "New Media." A transition from hobby to career. Today, with the support of famil... [Read More]

» The “New” Media Gets Top Blogger As It Heads In New Direction from The Moderate Voice
Watch out Sean, Rush, Randi and Ed. Talk radio is no just belongs to the broadcast airwaves — or even the relatively new frontier of satelite radio. Blog talk radio, which has been around for a bit but seems to be gaining more participants and li... [Read More]

» Giving Something New A Try from bRight & Early
Few, if any, of you know that my first post-college career was in broadcasting. Not talk radio to be sure, but I was a broadcast major and worked at several stations in the first few years after college. Inspired by Captain Ed, I’m going to give ... [Read More]

» FRI MAR 16 I Experience Road Rage for the First Time! from The Pink Flamingo

Thursday was not a good day for me, technologically.

[Read More]

» LA Times Weighs In On Blogs Versus The MSM from The Gun Toting Liberal ™
Let’s file this one under “I’ve been saying this and saying this over here until I’m blue in the face”: Blogs can top the presses By Terry McDermott “… The bloggers used the usual tools of good journalists ev... [Read More]

Comments (15)

Posted by Gbear [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 16, 2007 10:36 PM

Thank you for devoting your time and effort in this new endevor. It is greatly appreciated.

Posted by das411 [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 16, 2007 10:58 PM

Wow, how 21st century is the Captain now?? Congrats and best of luck to you!!

Posted by ed_in_cda [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 16, 2007 11:13 PM

If there is another blogger who is as consistently fair, respectful, articulate and knowledgeable about so many issues, I have never heard of him/her. Imho, you set the standard by which others in the news media ought to be measured. Congratulations and best wishes to you and your family in your new career.

Posted by Only_One_Cannoli [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 12:16 AM

Congratulations, Capt., and thanks for all the interesting reading.

Posted by AnonymousDrivel [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 12:57 AM

Congrats and happy sailing, Ed.

Posted by Kane Rogers [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 2:12 AM

Dear Ed,

This is a great occasion and I wish you, the First Mate and the rest of your family the very best. Your passion has become your new career; that's a huge blessing and I'm very happy for you.

Posted by Right2thePoint [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 2:17 AM

Capt.

I wish you well in your new adventure.

Lucky for you that they have to pay at least the new minimum wage! Oww had to get in that snark.

As long as you are happy with it and you can still get hugs from the firstmate, then life is good.

As long as two partners in the path of your lives can achieve their wants and satisfy their needs, that is a good achievement.

I wish you the best.

Posted by ERNurse [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 6:10 AM

Congratulations, Captain! Best wishes to you and the First Mate for fair winds and following seas.

Posted by Dan-O [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 6:14 AM

Captain, my Captain!

Congrats. It's great to have witnessed the growth and evolution of this blog and your New Media career.

Here's wishing you many days of fair winds and calm seas!

Posted by Rovin [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 7:01 AM

Good Luck in this new venture Cap

"I'll have about a two-second commute in the mornings and evenings."

Does this mean you'll be recieving carbon credits?

Posted by patch [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 7:30 AM

Ed,

Godspeed and Good Luck.

Only piece of advice: Max out the 401K.

Best wishes,

patch

Posted by Peter [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 7:59 AM

Hello Captain
Before I make my comment I must congratulate you on your blog. I like your person, your ideas, your attitude, your honesty, and your writing style.
I know you, quite rightly, pride yourself on your command of the English language, so I hesitate to pick you up on a little 'error' which you have made more than once, as in the following;
My company has treated the First Mate and I with affection and respect, and we have loved our time with the firm.
This should be "the First Mate and me..."
The best way to check on this is to be impolite and put yourself first, and then you see the error - "My company has treated I and the First Mate..."
Correct that little 'error' and it will be just that little bit closer to perfect.
Thanks for a fine blog.
Yours
Peter

Posted by rbj [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 8:36 AM

Congratulations, and best of luck to you, Cap'n -- and even better luck to the FM on her health.

Posted by Chris Fotos [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 10:06 AM

Congratulations Captain! Well deserved and Lord knows well-earned.

When Mickey Kaus pulled this off with Slate, either he or Glenn Reynolds said he was "taking the Boeing." So this is like, what, taking the Cessna Citation?

Posted by Adjoran [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 17, 2007 10:25 PM

ed_in_cda said: "If there is another blogger who is as consistently fair, respectful, articulate and knowledgeable about so many issues, I have never heard of him/her. Imho, you set the standard by which others in the news media ought to be measured. Congratulations and best wishes to you and your family in your new career."


I couldn't agree more. You richly deserve this because you did it "the old-fashioned way" by EARNING it. Congratulations, and I wish you even greater success going forward!