Looking for Answers and Not Finding Any...

Several months ago, I wrote on this blog that since my retirement from a local AM radio station,
(to paraphrase it just a bit) that "I felt lost, like I'm not sure of the direction I should go" or something to that effect.

After having kind of worked through all that, this week I find myself back at square one.

Internet radio? I have to be blunt about it, I don't believe webcasting as we know it today is going to survive. Financial analysts are saying that no webcaster will be able to generate enough advertising revenue to sustain the new rates. I believe it, especially having seen my own station's numbers.

In February, WJJD was averaging 60 streams per day, and ended up with 1,880 streams with about 1500 in total listening hours (TLH.) The numbers absolutely tumbled during March.
March shows 771 streams and our current TLH has fallen to the 400's. There is only 1 listener online now (no, it's not me) where there used to be 6 to 8 during middays.

While I'd like to be optimistic, in reality I believe most internet stations will be controlled by affiliates of the RIAA, SX and the Big Four record labels. They are the only ones who can play the music and afford the rates. Make no mistake: They WANT us shut down.

I'm considering relaunching my Part-15 AM station. The biggest problem now is, I (along with
Marianne) are struggling to survive at this point. Whatever I can come up with has GOT to work. It's that serious. Because:

*Allstate is cancelling our homeowners insurance, effective July 31. That's scary. Why? Because we live in Florida.

*Our home, which now needs to be insured by another carrier, is structurally unsound. An inspector may check it out and discover that it should be condemned. Those are the exact words I heard this past Saturday, when a family friend and handyman looked the place over.

*We never received our renovation grant. Nada. Not one word, although we were supposed to hear by March 1.

*All of this places my Arbor money, used to help with Benjamin's and Daniel's preschool learning, in jeopardy. We are facing an inspection this month, and there's no way this house will pass. This will cut our income even more.

*Marianne's school loan is now due. Despite her degree, she has not received a single job offer in her field of rehabilitation services and remains at Chaires Elementary in the afterschool program.

I'm frustrated because I have pleaded for help with our housing situation for over a year. We
spent this past winter with no furnace. The siding is rotten. Outlets are falling out of the walls.
We have Christmas lights on the front porch because the front light's electrical circuit no longer works. The laundry room floor is falling through. (We don't use the washer and dryer, and gaven't for many months now.)

Frankly, I don't know when I've felt quite this "bombardment" from ever direction. Even
for me to "work" will require me to net at least $1450 a month to even consider it.

The good news, if there is any, is that for my marketing hours, I made about $36 per hour. I just can't get enough hours in along with everything else.

Whatever the answer is, I don't believe it will be found easily. I'm just spending early morning prayer time "giving it all over to God" and waiting for His answer.

Whatever that may be.